Main areas of psychotherapy (classification)

• Types and tasks of psychotherapy
• Why is psychotherapy needed?
• When do you need the help of a psychotherapist?
• How to choose a psychotherapist?
• How do you know if psychotherapy is helping?

It is no secret that against the backdrop of internal conflicts - grievances, uncertainty, fears, inability to communicate, overwork - people quarrel, get divorced, abandon their children, lose their jobs, and abandon profitable projects. Many are able to cope with the problems that arise on their own, but some turn to a psychotherapist for help in the hope of making their lives better and correcting the situation.

What is psychotherapy, what exactly is it for, when should you go to a specialist, and how do you understand that the sessions are having an effect? Let's talk about everything in order.

Types and tasks of psychotherapy

Essentially, psychotherapy is a conversation during which a professional psychologist/psychotherapist helps the client understand and solve their problems. This is an effective method of restoring mental health, which considers the patient as a whole, studies his essence and uses an individual approach in each case.

The goal of a psychotherapist’s work will be to identify, bring to the surface and overcome all sources of problems that prevent a person from living. At the same time, the specialist does not impose his point of view, but only helps the client find ways to a harmonious existence, using different types and methods of psychotherapeutic tactics.

Today there are many types of psychotherapy, and the psychotherapist decides which technique to use. The most common techniques are cognitive-behavioral therapy, psychoanalysis, reconstructive-personal, bodily, rational, group, systemic family psychotherapy, neuropsychology, art therapy, psychodrama, gestalt therapy, hypnosis techniques, existential psychotherapy. When choosing a technique, the psychotherapist relies on an individual approach, taking into account personality characteristics, the clinical picture of the illness and his own capabilities.

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During his sessions, the psychotherapist solves the following problems:

• helping the patient understand his problems;
• creating a comfortable environment during the consultation process;
• application of effective therapeutic techniques to correct psychological beliefs and reactions;
• providing clients with routes to find answers to their questions;
• assistance in adapting to the world around us with new thinking and behavior.

Why is psychotherapy needed?

First of all, the intervention of a psychotherapist will help to cope with problems and find the right path to solving them. Mental well-being is no less important than normal blood pressure, good blood counts or healthy teeth. As with any physical illness, mental anxieties can harm a person and significantly deteriorate their overall health, because chronic stress provokes diseases of the cardiovascular system and gastrointestinal tract, insomnia, obesity, and contributes to the emergence of more dangerous mental illnesses.

As a result of working with the subconscious, thoughts, beliefs and reactions, the very structure of the “I” changes, a person grows spiritually and mentally, abandons infantile behavior strategies, deviates from parental behavior patterns, in a word, unconscious habits are transformed into conscious ones, which means they can be controlled and change to improve your life.

What should be the outcome of cognitive behavioral therapy?

The patient begins to realize that many harmful actions are illogical. Negative emotions are irrational. He sees how negative feelings originate from lived experience or social environment. He no longer has to act based on his behavior patterns and use substances.

The addict understands why he feels or acts a certain way. He knows how these feelings and actions motivate the use of the object of addiction. This is precisely the mission of CBT, because in this way it is easier for a person to cope with addiction.

We help addicts discover thoughts about the desired substance (or action, if we are talking about games, for example) that arise “automatically.”

Such an “automatic” thought is impulsive and is often the result of misconceptions about oneself, uncertainty, and feelings of fear. Often people try to drown out this moral pain by drinking alcohol or drugs, gambling, etc.

Constantly revisiting painful memories will help reduce the pain they cause. After this, people can learn to behave in new ways so that the need for the object of dependence no longer arises.

Patients are freed from addiction with the help of:

• getting rid of misconceptions about yourself;
• self-help training to improve mood;
• teaching effective communication skills;
• instilling skills in managing triggers – situations that increase cravings for alcohol, etc.

When do you need the help of a psychotherapist?

It is difficult to imagine a person for whom everything is perfect, without problems or conflicts. But we are also not accustomed to running to a psychotherapist at the slightest ailment. How do you understand: do you need the help of a professional or is it possible to cope with the situation yourself?

You definitely need the help of a specialist if:

• you are grieving the death of a loved one and cannot get out of this state;
• after the birth of a child, you lost the desire to live;
• insomnia has become chronic;
• you often experience a feeling of aggression, have difficulty restraining impulses to hit someone or break something;
• you feel persistently dependent on someone/something;
• you regularly have panic attacks.

You should seriously consider visiting a psychotherapist if:

• you are systematically fired from your job;
• you are increasingly thinking about divorce;
• you were raped or beaten;
• you have suffered a serious illness or injury;
• you were betrayed by a loved one;
• you notice that you have become overly emotional and may burst into tears over a trifle.

Less dangerous situations that a psychotherapist can help you deal with include:

• a vague feeling of causeless anxiety that appears more and more often;
• minor illnesses that often occur;
• rejection of one's own appearance;
• serious illness of someone close to you;
• feeling that you are being watched;
• strong love without reciprocity;
• constant feeling of guilt before someone;
• inability to refuse requests from family, friends, colleagues, and superiors;
• you are over 30, but you live with your parents;
• fear of flying on an airplane, riding the subway or in an elevator;
• your life doesn't suit you.

If you have an idea that a specialist can help you, you can go to one consultation; many specialists conduct the first introductory conversation for free.

What misconceptions does cognitive behavioral therapy work with?

• The addict thinks about approval from others, but not often about family problems and the interests of family members.
• He is hostile and distrustful of others and does not expect anything good from them. There's a catch waiting. In severe cases, persecution mania and phobias are observed.
• Blames not himself, but other people or circumstances. For example, “it was inconvenient to refuse drinking at a corporate party.”
• He thinks that it is easier to avoid life situations than to be responsible for the decisions made later. He is an outside observer and does not take any action to improve his life.
• Believes in the power of the past. Lives in regrets about himself and his behavior. Therefore, at the beginning of treatment, the patient is afraid of further social life: what if everything will be bad with her because he is a former drug addict?

How to choose a psychotherapist?

When choosing, be sure to ask:

• whether the specialist has a medical or psychological education;
• what kind of work experience does he have (3 years of experience is considered optimal);
• whether he took additional courses, participated in educational events or seminars, and whether there are certificates confirming this;
• customer reviews.

It is important that the therapist answers the client’s questions as fully as possible, complies with ethical standards and does not have a scandalous reputation.

How do you know if psychotherapy is helping?

Sometimes visits to a psychotherapist last for years, and patients do not always realize: is there a result or is everything useless? What should you pay attention to? What indicators will indicate that positive dynamics have already appeared?

1. Your wishes come true

   . Of course, we are not talking about the fact that, thanks to psychotherapeutic sessions, you magically found a treasure or became an object of admiration for the opposite sex. But how much better you yourself cope with the realization of your needs, communicate with people, develop - will let you know whether therapeutic techniques are helping you.

2. You love yourself.

   It is a positive perception of one’s personality, behavior, appearance, character, support for one’s plans and desires that is an indicator that new habits and thinking are being formed successfully.

3. Your activity is at its best.

   If you are much more willing and energetic to be involved in intellectual and creative activities, solve life problems, communicate with friends - this is a good sign and a sign of the right path in working on yourself.

4. You experience vivid emotions.

   The manifestation of many emotions in relationships, in business, in self-perception indicates that the human psyche is deeply involved and has stopped being “lazy.” We are not necessarily talking about positive emotions here, because the sincere expression of anger, sadness, and disappointment also makes the brain work.

Of course, psychotherapy is a long and painstaking work on oneself, but when a person manages to get rid of the first problem, fear or uncertainty, he immediately feels noticeably better, and he happily moves on to his new reality - to a fulfilling life.

Basic techniques of cognitive behavioral therapy in the treatment of addiction

CBT specialists use special exercises (techniques) to make it easier for the patient to overcome addiction. Below are examples of such techniques.

Fixation of thoughts

Patients think about when they have negative thoughts and look for objective evidence. This evidence can be either confirmatory or disconfirming. The goal is to help a person think more balancedly and less categorically by critically evaluating what they are thinking about.

Example of a negative thought : “My boss doesn’t value me. I need a drink to feel better."

This thought transforms into the following : “Everyone makes mistakes. I will learn from my own mistakes, and my boss will be grateful to me. I don't need alcohol to feel better."

Experiments on behavior

The essence of these exercises is the contrast between negative and positive thoughts. The patient sees which of these thoughts are more effective in changing behavior. Some people benefit from a loyal attitude towards themselves, while others change for the better thanks to self-criticism.

Example: “If I berate myself after playing online poker, I will play less” or “If I talk to myself gently after playing online poker, I will play less.”

Figurative representation

This exercise involves the person thinking about memories that cause strong negative feelings in him. He pays attention to everything he sees and hears while thinking, to every emotion, thought or impulse that arises at that moment. By frequently revisiting painful memories, the addict can, over time, reduce the anxiety caused by them.

For example , he focuses on a painful childhood memory. He remembers every detail, including emotions. With repeated exposure, the memories cause him less and less pain, reducing the need to self-medicate with drugs or alcohol.

List of enjoyable activities

The essence of this technique is to compile a weekly list of exciting and healthy activities so that a person diversifies his everyday life. Tasks should be easy to complete and, of course, evoke positive emotions. This will help reduce the number of spontaneously arising negative thoughts, and therefore avoid the need for an object of dependence.

Example: a person is tired at work. To relax, instead of drinking, he relaxes for 15 minutes every day. He uses this time to find and listen to a new song by a contemporary musician.