Psychotherapy is a process of treatment that can be carried out with the help of various currents. They differ in assumptions and methods of work.
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Main types of psychotherapy
Popular psychotherapeutic currents include:
- psychodynamic therapy – assumes that the cause of problems are unconscious conflicts and emphasizes working with the subconscious,
- behavioral-cognitive therapy – focuses on modifying abnormal patterns of thinking and behavior,
- humanistic therapies (e.g. Gestalt) – are based on the natural potential of a person for development,
- systemic therapy – focuses on the functioning of a person within a system, i.e. a group, most often a family,
- solution-focused therapy – it does not analyze the causes of difficulties, but looks for ways to make quick changes,
- eclectic (integrative) therapy – uses elements from various trends, adapting them to the needs and situation of a particular patient.
Division of psychotherapy according to form
When we talk about types of psychotherapy, we usually mean therapeutic currents. However, this term can also refer to the form, i.e. the number of people who take part in therapy. We then distinguish:
- individual therapy – one person participates in it and we focus on solving their problems,
- couples/marriage therapy – this is a therapy in which the couple participates, so we focus primarily on the difficulties that occur in a given relationship,
- family therapy – this is a process involving the whole or part of the family, it serves primarily to improve mutual relations,
- group therapy – these are meetings attended by a larger number of people experiencing similar problems, e.g. alcohol addiction or DDD syndrome.
Sometimes we combine individual therapy with group therapy – this approach brings very good results m.in. in the case of addictions.