What is Psychotherapy?

The Role of Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy is the treatment of emotional and behavioural problems using psychological processes designed to encourage communication of conflicts and insight into problems, with the goal being relief of symptoms, changes in behaviour leading to improved social and vocational functioning, and personality growth.

A psychotherapist helps people understand their problems from a new perspective by offering an objective point of view and new ways of thinking about and responding to problems. Going through the therapy process changes people’s feelings about themselves and their situations, and they become happier, more self-confident, and more effective in dealing with life’s stresses.

Psychotherapy is not just focused on problems, modern psychotherapy is also just as useful as a way to help you to enhance and fine tune your existing positive skills and empowering ways of thinking, so that you can become happier and more successful.

Psychotherapy occurs within a structured setting between a trained psychotherapist and client(s). Psychotherapy may take place in individual, group, or family sessions.

Because sensitive topics are often discussed during psychotherapy, therapists are expected, and legally bound, to respect client confidentiality.

Most forms of psychotherapy use only spoken conversation (sometimes referred to as talk therapy), though some can also use various forms of communication and other approaches such as the written word, artwork, drama, narrative story, body work, the natural environment, music, biofeedback, hypnosis and physical movement.  Many psychotherapists are integrative and will combine a variety of these approaches into the therapy.

Ethical therapists will maintain confidentiality, give clients clear information about policies, fees, and what they can realistically expect from therapy. They are up-front about their rationale and motivations and respond openly to any concerns their clients have. An ethical therapist will not exaggerate their abilities or the outcomes of the therapy process, so be very wary of any therapist who makes grand claims about themselves or their therapy, or offers guarantees of a ‘cure’.