Behavioral therapy:

The goal of behavioral therapy is to reduce or eliminate unhealthy behaviors by addressing them and also reinforcing positive behaviors.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT):

Therapists who use CBT help clients recognize negative or unhelpful thought and behavioral patterns.

Humanistic therapy:

There are three subtypes within humanistic therapy: client-centered therapy, Gestalt therapy, and existential therapy.

Psychodynamic therapy:

This approach takes a dive into the unconscious meanings and motivations of your feelings, thoughts, and behaviors. In psychodynamic therapy, a trusting relationship between the therapist and the client is ideally developed. Some people will refer to this as “talk therapy.”

Holistic or integrative therapy:

Rather than focusing on one style, therapists who use an integrative style of therapy blend elements from different theories to create a style that meets their client’s needs.

Mental health professionals use certain styles of talk therapy when treating specific conditions like anxiety or depression, which are the most common mental health conditions.

For some people, these issues are complex and may result in a diagnosis of a mental health condition, such as depression or anxiety.

But for others, talk therapy may simply serve as a safe place to discuss feelings and emotions triggered by daily stressors, a medical illness, relationship issues, grief and loss, or the impact of a specific trauma.

Once the issues are identified, a therapist will help you understand how these stressors are affecting your life and work to develop strategies and solutions to help decrease the severity of the symptoms.

In general, a talk therapy session lasts about an hour, often 50 minutes. How often you go to therapy and how long you continue depend on the severity of symptoms and the treatment plan your therapist develops.

Initially, you may expect to attend therapy once a week. While this may seem like a major commitment, attending weekly sessions gives you the chance to develop a relationship with your therapist and adjust to the process.

The frequency of sessions may change to bimonthly as you develop coping strategies and begin showing signs of improvement.