Mental Health | Mental Health Hope

Many mental health therapy options are available, and new methods continue to become available. Therapy for mental health can include medications, experiential treatment, and psychotherapy, also known as talk therapy.

When you work with a mental health professional, you will gain insight into what types of therapy may be suitable for the symptoms and complications you are facing. The right mix of therapies can support your immediate needs and develop into long-term results over time. The type of therapy ideal for you may be very different from what another person receives. Because everyone’s symptoms, environment, trauma, and genetics differ, a tailored therapy plan is necessary.

To help you, Mental Health Hope offers a wide range of mental health therapy options, including strategies designed to meet your individual needs and concerns.

Psychotherapy

At the heart of most mental health treatment plans is the use of psychotherapy, or talk therapy. This type of care involves talking to a trained professional in a safe environment. The goal is to work on thought processes and understanding both feelings and behaviors. You also learn real-world coping skills to handle difficult situations.

Numerous types of psychotherapy exist, each with a different approach or strategy. Some of the most commonly used include:

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Also known as CBT, this type of talk therapy focuses on understanding the relationship between your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. You’ll work closely with a therapist to uncover the unhealthy, and often inaccurate, thought patterns you have that could be contributing to poor behaviors, often self-destructive actions.

Your therapist works with you to change the thought processes that lead to healthier behaviors. The core part of this therapy includes:

  • Identifying negative and inaccurate beliefs
  • Testing and restructuring those thoughts
  • Replacing negative thoughts with realistic thoughts

This type of treatment may be beneficial to those experiencing depression, anxiety disorders, and schizophrenia. Those with bipolar disorder, eating disorders, and other conditions may also benefit from CBT. It is one of the most commonly used types of mental health treatments.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy

In dialectical behavior therapy, or DBT, much of the focus is like that of CBT. However, there is one significant difference in that with DBT, there is more concentration on validation, or accepting the presence of uncomfortable feelings, thoughts, and behaviors. Instead of struggling with them, you will learn how to recognize and understand them, so that you can gradually work towards recovery.

Your therapist will build a DBT treatment plan that includes gradual changes in thoughts. This may include:

  • Finding balance between accepting what is and changing what is occurring
  • Develop new skills, including coping mechanisms to handle unhealthy thoughts and behaviors
  • Practicing new thinking and behaviors over time with your therapist as well as on your own
  • Improving coping strategies and positive reinforcement

DBT was first developed to treat people with suicidal thoughts and borderline personality disorder. It’s been modified over time to provide focus for others today, including those facing depression, severe anxiety, and other debilitating mental health conditions.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, EMDR, provides treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder, a condition that develops when a person experiences a particularly traumatic event that the brain does not process properly. With EMDR, the goal is to reduce the emotional distress a person experiences when they think about a traumatic event or memories surface.

Your therapist will work closely with you to avoid re-traumatizing you through this experience. You can expect:

  • A series of back-and-forth, repetitive eye movements over a period of about 30 seconds can change emotional reactions to negative stimulation
  • The therapist will stimulate the brain with back-and-forth eye movements or, sometimes, a sequence of tapping or musical tones.
  • At the same time, you will remember or recall details of a traumatic event.

Over a series of steps, therapists work to break the connection those memories have on physical symptoms you feel. For those dealing with flashbacks and debilitating traumatic episodes, EMDR may reduce the impact memories have on their physical abilities.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

Also known as ACT, this type of mental health therapy will help you understand the relationship between the way you think and feel. The goal is to learn and understand what your feelings represent and why. Instead of changing your feelings, ACT works to reframe your values and adjust your behaviors.

During these sessions, you’ll work on different goals and strategies, often employing exercises and techniques designed to help with specific needs. This may include:

  • Defining your values
  • Practicing mindfulness
  • Setting personalized goals and the steps to achieving them
  • Adjusting behaviors
  • Exploring thoughts and behaviors in a safe environment

This process involves the use of six core processes: acceptance, cognitive diffusion, being present, self-as-context, values, and committed action. Your therapist may recommend this treatment for anxiety disorders, eating disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance use disorder, and depression.

Holistic Therapy

Holistic therapy is a form of complementary health approach. That is, it does not replace other evidence-based therapies. However, it supports their function and improves your quality of life. These therapies range widely. Your therapist will recommend them based on your interests and abilities, as well as on the goals of your current therapy program. Some examples of the various types of holistic therapy available include:

Mind and Body Treatment

These therapies focus heavily on the connection between your mental health and physical well-being. These treatments include:

  • Meditation
  • Exercise, including anaerobic and aerobic
  • Yoga
  • Tai chi

These treatments help reduce stress, improve mood, lessen anxiety symptoms, and encourage healthy living. This may help improve fatigue and control other side effects you have.

Equine Therapy

Equine-assisted therapy, or horse therapy, involves teaching you about horse well-being and care. You will learn grooming and care for the animal, as well as how to ride. This unique form of therapy has been shown to help people with depression, anxiety, and impulsive conditions gain better control.

These programs encourage you to interact with the horse, an animal that is very sensitive to emotions and the behaviors of others. This creates a type of self-reflection opportunity and allows you to channel your energy into something positive.

Treatment Strategies

Mental health therapy can happen in numerous ways. Often, engaging in educational and explorative therapy sessions in multiple ways can be beneficial to your health and recovery. Several of the most common models include:

  • Individual therapy: You will work one-on-one with your therapist