Psychotherapy (counseling, or “talk therapy”) is also available by itself without the use of medications, if a patient wishes.  Psychotherapy by itself has been shown through a large body of research to be effective for many psychiatric conditions.  Although many things probably contribute to the effectiveness of psychotherapy, recent research findings that the brain is capable of actual regeneration (“neural plasticity”) to a certain degree after

Dido & Aeneas in Carthage -- painting by Claude Lorrain, 1675

injury may mean that psychotherapy also works in part through brain regeneration.

There are many different schools or kinds of psychotherapy, but they all can be effective if administered by a skillful professional utilizing broad principles such as empathic listening, real concern for the patient, consensual validation of the patient’s experiences, etc.

Different forms of psychotherapy can be employed, however, depending upon a patient’s individual needs.  The following list may provide the reader with an explanation of these different kinds:

1.  Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

This form of therapy is designed for problems of limited scope, and it is usually limited to a few months in duration.  It focuses upon identifying faulty thinking in an attempt to change faulty behaviors.  It may not be sufficient to deal with more comprehensive problems or multiple problem areas.

2.  Psychodynamic Psychotherapy

This form of therapy is utilized when the problem is more comprehensive — that is, not circumscribed to one area of a patient’s life — or when there are multiple problems which are presented at once for treatment.  It usually involves more in-depth examination of a patient’s life, more frequent clinic visits (often one to three times per week), and extending longer in duration than cognitive-behavioral therapy — from months to years, depending upon the particular issues involved.