Therapy, or telemental health psychotherapy, is the remedial treatment of mental and physical illnesses through verbal interaction via different mediums. Therapy boosts self-esteem, reduces anxiety, and strengthens coping mechanisms. This guide discusses how individual therapy can be customized to fit your needs.
What Are the Different Types of Therapy?
Therapists help clients manage or eliminate health issues through the following therapeutic strategies:
Cognitive Behavior Therapy
Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) explores the relationship between thoughts and behavior. A therapy session involves interviewing a client to understand their thought patterns. Therapists help clients understand how thought patterns impact behavior and beliefs. Cognitive-behavioral therapy helps clients develop positive thinking to change their behavior and beliefs.
The following disorders can be managed through CBT:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Bipolar Disorder
- Loss of Appetite
- Schizophrenia
- Trauma
Dialectical Behavior Therapy
Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) helps clients regulate emotions and feelings to accommodate uncomfortable thoughts and feelings. The client can strike a balance between acceptance and change after a DBT session. DBT was initially used to help victims of borderline personality disorder (BPD) manage suicidal thoughts. This form of therapy teaches mindful practices to help clients cope with different situations.
Eye movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR)
EMDR is a therapeutic technique for treating victims of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. This technique involves encouraging clients to recall traumatic events while moving their eyes in a specific way. The strategy aims to replace painful memories with eye movements that trigger positive thoughts.
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Exposure Therapy
Exposure therapy is used for treating fear and anxiety disorders, such as:
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
- Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
- Phobia
Exposure therapy aims to determine anxiety triggers and helps clients avoid such triggers. Clients learn this technique through simulated environments.
Interpersonal Therapy
Interpersonal therapy focuses on how a person relates to others. This form of therapy is ideal for treating or managing depression. A therapist evaluates the client’s social interactions to detect any negative patterns. Clients are then taught how to positively interact with acquaintances.
Mentalization-based Therapy
MBT uses mentalization to treat borderline personality disorders. Mentalization refers to understanding the mental faculties that influence overt behavior. The client is taught how to interpret people’s thoughts and feelings to connect with them positively.
Why Do Some Clients Feel Tense During Therapy?
Reluctance to seek treatment may result from failing to trust the treatment process, fear of the unknown, and more. The client’s experience may be negatively impacted if they’re reluctant because they’ll likely not share information freely. Sometimes treatment can be authorized by a court, which can cause reluctance. Clients can feel tense during therapy due to numerous reasons, including the following:
Confidentiality Issues
Some clients fear that the information shared in therapy may not be held in confidence, compromising their privacy.
History of Bad Therapy
Some clients are subjected to bad experiences at the hands of unskilled or abusive therapists. A bad therapy experience can cause reluctance to open up. Reluctant clients should be encouraged to give therapy another try for their benefit.
Therapist Anxiety and Experience
Inexperienced may cause anxiety on the part of a therapist, which can negatively impact productivity. Clients can be reluctant if they notice a therapist is not confident or inexperienced.
Poor Communication Skills
Communication is key to therapy. Therapists must effectively communicate with clients to determine the ideal therapy strategy for their specific needs.
Some therapists are poor when it comes to helping clients open up. Others become anxious around introverted or silent clients. Such challenges can trigger feelings of insecurity or inadequacy.
Trauma
Trauma refers to severe emotional wounds that cause psychological injuries. A history of trauma can cause trust issues, and victims may not effectively open up to therapists.
How Can Therapists Tailor a Therapy Match Your Needs?
There’s no one-size-fits-all therapy. Therapists must identify the undermining factors to strengthen therapy strategies for each client. Skilled and experienced therapists customize therapies to fit their client’s needs in the following ways:
- Welcoming clients to reduce or eliminate anxiety
- Informing clients that any information shared will not be shared with third parties
- Never judging clients
- Discussing clients’ expectations and seeking solutions based on those expectations
- Helping clients know how to manage emotions
- Helping clients understand what the treatment process entails
- Consulting a more experienced therapist when a therapist feels inadequate
- Planning a therapy session beforehand
Identifying a Reliable Telemental Health Therapist
Therapy services can be provided by different professionals, including psychiatrists, psychologists, licensed counselors, and more. Identifying a skilled and experienced therapist is the first step to a fulfilling telemental health therapy session. A good online therapist should make their clients feel relaxed to open up in therapy.
