Types of Therapy

Behavioural therapy is based on the theory that you can ‘unlearn’ learnt behaviour or change that behaviour, without focusing on the reason behind the original behaviour. People with compulsive and obsessive disorders, fears, phobias and addictions may benefit from this type of therapy. Originally, behaviour therapy and cognitive therapies were distinct from each other. They have tended to be combined to produce what is now known as Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy or CBT.

Therapy for children and young people aims to provide support with social, emotional or behavioural concerns. Children and Young People's Therapists have specialist knowledge, skills and training to work with the client group.

It is advisable to choose one on a specialist CYPT Accredited register.

This is an example of an Integrative approach. It is a short term, structured and directive therapy which explores the client’s language and thinking, and also the link between historical, cultural and social factors on how they function. It then encourages the client to develop the skills to change destructive patterns of behaviour and negative ways of thinking and acting. It was devised to fit NHS needs for short term treatment of a variety of problems. It requires specialist training.

CBT has become very well known as a treatment of choice within the NHS for symptoms of anxiety and depression. It seeks to change distressing behaviour relatively quickly by challenging unhelpful thoughts and beliefs and teaching the client to use coping strategies in the future. It aims to be ‘scientific’ by assessing and measuring change and does not prioritise finding original causes or exploring hidden potential. People with compulsive and obsessive disorders, fears, phobias and addictions tend to benefit from this type of therapy. Cognitive-behavioural therapists believe that while it is important to have a good, trusting relationship, but that is not enough in itself. A willingness to do homework tasks in between sessions is considered very important.

Cognitive therapy is based on the idea that our thoughts cause our feelings and behaviours, not external things, like people, situations, and events. Originally, behaviour therapy and cognitive therapies were distinct from each other. They have tended to be combined to produce what is now known as Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy or CBT.

Existential therapy is a style of therapy that places emphasis on the human condition as a whole. It focuses on the anxiety that occurs when a client confronts the conflict inherent in life.

EFT approaches healing from the belief that emotions are strongly linked to identity. Emotions are seen as guiding us in defining preferences and making decisions on a daily basis.  EFT assumes that lack of emotional awareness is harmful, avoiding your emotions can lead to negative outcomes in your life and that over time, ignoring or avoiding your emotional response may alter your ability to process emotions later on.  A therapist trained in emotion-focused therapy can help you to gain awareness of your emotions and understand them.  EFT is a component of PCET for Depression (PCET CfD).

Existential therapy is based upon the fundamental belief that all people experience intrapsychic conflict due to their interaction with certain conditions inherent in human existence, which are known as givens. The theories recognize at least four primary existential givens: Freedom and associated responsibility; Death; Isolation; Meaninglessness.

Confrontation with any of these 'givens' can fill an individual with a type of dread commonly referred to as existential anxiety. This anxiety is thought to reduce a person’s physical, psychological, social, and spiritual awareness, which may lead to significant long-term consequences.

Many clients find that being helped to face their anxieties and negative thoughts, and realising that these are part of being human, enables them to move forward in life and deal with life’s problems in their own way. Helping the client focus on personal responsibility for making decisions, the therapist may integrate some humanistic approaches and techniques.

Family therapy explores family relationships. It has some similarities with Relationship therapy and works by looking in particular at the family as a whole, rather than working with a single person in the family unit. The focus is on how families interact together and the therapist's aim is to involve the whole family in finding positive solutions. It requires specialist training.

Gestalt therapy is one of the therapies which belong within the Humanistic approach.  It places a lot of emphasis on helping the client understand their non-verbal and body language, here-and-now behaviour and potential for positive change. The client will be encouraged, and sometimes challenged, to accept responsibility for their actions, decisions and feelings. It is likely to be suited to people who are willing to try to do this. Modern Gestalt therapy is not, however, necessarily a ‘confrontational’ approach.

The Humanistic approach to therapy, which is based on humanistic-existential psychology, includes amongst others Person-Centred Experiential therapy, Gestalt therapy and Transactional Analysis.  It emphasises human beings’ potential for growth and positive development.  It views the problems clients bring to counselling as the result of unmet needs and blocked emotions rather than as being due to unconscious conflicts or faulty thinking.  It provides an important alternative perspective to the ‘medical model’ which sees problems as symptoms of ‘mental illness’.

Hypnotherapy uses the technique of hypnosis to induce a deep state of relaxation during which the unconscious mind is highly receptive to new ideas. Accessing this part of the mind through hypnosis can help to change behaviour, attitudes and emotions, as well as manage pain, anxiety, stress-related illnesses and bad habits, including promoting personal development. To find out more, visit our partner organisation the National Hypnotherapy Society.

Many counsellors describe themselves as ‘Integrative’. This means that rather than specializing in one traditional approach, they seek to combine aspects of different approaches into a recognised integrative approach to provide the most effective way of working.

Many counsellors describe what they do as integrative without following a specific integrative model. They should nevertheless be able to explain clearly to you how you will work together and what you can expect.

Internal Family Systems therapy is a gentle yet powerful practice guided by the wisdom of your internal system. You will come to know the multiple parts of your mind and learn about the valuable qualities that each contains. You’ll be able to help parts which are causing conflict or feeling unhappy and find and heal parts which have been wounded and suppressed. This evidence-based method can bring transformation and healing to your entire system.

Please note: IFS training alone would not meet current criteria for the Accredited Register.

This is an example of an Integrative approach devised by psychologist Arnold Lazarus and originating in behaviour therapy. This approach uses broader techniques by looking at how the client functions overall in many areas of their life. The therapist is specifically trained to choose techniques most likely to be helpful and these are likely to include assertiveness training, anxiety management and visualisation.

NLP tends to be used as part of an overall therapeutic approach. NLP training alone would not meet current criteria for the NCPS Accredited Register.

Person-centred counselling is an important example of the Humanistic approach to therapy.

Founded in the 1940s by the American psychologist Carl Rogers, it emphasises that, provided their essential needs are met, a person can reach their full potential, a process known as ‘self-actualisation’.

This process, Rogers believed, can be facilitated by therapy, provided that what he termed ‘necessary and sufficient conditions’ are met.

A person-centred therapist will work in a non-directive way and seek to provide:

• unconditional positive regard (UPR) – accepting and valuing the client
• congruence - being honest and genuine in their responses
• empathic understanding – trying to understand the client’s perspective and experience, and communicating this understanding

PCET for Depression (PCET CfD) is a NIHCE approved treatment offered within NHS Talking Therapies. It integrates elements of emotion-focused therapy with person-centred counselling.  It is limited to 20 sessions and requires specialist training.

Talking therapy has a history of disagreements between therapists about which theoretical approach, or combination of approaches, is 'the best'. A pluralistic perspective is about valuing the full diversity of the many different approaches to counselling and psychotherapy, and not assuming that any one of them is best for all clients.  Based on the person-centred approach, it also emphasises the value of really listening to the client about what they want and need from therapy, and trying to tailor the therapy as much as possible to what they need.

Psychoanalysis originated with the work of Sigmund Freud, from which many different theories and ways of working have developed. It deals with the exploration of the unconscious mind, and requires a long specialist training. The analyst can make you aware of unconscious patterns so you can change them. Your relationship with the analyst is important as it can highlight your patterns of behaviour within relationships generally.

Psychodynamic counselling developed from psychoanalysis. It focuses on the unconscious mind and past experiences and explores their influence on current behaviour. You will be encouraged to talk about childhood relationships with parents and other significant people. As part of the therapy you may transfer and pass on deep feelings about yourself, your parents and others to the therapist. Although psychodynamic counselling can be practised in a short series of sessions, it is more usual for it to be a relatively lengthy process. It is likely to appeal to people who are interested in exploring their own unconscious processes and who can accept that the changes they are seeking may take time to achieve. 

Psychosexual and Relationship Therapists are Relationship Therapists who have undertaken further specialist training to equip them to work specifically with a range of sexual difficulties, both physiological and psychological, as well as relationship problems arising from sexual issues.

NCPS registrants, when working with the specific modality of Psychosexual and Relationship Therapies will only do so with adult clients. Psychosexual and Relationship Therapies are strictly talk-based therapies that do not involve physical touch and do not entail any medical procedures or examinations. 

It is best to choose a psychosexual therapist on a specialist register.

Relationship Therapists (RT), sometimes known as Relationship or Couple Counsellors, work with clients to find a way through difficulties they may be facing in their intimate/personal relationship/s. They work primarily with adult couples, though may also see individuals, families, and young adults. The focus is on interpersonal as well as intrapersonal issues. Working with more than one client in the consulting room requires the ability to work with the dynamics of clients’ relationships with each other. Issues of contracting and confidentiality may be more complex than with individual work. Practitioners need to have undergone specialist training.

NCPS registrants, when working with the specific modality of Relationship Therapy will only do so with adult clients. Relationship Therapy is strictly a talk-based therapy that does not involve physical touch and does not entail any medical procedures or examinations. 

 It is best to choose a relationship therapist on a specialist register.

This kind of therapy, an example of Brief or time limited therapy, focuses on a particular issue and promotes positive change, rather than dwelling on the issue or past problems. You are encouraged to focus positively on what you do well, your strengths and resources and to set goals to achieve the changes you want to make. It is likely to appeal to people who prefer a highly practical, goal-oriented approach to problem-solving.

Transactional Analysis, though rooted in psychoanalysis, is often considered to belong within the Humanistic approach to therapy. It was devised and made popular by the psychologist Eric Berne.  It offers particular models and ways of understanding clients and the problems they bring to therapy, including the analysis of interactions between people in terms of the 3 ‘ego states’ of Parent, Adult and Child. Many therapists and clients find this valuable.