Choosing a therapist can be a tough decision, especially when you aren't sure what you are looking for. Below is a chart to help you determine which therapist may best fit your needs, depending on what they each specialize in. Please see below for descriptions of different therapies to learn what they are clinically useful for.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
CBT is a method of therapy which focuses on understanding the connection between our thoughts, behaviours and emotional states. This is a research supported intervention for issues such as anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and substance use.
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
DBT is helpful for clients who have a difficult time managing the intensity of their emotions, or often experience conflict in their relationships with others. Using DBT focuses on developing skills that can help a person identify and manage their emotions, work on improving relationships with others and become more insightful about the things that trigger them.
Motivational Interviewing
This is used to help people reach a decision about changing a behaviour. This could be quitting smoking, increasing your physical activity, or trying to spend less time with someone in your life who is toxic. This process doesn't just jump to ways to implement change - it spends a considerable amount of time weighing the pros and cons, and really working towards understanding some of the things that are getting in the way of behaviour change and gaining that insight from the client.
Cognitive Processing Therapy
CPT is considered to be effective for anyone who has received a diagnosis of PTSD, and for those who have suffered any type of assault. Some researchers and clinicians believe that CPT might be particularly beneficial if you anticipate encountering additional traumatic events—say, as an emergency worker, such as a firefighter, police officer, or EMT—as it aims to alter the way you interpret and process trauma. CPT is not recommended if you have not received a diagnosis of PTSD or if you have literacy difficulties, as it involves written homework.
Exposure Therapy
Exposure therapy is a technique in behavior therapy thought to help treat anxiety disorders. Exposure therapy involves exposing the target patient to the anxiety source or its context without the intention to cause any danger. Doing so is thought to help them overcome their anxiety or distress.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is an action-oriented approach to psychotherapy that stems from traditional behavior therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy. Clients learn to stop avoiding, denying, and struggling with their inner emotions and, instead, accept that these deeper feelings are appropriate responses to certain situations that should not prevent them from moving forward in their lives. With this understanding, clients begin to accept their issues and hardships and commit to making necessary changes in their behavior, regardless of what is going on in their lives, and how they feel about it.
