The psychotherapy

What is psychotherapy?

It's a process that allows a person to come to a fuller understanding of their abilities, difficulties, motivations or worries in conjunction with the therapist.
This confidential relationship is mutually trusting and can continue for months or even years. "It's the most intimate relationship you'll ever have with another human being," says consultant clinical psychologist Caroline Garland of the Tavistock Clinic, London. "The therapist knows their patients better than anybody else in their lives."

Who are psychotherapists?

They usually have an advanced qualification in one of the mental health professions - psychiatry, psychology, nursing - and additional training in psychotherapy, although it's becoming more common for psychotherapists to have in-depth psychotherapeutic training rather than this foundation.

In addition, therapists tend to be curious and non-judgemental people who believe that clients can be helped to get better.

What happens during psychotherapy?

Sessions take place at the same place and time, usually every week or every fortnight, and whatever is said or done during the 50 or 60 minutes is confidential.

 In individual therapy, the client and therapist usually sit in chairs (the chaise longue is rarely used these days).

Group therapy involves three or more clients, and can be the best kind for certain types of problem.
Some people use a combination of therapeutic techniques, such as individual and marital therapy (where a couple meets with one or two therapists).

No matter what the technique, the underpinning principle is that psychotherapy is no magic cure; rather, the capacity for cure lies within each person. Over time, clients develop a sense of mastery over their situations, feelings, thoughts and behaviours.

The problem for the lay person trying to understand therapy is that there are so many schools of psychotherapy, but the subject seems less mysterious once you have an overview of the different types and their history.

Counselling or psychotherapy?

The difference between the two is a hotly debated issue. The British Psychological Society defines counselling as a system intended to 'help people improve their sense of wellbeing, alleviate their distress, resolve their crises and increase their ability to solve problems and make decisions for themselves'.

This suggests it works best with people who already have a sense of wellbeing and are able to solve problems and make decisions but need a helping hand during a crisis.
Psychotherapy might be more helpful for psychological problems that have built up over years than at a time of crisis or distress. Given the variety of opinion on this subject, there's bound to be someone who reads this and disagrees, and they'll probably have a view worth listening to.

By :http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/emotional_health/mental_health/therapy_psych.shtml

Posted in psychological health