Treatments
The list below is an overview of some of the more common types of therapy. Therapists’ websites or online profiles will often note the types of therapy they specialize in. Many will use a combination of methods. If you’re not sure the type of therapy you want, you could ask the therapist what they would recommend based on the concerns you’re seeking help with or the specific symptoms you’re having.
If you’re seeking care for a loved one, most therapists will want to speak with that person before agreeing to schedule an appointment.
ACT—Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: Uses mindfulness to help people stay focused on the present moment and accept thoughts and feelings without judgement. This results in clarity about forming and committing to behavioral change strategies.
CBT — Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: A structured therapy that helps people learn to identify and change destructive or disturbing thought patterns that have a negative impact on behavior and emotions. It focuses on current behavior, rather than the root cause. CBT has a lot of scientific evidence that it works well with many conditions and is one of the most studied therapeutic interventions.
CBTp — Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for psychosis: An evidence-based form of talk therapy, shown to be effective in treating individuals experiencing psychosis and related problems. CBTp targets symptoms such as hallucinations, paranoia, and delusions, with the goal of improving daily functioning and quality of life. It can help people manage emotions, improve motivation and interpersonal relationships.
CPT – Cognitive Processing Therapy: CPT is another type of cognitive behavioral therapy that can be effective in reducing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder that may have developed from experiencing a traumatic event such as child abuse, combat, rape and natural disasters.
DBT — Dialectical Behavioral Therapy: Therapy that works towards skill-building with people who are struggling with intense emotions. It focuses on mindfulness, increasing distress tolerance (rather than trying to escape from negative emotions), emotion regulation and interpersonal effectiveness (learning to communicate with others in a way that strengthens relationships). DBT has been shown to help with some of the most debilitating symptoms of borderline personality disorder: self-injury and suicidal ideation. It is now also used to treat depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, eating disorders, and substance use disorders.
- Family DBT focuses on developing interpersonal effectiveness skills, emotion regulation skills, and distress tolerance skills that complement the DBT skills their loved one is learning. Training families in DBT has been shown to increase interpersonal effectiveness and improve relationships.
Exposure Therapy: Exposure therapy helps people confront their fears and break patterns of avoidance. When people are fearful of something, they may avoid the feared activity or situation. Though this might bring short-term relief, over the long term it can make the fear even worse. In this form of therapy, the treating provider creates a safe environment in which to “expose” people to the things they fear and avoid. Exposure therapy is a helpful treatment or treatment component for a range of problems, including panic, anxiety, phobias and post-traumatic stress.
PST — Problem Solving Therapy: A brief, evidence-based treatment also known as Problem-Solving Treatment teaches patients to identify problems, generate solutions, and implement those solutions to improve a person’s ability to identify, address and resolve life problems. PST is most effective for depression and anxiety.
Psychoanalytic Therapy: Aims to bring the unconscious mind (deeply buried feelings, thoughts) into the conscious using dream analysis, word association, and exploring transference (feelings towards/about one key person in your life may be transferred to another person). Jungian therapy is a type of psychoanalytic therapy.
Psychodynamic Therapy: An in-depth therapy that explores thoughts, feelings, fears, desires, etc. and focuses on solutions and problem-solving. It is similar to psychoanalytic therapy in looking at feelings and root cause but differs in its focus on problem-solving.
TF-CBT—Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: Primarily used in children, this therapy uses techniques from regular CBT therapy combined with family therapy to help overcome trauma-related difficulties such as depression, upsetting/unwanted memories, avoidance, emotional numbing, etc.
Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) involves sending electrical currents into the brain to provoke a small seizure. The seizure creates a burst of electrical activity in a specific part of the brain, stimulating those neurons and helping them work better.
The procedure is done while the patient is under brief general anesthesia. ECT is a highly effective treatment for major depression. It may also benefit patients with schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, catatonia, neuroleptic malignant syndrome, and bipolar disorder. Most patients can receive ECT on an outpatient basis, though those with more severe depression may require inpatient management.
Insurance, including Medicare and Medicaid, generally covers ECT, though managed care plans will often require prior approval.
Sources: Espinoza. Psychiatry Consultation Line, Salik I, Marwaha R. Electroconvulsive Therapy
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) involves delivering magnetic pulses to specific brain regions to alter the brain’s electrical system. This non-invasive procedure is brief (lasting about 20 minutes per session), performed on an outpatient basis, and is generally well-tolerated by patients. Patients often continue medications or talk therapy or both with TMS treatment. Common side effects, such as headaches or scalp soreness, are relatively minor. The major risk is for seizure, which is mitigated through careful patient screening and strict adherence to treatment protocols.
TMS is FDA-approved for several conditions, including Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), Treatment-Resistant Depression (TRD), Anxious Depression, Late-life Depression (up to age 86), Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), and smoking cessation. TMS is covered by most insurance plans, although prior authorization is required, and not all conditions may be covered.
For detailed information about the range of mental health medications, two helpful resources to consider are: