There are many different approaches to psychotherapy. Psychologists generally draw on one or more of these. Each theoretical perspective acts as a roadmap to help the psychologist understand their patients and their problems and develop solutions.

The kind of treatment you receive will depend on a variety of factors: current psychological research, your psychologist’s theoretical orientation, and what works best for your situation.

Your psychologist’s theoretical perspective will affect what goes on in his or her office. Psychologists who use cognitive-behavioral therapy, for example, have a practical approach to treatment. Your psychologist might ask you to tackle certain tasks designed to help you develop more effective coping skills. This approach often involves homework assignments.

Your psychologist might ask you to gather more information, such as logging your reactions to a particular situation as they occur. Or your psychologist might want you to practice new skills between sessions, such as asking someone with an elevator phobia to practice pushing elevator buttons. You might also have reading assignments so you can learn more about a particular topic.

In contrast, psychoanalytic and humanistic approaches typically focus more on talking than doing. You might spend your sessions discussing your early experiences to help you and your psychologist better understand the root causes of your current problems.

Your psychologist may combine elements from several styles of psychotherapy. In fact, most therapists don’t tie themselves to any one approach. Instead, they blend elements from different approaches and tailor their treatment according to each patient’s needs.

The main thing to know is whether your psychologist has expertise in the area you need help with and whether your psychologist feels he or she can help you.

Psychotherapy is different from medical or dental treatments, where patients typically sit passively while professionals work on them and tell them their diagnosis and treatment plans. Psychotherapy isn’t about a psychologist telling you what to do. It’s an active collaboration between you and the psychologist.

Making it workIn fact, hundreds of studies have found that a very important part of what makes psychotherapy work is the collaborative relationship between psychologist and patient, also known as a therapeutic alliance. The therapeutic alliance is what happens when the psychologist and patient work together to achieve the patient’s goals.

So be an active, engaged participant in psychotherapy. Help set goals for treatment. Work with your psychologist to come up with a timeline. Ask questions about your treatment plan. If you don’t think a session went well, share that feedback and have a dialogue so that the psychologist can respond and tailor your treatment more effectively. Ask your psychologist for suggestions about books or websites with useful information about your problems.

The psychological principles derived from cognitive psychology and behavioral psychology are, by far, the most empirically supported findings in clinical psychology to date. Cognitive-behavioral therapists utilize these well established psychological principles to help their clients modify behaviors, thoughts, emotions, or other personal characteristics in directions that their clients deem desirable.

Cognitive-Behavioral Psychology (CBT) is usually the first line of treatment for anxiety disorders. This is because the scientific evidence supporting cognitive behavioral therapy is overwhelming (1, 2). It works well and it works quickly. In contrast to many other forms of therapy, CBT can often be completed in just a few months.

Therapists at SAS utilize a number of specialized variants such as PE, IE, ERP, ACT, TF-CBT, CPT, SFBT, MBCT, EMDR, and REBT to help clients struggling with a wide range of anxiety disorders and related mental health challenges. We routinely utilize CBT to treat Adjustment Disorders, Specific Phobias, Agoraphobia, Panic Disorder, Social Anxiety, Insomnia, OCD, ADHD, PTSD, GAD, MDD, OCPD, and BFRB.

Keep in mind that although CBT can be effective on its own, research suggests that for those individuals suffering from mental health disorders the most effective approach is a combination of CBT and medication.

If you have private health insurance or are enrolled in a health maintenance organization or other type of managed care plan, it may cover mental health services such as psychotherapy. Before you start psychotherapy, you should check with your insurance plan to see what is covered