Recognizing the need for a therapist is a great first step in your mental health journey. With so many therapy options available, you might be asking: which type of therapist is right for me?
The truth is that different mental health conditions benefit from different forms of therapy. For example, a therapy technique that works well for depression and anxiety might not be right for eating disorders or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
Read on to learn more about the different types of therapy you can explore, how they work, and which might be the best fit for your unique needs and goals.
Types of therapists
Therapists vary in training, licensure, and focus area. Here’s a breakdown of common types of therapists:
Psychologist
Psychologists can diagnose and treat mental health conditions but typically do not prescribe medication unless they are licensed to.
Generally, psychologists focus on providing therapy, psychological testing, and other assessment tools to diagnose.
Psychiatrist
Psychiatrists are medical doctors who specialize in diagnosing and treating mental health disorders, and are authorized to prescribe medication. They often combine medication management with therapy.
Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) / Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC)
These therapists are trained to provide therapy for individuals, couples, and families. They hold a doctoral or master’s degree in counseling and are licensed to treat mental health issues.
Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT)
These therapists specialize in helping individuals, couples, and families work through relationship challenges.
Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)
Licensed Clinical Social Workers hold a master’s degree in social work and are licensed to provide therapy and counseling services. LCSWs can also offer support in navigating social services and resources.
Find the right OCD therapist for you
All our therapists are licensed and trained in exposure and response prevention therapy (ERP), the gold standard treatment for OCD.
Common types of therapy
There are many types of therapy, and some are more effective for specific conditions than others. Here’s a list of the most broadly used methods, and how they’re applied:
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
CBT involves methods to identify and change unhelpful thinking patterns or behaviors.
- How it’s practiced: Psychologists, psychiatrists, and therapists trained in CBT may help you face your fears by using mock scenarios or calming techniques to make real-life situations less threatening.
- What it can treat: CBT is commonly used for anxiety disorders, depression, substance use disorders, eating disorders, and personality disorders.
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)
ERP was developed specifically to treat OCD. It works by interrupting OCD’s cycle of obsessions (intrusive thoughts, feelings, urges, images, and sensations) and compulsions (repetitive behaviors and/or mental acts in response to an obsession).
- How it’s practiced: ERP involves working with a ERP trained therapist to gradually expose yourself to fears that trigger intrusive thoughts, while resisting the urge to do compulsions. Instead, you’ll sit with the distress that comes from the anxiety-provoking situations, allowing yourself to experience the discomfort without engaging in the usual compulsive behaviors.
- What it can treat: ERP can be effective in treating OCD and phobias.
Psychoanalysis
Psychoanalysis is often known as “talk therapy” and is intended to help you improve by giving you a better understanding of your thoughts and feelings.
- How it’s practiced: Psychoanalytic trained therapists analyze how your experiences have shaped you and how events from the past can unconsciously influence the present.
- What it can treat: It is used for a wide range of emotional challenges and life changes including stress, grief, relationship issues, anxiety, and depression.
Dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT)
DBT focuses on teaching people skills to manage intense emotions and cope with challenging relationships or situations. This therapy encourages experiencing and accepting your thoughts and emotions—and developing healthy ways to cope with them—rather than trying to change them.
- How it’s practiced: Psychologists, psychiatrists, and therapists trained in DBT typically provide individual therapy and skills training groups. Therapists trained in DBT can include licensed mental health counselors, clinical social workers, and licensed marriage and family therapists.
- What it can treat: DBT can be effective at treating PTSD, mood disorders, substance-use disorders, and eating disorders. It can also help people who have strong urges for self-harming behavior, or who may have borderline personality disorder.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR)
EMDR was developed in the 1980s as a treatment for PTSD. The practice involves helping you process traumatic memories while simultaneously activating both sides of the brain. For instance, you might flit your eyes back and forth, following a therapist’s finger. The idea is to anchor the brain in the present moment, while weakening the effect of negative emotions.
- How it’s practiced: EMDR can be administered by a certified EMDR trained therapist.
- What it can treat: The therapy is best known for treating PTSD.
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT)
MBCT combines elements of cognitive therapy with mindfulness and meditation. It aims to help you consciously pay attention to your thoughts and feelings without judgment. This leads to a greater awareness of the mental habits that make you more vulnerable to symptoms of depression and anxiety. MBCT includes breathwork practices and present-moment awareness techniques like body scan exercises.
- How it’s practiced: MBCT is typically practiced in group therapy settings or individual therapy sessions with a trained therapist.
- What it can treat: While MBCT was originally formulated for depression, it’s also used for anxiety, addiction, and general emotional distress.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
ACT is based on a fundamental understanding that emotions like grief and anxiety and inevitable facets of human life. ACT is less evidence-based than ERP, but it has shown positive results when used alongside ERP in treating OCD.
- How it’s practiced: Rather than targeting specific compulsions via exposures, it teaches you to accept your thoughts and feelings while committing to living according to your values.
- What it can treat: Besides its potential use for OCD, ACT is commonly used in anxiety, depression, and stress regulation.
Psychodynamic Therapy
Psychodynamic therapy follows the same method as psychoanalysis, but usually takes place over a handful of more flexible sessions, rather than over years of weekly meetings with the same therapist.
- How it’s practiced: A trained therapist will work with you to help you explore thoughts and feelings.
- What it can treat: Psychodynamic therapy can be beneficial for people with anxiety, depression, personality disorders, relationship issues, chronic stress, grief, and trauma.
Therapist specialties
In some cases, therapists are focused on a specific condition or issue. They may use a combination of different types of therapy in their practice based on their training and expertise. These specialties include:
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
A therapist that is trained in ERP therapy can treat OCD, a complex, chronic mental health condition that requires specialized training for effective management and accurate diagnosis.
Phobias
A phobia therapist specializes in treating specific fears, such as a fear of throwing up, needles, or animals. They typically use ERP therapy to help you habituate to your fears.
Eating disorders
Eating disorder therapists help treat the underlying cause of the disorder while also developing tailored treatment plans, often with the help of a nutritionist or dietician.
Trauma
For people that have experienced a traumatic event, trauma therapists can help build coping mechanisms, identify triggers, and establish a sense of safety.
Body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs)
Habit-reversal training (HRT) helps teach patients how to become aware of negative behaviors so they can learn new coping mechanisms. It’s especially helpful for body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs)—repetitive behaviors focused on your body, which include trichotillomania (hair pulling) and dermatillomania (skin picking), and tic disorders.
Addiction
Licensed addiction counselor or substance use counselors have specialized training in substance use disorder.
Relationship issues
Marriage, family, or divorce counselors are trained to treat issues related to relationships, marriage, and broader family systems.
Types of therapy arrangements
While one-on-one therapy is often most common, it isn’t the only therapy arrangement available to you.
- Individual therapy: One-one-one therapy with a mental health professional to address individual needs.
- Relationship therapy: Two or more people in a relationship see the same therapist, who helps them work through relationship dynamics.
- Family therapy: Multiple combinations of family members attend therapy together.
- Group therapy: One healthcare provider or more works with multiple people in each session. Often, people go to group therapy to develop new interpersonal skills, cope with grief, change harmful behaviors, or manage eating disorders or substance use disorders.
- Virtual therapy: An accessible option that provides support through various platforms like video calls, messaging, or voice calls with licensed therapists.
How to find the right therapist for you
Finding the right therapist can make all the difference in your treatment. Here are tips to ensure you find the right fit for your needs:
- Their experience should meet your needs: Reflect on why you’re seeking therapy and your goals. For example, for OCD, you’ll need someone trained in ERP. For general anxiety, a CBT-focused therapist might be a better option.
- Verify credentials: Make sure any therapist you consider is licensed in your state and have relevant qualifications.
- Consider format: Do you want in-person therapy or virtual care? Both work, but virtual therapy may be more accessible to you.
- Check costs: Does the therapist take insurance? Do they offer sliding-scale pricing?
- Feel out your compatibility: The therapeutic relationship thrives on trust. It’s okay to use free consultations to find the right match.
The wrong form of therapy can set you back—but, the right therapist can provide the support, guidance, and tools necessary to seriously improve your quality of life.
References
- What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy? (apa.org)
- Dialectical behavior therapy: What is it and who can it help? (health.harvard.edu)
- Psychoanalytic and Psychodynamic Psychology (apa.org)
- Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (nlm.nih.gov)