Overview of Different Kinds of Psychotherapeutic Treatment Methods

Psychotherapy is treatment of psychic problems through talking to a psychotherapist, a person who has special education for giving help in this way.

Cognitive therapy: The patient learns to think effectively e.g. in the case of eating disorders "I am normal and it is the photographer's models who are abnormally slim" instead of: "the photographer's models are perfect and I want to look like them. I must reduce my weight". More .

Behavioural therapy: The patient gets help from somebody, or from a computer, in order to understand and learn how to eat normally. The patient also gets tips about other things which can be done instead of eating. More .

Psychodynamic therapy and psychoanalysis: Unpleasant and painful experiences, usually from childhood, are examined. The therapist helps patients to interpret their feelings.

A problem with this method is that patients often have a strong tendency to be so influenced by those in their surroundings that they come away from their own feelings and wishes and just do what the therapist wants. They might accept interpretations which are not based on their own experiences. There is a risk that the patient learns to accept the therapists explanations and do not get in contact with his or her own feelings and physical signals, blaming childhood experiences instead of getting in contact with their own inner world.

Gestalt therapy: The main point of this method is for patients to learn to identify their real needs and feelings. More .

Family therapy: The whole family of a person with mental disorders often needs help in learning how to manage the problem. More.

Group therapy: Patients discuss their problems in a group and the realization that others have similar needs may make it easier to understand their own problems. Members of the group help each other. More.