Psychotherapy is sometimes referred to as psychotherapy, counseling or talk therapy is meeting with a trained professional to take care of your mental and emotional wellbeing. Counselors and therapists are able to provide advice about or insights into experiences and feelings that can be confusing or cause stress, and can assist us in determining treatment approaches for addressing persistent mental health conditions.

There is a widespread misconception that therapy is just for those who are diagnosed with a mental illness. People go to therapy for many reasons. They may seek help to deal with their physical and emotional issues, to heal from trauma, enhance their interpersonal skills, or just to have a safe place to chat with someone they don't have a relationship with. One won't be able to obtain an assessment for mental health until they've spoken with an therapist regarding their particular struggles. So, if you are having trouble figuring out the best path forward, contacting online therapy in California is a really helpful first step.

You may be thinking, "Do I need therapy?". If so it's worth looking at the goals you would like to achieve out of therapy and what kind of therapy would be most beneficial for you.

Common Kinds of Therapy

One-on-one therapy families, couples or couples can do it, or group therapy if there's an objective that is shared. For example group therapy could be utilized to help groups of people who are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

There are many different types of anxiety therapy in San Francisco and all of them serve different functions, such as recovering from trauma, altering behavior, or getting over addiction. Here are a few of most popular kinds of therapy and the reasons they typically serve to treat:

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

This type of therapy is typically short-term, and focuses on problem-solving, changing thinking and behavior, as well as finding better ways to deal with challenging situations.

Mindful-Based Cognitive Therapy

A modified version of CBT, Mindful-Based Cognitive Therapy includes mindfulness-based practices to help individuals effectively manage negative behavioral patterns and prevent mental health problems like depression from reoccurring or worsening.

Dialectical Behavioral Treatment

In Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, individuals are taught how to deal with difficult emotions and relationships through the practice of mindfulness and stress tolerance, as well as emotional regulation, and efficient interpersonal communication.

What's the difference between Therapy and Talking to a Friend?

You might be asking yourself, "Why do I need therapy when I can simply chat with my peers?" While having a strong support network of friends to turn to when you're having a tough time is crucial and essential, your family members play the same role as therapy does. If you have a mental illness, a trained professional in the field of mental health will be able to provide more specific support. These are the differences between talking to a therapist and talking with friends.

Training

A therapist has completed special training in order to identify and treat mental health problems. A friend might be a good listener but they don't possess the training needed to help you deal with the mental and emotional complexities due to trauma, chronic stress, or other harmful behaviors.

Confidentiality

We hope our friends will respect our privacy. However, confidentiality can only be guaranteed when speaking with licensed therapists. Therapists are held to ethical and legal standards in order to protect the information that is discussed during sessions, unless there is a danger of harm to you or others.

Objectivity

Friends are able to offer advice based on their personal experiences as well as their involvement with our lives. A therapist's presence can help us see things from a different perspective and help us contemplate different perspectives.

Attention

A healthy relationship is two-way road: you both share your thoughts and opinions and talk about your issues. It is important to give equal time and attention on each person in a friendship, a therapist's job is to give full attention to you. It would be unjust to ask your friends to not discuss their issues with you, but therapists have professional boundaries that will prevent them from sharing their problems. In this way, a therapist can help you focus on more intricate issues that need full focus.