One of the main things you think about when you hear the word psychology is therapy. The image of a classical talk therapy comes to mind with a client on the couch and a therapist taking notes. Although talk therapy is one of the approaches utilized, there are still many other types of therapies also used.


Depending on the goal at hand or disorder(s) the patient is dealing with the therapist can utilize different therapies to work towards the agreed goal. An extensive list of therapies can be found here:

A list of various types of therapies

However, there are some major therapies that I will be going more in depth with.

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy 



Cognitive-behavioral therapy, which emerged in the 1950s, is basically a mix between cognitive therapy and behavioral therapy. Cognitive therapy focuses more on people's thoughts rather than their actions believing that dysfunctional or irrational thinking leads to flawed behaviors and emotions; therefore, by changing these dysfunctional thoughts patients can change how they feel. Behavioral therapy follows this notion that unhealthy and harmful behaviors are learned and so they can be changed. Some of the major contributions of behavioral therapy started with Pavlov's classical conditioning (also known as associative learning) and Thorndike's operant conditioning which is a type of learning that shapes behavior through rewards and punishment. An example of behavioral thinking is desensitizing, a form of classical conditioning, in which a therapist can help a client with something like a phobia through repeated exposure to the frighting stimuli until the response is decreased. 

Cognitive-behavioral therapy can be beneficial for people from any age range. Many of the people seeking cognitive-behavioral therapy are dealing with things like: 
-Depression 
-Anxiety
-Panic disorders 
-Anger issues 

But cognitive behavioral therapy can also help with things like: 
-Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
-ADHD
-Eating disorders 
-Bipolar disorder 
-Phobias 
-Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
-Substance abuse 
-Self-harm 

Cognitive-behavioral therapy has even been used to help cancer patients: 




Another example on how cognitive-behavioral therapy has been used is with combating violence between teenage boys in Chicago: 


Psychoanalytic and Psychodynamic Therapies



Psychoanalysis was pioneered by Sigmund Freud and it is one of the most well known treatment methods as it is often known as "talk therapy." Therapists employing this method generally spend time listening to the client and will ask them about their lives. As they listen they will look for patterns or significant events that help explain certain behaviors and difficulties in the clients life. Psychoanalysis follows a notion that often times childhood and unconscious feelings play a role in the undesired thoughts and behaviors. Therefore, bringing these unconscious feelings into light and talking about them will bring them into conscious awareness where something can be done about them.

Some psychoanalytic techniques include: 
-Free association: encouraging the patient to freely talk about whatever comes to mind as the therapists closely listens for possible hidden meanings 

-Dream analysis: this pulls at the unconscious part of psychoanalysis by asking the patient to describe their dreams helping them look beyond the obvious meaning for hidden symbolism

-Resistance analysis: Is a way to try to prevent anxiety from entering the conscious through resistance. An example of this is having the patient purposely be late to the appointment

-Transference analysis: In this approach the therapist works as the "blank slate" allowing patients to transfer their unconscious feelings to them as if they were someone from their past

Humanistic Therapy



Humanistic therapy's approach emphasizes people's potential to grow and make good and rational decisions. There are three major humanistic therapies: 

-Client-centered therapy: basically rejects the idea of therapists as authorities and helps facilitate the clients tendency to self-actualize

-Gestalt therapy: emphasizes being aware of the here and now and the importance of accepting responsibility for ones self. 

-Existential therapy: focuses mainly on free will, self-determination, and the search for meaning. 


Maslow's hierarchy of needs helps explain human motivation and what steps are needed in order to achieve one's full potential. This model is often used in the humanistic approach as a standard and guide. 



While there are various therapies, it is important to remember that often times psychologists/therapists will draw upon more than one therapy in what might be known as integrative or holistic therapies. While some therapists excel at a specific type of therapy, not all therapists tie themselves to just one approach as often times some clients will need to be tailored in their type of treatment, pulling certain elements from different types of therapies. 



Sources: 

1. Bateman, A. & Holmes, J. (1995). Introduction to psychoanalysis: Contemporary theory and practice. New York, NY: Routledge.
2. Beystehner, K. M. (1998). Psychoanalysis: Freud's revolutionary approach to human personality. Retrieved from http://www.personalityresearch.org/papers/beystehner.html
3. Burton, E. S. (2015). Sigmund Freud. Retrieved from http://psychoanalysis.org.uk/our-authors-and-theorists/sigmund-freud
4. Othmer, E. & DeSouza, C. (1985). A screening test for somatization disorder (hysteria). The American Jounal of Psychiatry, (142)10, 1146-9. doi: 10.1176/ajp.142.10.1146
5. Association of Humanistic Psychology. (1991). Historic review of humanistic psychology. Retrieved from http://www.ahpweb.org/about/history/what-is-humanistic-psychology.html
6. Sammons, A. (n.d.). The humanistic approach: The basics. Retrieved from http://www.psychlotron.org.uk/newResources/approaches/AS_AQB_approaches_HumanisticBasics.pdf
7. University College London. (n.d.). Basic competencies for humanistic psychological therapies. Retrieved from http://www.ucl.ac.uk/clinical-psychology/CORE/Humanistic_Competences/basic_humanistic_competences.pdf
8. Wong, P. T. P. (2014). Humanistic theories. Retrieved from http://www.drpaulwong.com/humanistic-theories-2
9. National Health Service. (2014). Cognitive behavioural therapy. Retrieved from http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Cognitive-behavioural-therapy/Pages/Introduction.aspx
10. Royal College of Psychiatrists. (2013). Cognitive behavioural therapy. Retrieved from http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/mentalhealthinformation/therapies/cognitivebehaviouraltherapy.aspx