Which therapy model best fits you?
All therapists will have a model, which is a way of working shaped by a set of beliefs about how people develop and grow. Some models will be structured around one way of thinking and some will combine ideas and techniques from different perspectives. At the same time, no two therapists will work in exactly the same way. This is because of differences in personal style but also because we respond to who we’re working with and what that person needs in any one moment.
Choosing which type of therapy to have can be a daunting task. As with any subject, there’s a language that’s only clear to those who get to know it. Below is my way of summarising some of the most common types of therapy on offer. Hopefully, this will help you to think about what ways of working might suit you and best help you reach your goals.
Person-Centred or Client-Centred therapy
Aims to help you access your in-built ability and desire to grow and change. Rather than analysing you and setting a course of work it focusses on the choices you make. It believes that only you can be the expert on yourself, but that that the experience of a therapist can be a useful resource to help make sense of yourself and achieve change. Your therapist will embody unconditional positive regard (non-judgement), empathy (understanding things from your point of view) and congruence (genuineness).
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
Aims to help you make a positive change in the way you think (cognition) and what you do (behaviour). Rather than looking at the root cause of a difficult thoughts or behaviours it focuses on offering practical solutions to help you manage them. It believes that the way we think about situations affects the way we feel and behave, and that viewing a situation differently can change the outcome. Your therapist will help you identify and challenge any negative thinking so that you can deal with situations in a more positive way.
Psychodynamic therapy
Aims to help you understand your past experiences to make sense of the present (derived from Psychoanalysis). Rather than being an open-ended exploration it focuses on finding solutions to current challenges in your life. It believes that the unconscious, the hidden parts of ourselves, plays an important part in shaping our behaviour. Your therapist may use similar techniques such as free association, interpretation, and transference, where characteristics of a significant relationships are mirrored in your relationship with your therapist.
Gestalt therapy
Aims to help you find a new and positive perspective on a problem to bring about changes in your life (from the German word for ‘whole’ or ‘pattern’). Rather than focusing on certain parts of you and your life it looks at you and your surroundings. It believes that your thoughts, feelings and behaviours in the present to better understand how you relate to others and to situations. Your therapist may use techniques such as role play and dream recall.
My Approach
My way of working is Integrative, drawing on the Person-Centred and Psychodynamic approaches to therapy. This means I believe that all people have value and are best placed to understand themselves. It also means I believe that the things we think and do unconsciously can tell us about hidden parts of ourselves. Like many Integrative practitioners, I will tailor my way of working to whatever best fits a particular client.
Further reading
A longer and more comprehensive list providing information on types of therapy can be found at the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) or Psychology Today websites.
