Choose the Best Psychotherapy for You

Psychotherapy is a long and expensive enterprise, and is important for a person who wants to join treatment to know the options she has before investing time and money.

Psychology has many theories, each one of them with its own approach. When choosing a Psychologist, you must know if the theory he works with is the best one for you. When thinking in psychological treatment, you must consider which approach you feel better with, and which approach is better for your condition. In this article, I will present the most popular ones and the way they treat the patient.

1 - Psychoanalysis: That one is the closest to what Freud has created a hundred years ago, and is very popular in many countries, although, it is also the more expensive one. In Psychoanalysis, the Psychoanalyst believes that most of the problems come from childhood situations and repressions. The Psychoanalyst speaks very little during sessions, and his work consists mostly in analyzing the patient's internal thoughts. He will do it evoking dreams, childhood memories and using techniques as free association. It's a long treatment and is very good for reaching self knowledge.

2 - Gestalt Therapy: It focuses on the present situation of the patient. A person can be understood only in the context she lives and in the interactions she makes. It emphasizes personal responsibility. The psychotherapist encourages the client to express his feelings.

3 - Behavioral Treatment: It is appropriate for people who want to get rid of a very specific symptom. It uses techniques as punishment, reinforcement and systematic desensibilization, to help the patient overcoming phobias, fears and undesirable behaviors.

4 - Cognitive Treatment: It works with the idea that every symptom comes from inadequate thoughts that disturb the patient. In this kind of therapy, the psychotherapist will help the patient to manipulate and give new meanings to the dysfunctional thoughts.

5 - Psychodynamics: it's psychoanalysis oriented, but not so long. In that treatment, the psychotherapist and the client agree before the beginning of treatment what is their goal together. The psychotherapist will try to work old conflicts with the patient.

6 - Interpersonal: It is better for people who are going through a difficult time in life, as divorce, the death of a loved one or even living an atypical experience, as a new unplanned pregnancy. In that approach, the therapist usually doesn't treat old issues.

7 - Systemic Therapy: Is most used for families, but is also an option of individual therapy. The main idea in systemic therapy is that everyone lives among others, and the relations between people define them. Symptoms in a person reflect the symptom of a sick system. For example: when the son develops destructive behavior, it is possible that it is a way to release the tension in the system caused by the unhappiness of the parents' marriage.

8 - Psychodrama: It believes that the patient's issues can be treated in a theatrical form. It's a group therapy where everyone plays roles from memories and issues of each of the therapy members. It has a king of stage and the director is the psychotherapist.

Those are just some of the approaches. There are many more. Be sure to research well before choosing a therapy for you. It's a very important decision.