What is Psychotherapy?
With so many different interventions for mental health, many of which that seem to take opposing approaches, getting the simple questions answered about therapy is all too often difficult, overwhelming, or confusing. This page is designed with that in mind, and will tell you a bit about what psychotherapy is, what I practice, and some considerations that may help you decide if psychotherapy is an approach you might find useful. If you would rather learn about it over the phone or face-to-face, feel free to either contact me directly, or fill out the form listed here so I can reach out to talk it over with you.
Before approaching any nitty gritty, its important to acknowledge that mental health is a dynamic and subjective phenomenon. Likewise, treating mental health issues or working through distress is similarly subjective; unlike how some other types of health interventions work (i.e. medical treatments), there is not a one-size fits all or ‘best’ mental health solution that works for everyone. Substantial research has demonstrated that psychotherapy is an effective intervention for improving ones subjective well-being, life functioning, and alleviating symptoms of mental health issues and psychological disorders.1 However, beneficial outcomes are still highly dependent on what someone is experiencing, their goals and hopes for working on their mental health, as well simple personal preferences. This means an intervention that works brilliantly for one person may or may not necessarily help another. If this is your first time looking for help with your mental health, it might take some exploring to find the intervention, approach, or practitioner that feels right for you – and I hope I can be a part of helping you find what you need.
The Essential Information
Psychotherapy is a collaborative mental health treatment based on the relationship between therapist and client. Psychotherapy shares many similarities with the practice of counselling – and to some, the two are identical. While there are many approaches to psychotherapy, the fundamental similarity in all styles of psychotherapy is the importance of meeting in a genuine relationship. Psychotherapy as an intervention can be short or long term, ranging from a few weeks of work to years. Some common features of psychotherapeutic work include:
- A working contract agreed to by client and therapist which details the context and frame for the treatment (for example, when and where meetings would occur, how many sessions might be contracted for, and cost involved)
- Clear boundaries for the work (such as a confidentiality agreement, appropriate communication in other contexts, etc.)
- A previously agreed interaction between the client and therapist (the collaboration of a group, an creative activity, or, more traditionally, a face-to-face meeting).
If this all sounds a bit vague – well, that’s cause it is! Psychotherapeutic work varies incredibly between practioners, theoretical approaches and organisational contexts. That is not to say that a practitioner can do what ever they like, however. In the UK, psychotherapists are held to a serious standard of rigour by professional regulatory bodies, like the British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists (BACP) or Counselling and Psychotherapy Scotland (COSCA), to ensure therapists have been properly trained and are suitable for client work. Likewise, a practioner should have a membership with such a body to ensure they are qualified to undertake therapeutic work with you, to confirm they have clinical oversight of their work in the form of professional supervision, and to provide you an avenue of complaint if you feel your therapist has been unethical.
Given all these options, its important you choose a therapeutic set up that you feel comfortable with given that there are other options available. You can check out How I work to figure out all the relevant details about what therapy with would be like.
1Transparency and clarity is essential when working with mental health professionals, and this applies to being given access to information relevant to decisions about your mental health. Psychological theory and research can be technical (and, frankly, at times impenetrable) which means I won’t be doing a deep dive on the subject here, since this page is meant to be simple, clear and concise. That said, feel free to refer to this page for sources regarding the efficacy of psychotherapy should you feel you want to take a look at the evidence yourself.