Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsTypesDegreesSpecialtiesHow to Choose
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Types
Degrees
Specialties
How to Choose
If you’re considering therapy, you may wonder how to choose from the different types of therapists.Psychotherapy, also called talk therapy, helps people find better ways to cope with emotional issues and overcome unhealthy behaviors or thinking patterns. Therapists can differ based on their education and licensing. Some may also specialize in different types of therapy.
This article discusses the various kinds of psychotherapy as well as different types of therapists. It also looks at how to choose a psychotherapist and what questions to ask before your first meeting.
Different Types of Therapists
There are many different types of therapists, some of whom have a narrow scope of practice—such as sexual trauma, addiction, or eating disorders—and others who operate under thefive broad approaches to psychotherapy, known as:
Verywell / Danie Drankwalter
Psychotherapy Degrees and Licensure
In addition to the different approaches to psychotherapy, there are also different degrees that may direct the scope of a therapist’s practice:
Psychotherapy Specialties
There are well over a hundred different approaches to psychotherapy, including subspecialties limited to specific populations (such astransgender people) or devoted to treating specific mental conditions (likepost-traumatic stress disorderorborderline personality disorder).
Here are just a few examples:
Best Therapies for Phobias and CompulsionsCognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is especially good at treating phobias and compulsions.CBT aims to identify thoughts and feelings that contribute to irrational fears and behaviors and attempts to change them in order to improve mental health.
Best Therapies for Phobias and Compulsions
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is especially good at treating phobias and compulsions.CBT aims to identify thoughts and feelings that contribute to irrational fears and behaviors and attempts to change them in order to improve mental health.
How to Choose a Therapist
There are several questions you should ask yourself before starting a search for a therapist to help ensure that you get the appropriate care:
Questions to Ask
Before committing to a therapist, ask whatever questions you need to establish whether they have the credentials and scope of expertise needed to meet your expectations and goals.
Examples include:
Summary
There are numerous specialties and subspecialties in the field of psychotherapy. It is important to identify your goals for therapy and to ask questions in order to choose the best therapist for your needs.
13 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Psychological Association.Different approaches to psychotherapy.American Psychological Association.What is cognitive behavioral therapy?Linehan MM, Wilks CR.The course and evolution of dialectical behavior therapy.APT. 2015;69(2):97-110. doi:10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.2015.69.2.97Feizi M, Kamali Z, Gholami M, Abadi BAGH, Moeini S.The effectiveness of existential psychotherapy on attitude to life and self-flourishing of educated women homemakers.J Educ Health Promot. 2019 Nov 29;8:237. doi:10.4103/jehp.jehp_473_18Ribeiro Â, Ribeiro JP, von Doellinger O.Depression and psychodynamic psychotherapy.Braz J Psychiatry.2018 Jan-Mar;40(1):105-109. doi:10.1590/1516-4446-2016-2107U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistic.Social workers: occupational outlook handbook.National Alliance on Mental Illness.Finding a mental health professional.American Psychological Association.Family therapy.American Psychological Association.Doctoral degrees in psychology: how are they different, or not so different?American Psychiatric Association.What is psychiatry?McAleavey AA, Castonguay LG.The process of change in psychotherapy: common and unique factors. In:Psychotherapy Research. New York: Springer-Verlag; 2015. doi:10.1007/978-3-7091-1382-0_15Thng CEW, Lim-Ashworth NSJ, Poh BZQ, Lim CG.Recent developments in the intervention of specific phobia among adults: a rapid review.F1000Res.2020;9:F1000 Faculty Rev-195. doi:10.12688/f1000research.20082.1Reddy YCJ, Sundar AS, Narayanaswamy JC, Math SB.Clinical practice guidelines for obsessive-. compulsive disorder.Indian J Psychiatry.2017 Jan;59(Suppl 1):S74–S90. doi:10.4103/0019-5545.196976
13 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Psychological Association.Different approaches to psychotherapy.American Psychological Association.What is cognitive behavioral therapy?Linehan MM, Wilks CR.The course and evolution of dialectical behavior therapy.APT. 2015;69(2):97-110. doi:10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.2015.69.2.97Feizi M, Kamali Z, Gholami M, Abadi BAGH, Moeini S.The effectiveness of existential psychotherapy on attitude to life and self-flourishing of educated women homemakers.J Educ Health Promot. 2019 Nov 29;8:237. doi:10.4103/jehp.jehp_473_18Ribeiro Â, Ribeiro JP, von Doellinger O.Depression and psychodynamic psychotherapy.Braz J Psychiatry.2018 Jan-Mar;40(1):105-109. doi:10.1590/1516-4446-2016-2107U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistic.Social workers: occupational outlook handbook.National Alliance on Mental Illness.Finding a mental health professional.American Psychological Association.Family therapy.American Psychological Association.Doctoral degrees in psychology: how are they different, or not so different?American Psychiatric Association.What is psychiatry?McAleavey AA, Castonguay LG.The process of change in psychotherapy: common and unique factors. In:Psychotherapy Research. New York: Springer-Verlag; 2015. doi:10.1007/978-3-7091-1382-0_15Thng CEW, Lim-Ashworth NSJ, Poh BZQ, Lim CG.Recent developments in the intervention of specific phobia among adults: a rapid review.F1000Res.2020;9:F1000 Faculty Rev-195. doi:10.12688/f1000research.20082.1Reddy YCJ, Sundar AS, Narayanaswamy JC, Math SB.Clinical practice guidelines for obsessive-. compulsive disorder.Indian J Psychiatry.2017 Jan;59(Suppl 1):S74–S90. doi:10.4103/0019-5545.196976
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
American Psychological Association.Different approaches to psychotherapy.American Psychological Association.What is cognitive behavioral therapy?Linehan MM, Wilks CR.The course and evolution of dialectical behavior therapy.APT. 2015;69(2):97-110. doi:10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.2015.69.2.97Feizi M, Kamali Z, Gholami M, Abadi BAGH, Moeini S.The effectiveness of existential psychotherapy on attitude to life and self-flourishing of educated women homemakers.J Educ Health Promot. 2019 Nov 29;8:237. doi:10.4103/jehp.jehp_473_18Ribeiro Â, Ribeiro JP, von Doellinger O.Depression and psychodynamic psychotherapy.Braz J Psychiatry.2018 Jan-Mar;40(1):105-109. doi:10.1590/1516-4446-2016-2107U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistic.Social workers: occupational outlook handbook.National Alliance on Mental Illness.Finding a mental health professional.American Psychological Association.Family therapy.American Psychological Association.Doctoral degrees in psychology: how are they different, or not so different?American Psychiatric Association.What is psychiatry?McAleavey AA, Castonguay LG.The process of change in psychotherapy: common and unique factors. In:Psychotherapy Research. New York: Springer-Verlag; 2015. doi:10.1007/978-3-7091-1382-0_15Thng CEW, Lim-Ashworth NSJ, Poh BZQ, Lim CG.Recent developments in the intervention of specific phobia among adults: a rapid review.F1000Res.2020;9:F1000 Faculty Rev-195. doi:10.12688/f1000research.20082.1Reddy YCJ, Sundar AS, Narayanaswamy JC, Math SB.Clinical practice guidelines for obsessive-. compulsive disorder.Indian J Psychiatry.2017 Jan;59(Suppl 1):S74–S90. doi:10.4103/0019-5545.196976
American Psychological Association.Different approaches to psychotherapy.
American Psychological Association.What is cognitive behavioral therapy?
Linehan MM, Wilks CR.The course and evolution of dialectical behavior therapy.APT. 2015;69(2):97-110. doi:10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.2015.69.2.97
Feizi M, Kamali Z, Gholami M, Abadi BAGH, Moeini S.The effectiveness of existential psychotherapy on attitude to life and self-flourishing of educated women homemakers.J Educ Health Promot. 2019 Nov 29;8:237. doi:10.4103/jehp.jehp_473_18
Ribeiro Â, Ribeiro JP, von Doellinger O.Depression and psychodynamic psychotherapy.Braz J Psychiatry.2018 Jan-Mar;40(1):105-109. doi:10.1590/1516-4446-2016-2107
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistic.Social workers: occupational outlook handbook.
National Alliance on Mental Illness.Finding a mental health professional.
American Psychological Association.Family therapy.
American Psychological Association.Doctoral degrees in psychology: how are they different, or not so different?
American Psychiatric Association.What is psychiatry?
McAleavey AA, Castonguay LG.The process of change in psychotherapy: common and unique factors. In:Psychotherapy Research. New York: Springer-Verlag; 2015. doi:10.1007/978-3-7091-1382-0_15
Thng CEW, Lim-Ashworth NSJ, Poh BZQ, Lim CG.Recent developments in the intervention of specific phobia among adults: a rapid review.F1000Res.2020;9:F1000 Faculty Rev-195. doi:10.12688/f1000research.20082.1
Reddy YCJ, Sundar AS, Narayanaswamy JC, Math SB.Clinical practice guidelines for obsessive-. compulsive disorder.Indian J Psychiatry.2017 Jan;59(Suppl 1):S74–S90. doi:10.4103/0019-5545.196976
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