Therapy: Exploring Counselling and Therapy

Have you been considering professional help and support?

People go to therapy for all different reasons, and all reasons for wanting to try therapy are valid and important.

In this blog we will look at all things therapy and counselling to help you gain insight and information to consider if counselling or therapy might be right for you.

Let's talk therapy

Counselling, therapy, talking therapy, psychotherapy whatever we call it, it is all mental health support, or 'talking therapy'. In general, therapy is working one to one with a trained professional therapist. It is a process of working together in a therapeutic relationship to identify and resolve problematic behaviors, feelings and beliefs. More than that, it is a relationship that creates space for you to explore and work on understanding yourself and your needs, in a non judgmental and safe environment.

Counselling can be used to support specific issues and work towards creating a resolution or acceptance of the issue or circumstance. For example; addiction, problematic behaviours, or grief. Counselling can take place over weeks to several months, as the work we do in counselling is to support the individual, and each person is different. Therefore counselling can take as long or short as the individual needs.

Psychotherapy, on the other hand tends to explore in a deeper more relational way, working with understanding the individuals past and exploring or 'unpacking' how that might be contributing or impacting on the individuals present day needs, 'unpacking' and understanding ourselves and our actions at a deeper level.

Mental health support and therapy can be of benefit when you are struggling with any form of emotional difficulty, if you are facing big changes or life challenges. Or if you are experiencing any mental health concerns, therapy gives us time and support to focus on ourselves and our own wellbeing.

I generally use the term therapy, through this blog we will refer to therapy to encompass all types of therapeutic interventions.

We can use therapy to help us to understand and improve many different symptoms that may be a part of, or caused by our mental health needs. Working on our own well-being can also provide us with insight, understanding and coping strategies to support us in our day to day lives. In therapy, we are also able to learn ways of gaining awareness of ourselves and our own mental health needs, enabling us to identify, adapt and overcome when we notice ourselves becoming overwhelmed. In this way we become better able to manage our own mental health needs and support ourselves before we reach a crisis or breaking point.

Research has shown that the benefits of therapy and what we are able to learn and apply from therapy can last longer than medication alone. While medication can and does reduce some symptoms of mental health conditions, therapy can offer new skills specifically to address our concerns and give us something real to work on between sessions. There are lots of different opinions and ideas about what approach works best. If a medical or therapeutic approach to mental health is better, or if both approaches can compliment the other.

However, it really is up to you how you want to approach your mental health and your own personal journey to wellness. There is no right or wrong way to approach your own mental health, it is about the journey you take to your own wellness, no one knows you better than you know yourself, an no one can fix something that isn't broken, but it can help to change self-destructive behaviors and habits, resolve painful feelings, improve your relationships with yourself and others.

Looking at both the medical and therapeutic approaches there are benefits to both. However there doesn't need to be a one or the other approach, working together with both medication and therapy can be immensely helpful, and allow us the support of both our doctor and therapist.

Let's talk: Talking Therapy

Talking therapies are therapeutic interventions that are centered around talking to a trained professional about your thoughts, feelings and behaviour. On the whole, you can expect that the therapeutic style you decide on and the therapist you work with will be someone who works with you to support you, listens attentively, models a healthy and positive relationship experience, gives you appropriate feedback, and follows ethical guidelines.

Good therapy and a good therapist should tailor the work together to you and your experiences and needs.

There are many different types of talking therapy and different ones will suit different people better, there is no one size fits all, it's about you. In general all therapies aim to offer:

• Support from an accredited professional who will not judge you

• A safe space and time to talk about your thoughts, feelings and behaviours

• Help and support for you to make sense of events, relationships or patterns in your life

• To understand yourself more completely

• Help you navigate and resolve complicated feelings, or find ways to accept them

• Support you identify and recognise unhelpful patterns of thinking, and find ways to support change

How can therapy help you?

Therapy can and does help people with many different needs, Let's discuss some of these:

• Difficult life events, we can all experience difficult events in our lives, what some may find difficult others might not, what is important is getting help and support if you want or need it.

• Bereavement, grief or loss, losing someone close to you, losing your job, plans that didn't work out how you hoped. All of these things can leave us with a sense of loss, therapy can help with these feelings.

• Relationship problems, repetitive patterns that are unhelpful.

• Upsetting or traumatic experiences, whether it's something recent or something that happened a long time ago therapy can help us unpack these feelings and process them.

• Difficult emotions, such as, guilt, sadness, confusion, anger and low self-esteem.

• Depression and anxiety, therapy can provide skills and techniques to help us cope.

• Other mental health problems. Talking therapies can help with a range of diagnoses, and specific talking treatments have been developed for some mental health problems.

• Breakups and leaving difficult relationships can cause us to question ourselves and our decisions, therapy can support us to understand patterns and untangle feelings.

• Anything you want to use it for - Therapy is for you, your therapist can support you in understanding and reaching awareness about yourself and your needs.

Getting support from a therapist when you're not already reaching or at a crisis point can be really helpful. Identifying and working on our mental health is just as important as our physical health. We couldn't wait to see a Dr if we had broken our leg, so why would we let ourselves reach breaking point before seeking help for our mental health.

There are upwards of 50 different types of therapy, some are more common than others, so if something isn't working for you it is important not to blame yourself. Not all therapies can or will work well for everyone, but there are different options to explore that you might find to be a better fit.

Talking therapies can differ in:

What the focus is for you (for example, learning about more yourself by talking about your past, or working on overcoming a specific problem you have now)

The style, technique or speciality of the therapist you are working with, your own learning style and how you want to work. There is also different academic theory that informs the interventions of different approaches.

Read more on learning styles

There can also be a lot of confusing or overly academic or therapeutic language used when reading and talking about therapy. Including when we are looking at self help tools, talking about different therapy styles and ways of working. These can be really confusing when we are not sure what they mean and it can sometimes make therapy feel too difficult or inaccessible. Not understanding certain terms can mean we are less likely to consider therapy as an option for us, or worry that we will not get anything from therapy because we don't know what we need, let alone what type of therapy might benefit us.

The M Word also contains a Glossary, when there are new concepts, words or references that you would like some additional information, clarification or details about a condition then you can check the glossary. The M Word: A Glossary

Generally, many therapists are trained in multiple different styles and will tailor and create the right approach for you. This style is what would usually be referred to as 'eclectic', 'blended' or 'integrative'. While therapists may have a preferred style and ways of working to combine different aspects of therapies, good therapy will alway be client-led. Most therapists will work with you, to figure out what works well for you, what is helpful and what isn't. However it is your sesion, your therapy, if something isn't working for you then talk about it with the therapist. They are not likely to be offended and will listen to your concerns or suggestions, it may even lead to a break through.

Lets talk: Types of therapy:

Art psychotherapy or creative arts

These types of therapy include creative processes like painting, drawing, drama and music as a way to navigate and explore difficult and confusing feelings. You do not need to be creative to use this style of therapy.

Though the art or creative pieces that you make, meaning and understanding can be drawn out and worked with. This style is especially helpful if you find it too difficult to talk about your feelings, emotions or a specific topic.

Behavioural Therapy

In this form of therapy, therapists and clients work to identify, understand and help change potentially self-destructive or unhealthy behaviors. The idea is that all behaviors are learned and thus have a root source that needs to be identified and understood so that the unhealthy behaviors can be changed.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy CBT

CBT is one of the most common and practical styles of therapy, most therapists use this type of therapy in some way and it is the most adaptable to self help styles of therapy. This style focuses on challenging and changing unhelpful cognitive distortions and behaviors. In turn this supports the creation and development of our personal coping strategies that target solving current problems.

Dialectical

DBT or Dialectical behavioral therapy is an extension of CBT and aims to explore opposite positions and how those thoughts and feelings relate to each other and how they can co-exist. DBT also teaches or trains people to 'live in the moment' to experiencing things as they are when they are happening. Promoting healthy and constructive ways to cope with stress, anxiety and to support regulation of emotions.

Humanistic

Humanistic therapy focuses on the whole, mind, body and soul. looking at the individual as a whole and approaching an all systems way of working with all aspects of the individual

Mindfulness

Possibly one of the most talked about therapeutic interventions of the moment, while mindfulness has been around for some 2000 years, it purpose is the same becoming aware of all your current thoughts and feelings noticing them and accepting them as they are.

These are various different methods and techniques, such as guided meditation and breathing exercises or singing bowls.

Person-centred

Generally the base of all therapies, person centered therapy focuses on identifying and using your own strengths and insight about yourself to encourage personal growth and improve relationships both with self and others.

Psychoanalytic Therapy

This type of therapy roots down to the unconscious mind, it's aim is to uncover and explore deep-rooted thoughts that can often stem from childhood.

Psychodynamic Therapy

Explores how your unconscious thoughts affect and interact with your behavior, why you do the things you do. Psychodynamic therapy focuses on the psychological roots of emotional suffering. Often using self-examination, and the relationship between therapist and client as a lense or magnifier to problematic relationship patterns in the person's life.

Solution-focused

Focuses on what you want to achieve, current hopes and in the future rather than exploring past experiences. Forward thinking therapy that is usually brief and driven to positive future outcomes rather than past explorations.

Not all therapies are available or accessible everywhere, and not all therapists may be trained in a style you might want to explore. With most mental health charities and GP referrals for therapy there is usually a waiting list, sometimes it can make it feel like you don't have much choice, especially when the alternative is to seek a private therapist which can be costly.

Your access to therapy can depend on what's available locally, or promoted by GP surgeries and Primary and Secondary Mental Health services. This might mean that you are offered a therapy you have not considered, or perhaps a group setting that you had not expected. If there is something you feel will help then discussing this with your Doctor or Mental health professional may be helpful.

It might also be helpful to learn what's available to you personally, what about other sources of seeking therapeutic support, is there an online option? Does your workplace offer therapeutic interventions for employees?

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Coming soon:

Read Next: How to get the best out of therapy

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Notice to readers

The M Word, Mental Health Matters is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, it is not a tool for diagnosis, medical treatment, medication, or therapy. Always seek the advice of your Doctor or qualified mental health provider with any questions you may have regarding any mental health symptom or medical condition. The M Word does not seek to make recommendations about medications or serve as a substitute for professional advice. Never disregard professional psychological or medical advice or delay in seeking professional advice or treatment because of something you have read at the M Word or anywhere else online. While the Blog is intended as a support tool for discussion and consideration it is not a substitute for medical or mental health intervention.