When you’re wondering, “What is psychotherapy?” you’re not alone. That term is referring to the range of treatments available to help address emotional challenges, mental health issues, and some psychiatric disorders. The goal behind psychotherapy is to enable patients to develop an understanding of their feelings. In doing so, they can also understand what makes them feel anxious, depressed, or positive. This form of talk therapy helps equip individuals with coping tools so that they can get through situations adaptively. To learn more about the psychotherapy program at Foothills at Red Oak, contact our adolescent treatment center today. 

Understanding When Psychotherapy is Necessary

Some are reluctant to try this therapy because when they wonder, “What is psychotherapy?” those thoughts often include misconceptions. Even when individuals understand what it is, they might still feel nervous or have questions regarding how to know when it’s necessary. Here are some signs that psychotherapy could be beneficial:

• You’re feeling a prolonged sense of sadness or helplessness, or you feel overwhelmed
• Despite efforts from friends and family to help, your problems don’t seem to be getting any better
• You’re finding it challenging to carry out everyday activities or focus on work assignments
• You are always on-edge, expecting the worse to happen, or worrying excessively
• You’re acting in a harmful way, including the using drugs and alcohol or being overly aggressive

What is Psychotherapy and What Can I Expect?

Often referred to as talk treatment, treatment centers that use psychotherapy generally use talk therapy instead of medications. So, if you’re considering getting treatment for a mental health issue, but have concerns about experiencing side-effects from prescriptions, that won’t be an issue.

There are many forms of psychotherapy, some of which are long-term, while others last a few sessions. The average session is for one hour once per week, and they follow a structured process. You might have one-on-one sessions or, if your therapist believes it’s beneficial, you might also have sessions in pairs, or as part of group therapy.

Types of Psychotherapy

Even though the majority of psychotherapy sessions focus on talking, therapists offering teen therapy services use a variety of approaches and styles, including:

• Behavioral therapy: This form of talk therapy helps clients understand that, if they make changes in their behavior, that could lead to changing how they’re feeling
• Cognitive-behavioral therapy: The goal behind cognitive-behavioral therapy is to help individuals understand that what they think is shaping how they’re feeling
• Interpersonal therapy: This form of therapy places emphasis on how an individual’s interpersonal relationships are making them feel
• Psychodynamic therapy: These sessions help individuals focus on the deep-seated causes for their behavior by using insight-oriented techniques

About the Effectiveness

When clients need someone unbiased to talk to, psychotherapy is an effective treatment. It helps individuals develop a new way of viewing challenging problems and, as a result, move toward a positive solution.

As sessions progress, people can create a better understanding of themselves, as well as their goals and values. That leads to helping them develop skills for relationship improvement. For example, it can help patients overcome a phobia or eating disorder.

People must be actively engaged and willing to do the work during sessions for psychotherapy to work effectively. These individuals must also be willing to work on themselves in between sessions, as well. That work could include learning and practicing new skills.

Contact Foothills at Red Oak

Do you have concerns or questions surrounding, “What is psychotherapy?” including if you need it and how it could be beneficial? Are you wondering if this form of talk therapy could be advantageous to a loved one? No one should have to navigate through these questions or concerns without support. Now is the time to contact us866.300.5275 to learn more about this form of therapy and if it’s right for you.