The world of therapy and counseling can seem confusing and at times a little weird. You see the movies of people lying on a couch talking about traumatic childhood memories to an old guy that just keeps asking, “And how does that make you feel”? Though therapy can sometimes look like this, it doesn’t always. There are a lot of different aspects to therapy and a lot of different methods. The method of therapy used may depend on the person, the situation, or what they are having issues with. For example, someone that comes to therapy complaining of depression issues will have a completely different experience than someone that comes in complaining about seeing hallucinations. There are many different methods used in Santa Cruz Counseling. Here are a few of the common types of therapy used to help clients.
1. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. This type of therapy deals with both cognitive and behavioral changes that need to be made. Therapists will point out different irrational thinking patterns being used by the client and how they should be changed to become rational and healthy. They also work on the behavioral part by discussing how to change different behavioral issues and problems. They usually use many different mental and behavioral exercises practiced weekly by the client to help them begin to make positive changes in their lives.
2. Psychoanalytic Therapy. This type of therapy is considered ‘talk therapy’. This is where the therapist simply asks questions and discusses important life events with the client. The therapist listens empathetically and provides an outside opinion on client’s issues. Many times a client can discover reasons why a specific issue has come up in their life through recounting memories and other things in their life; they simply need someone to talk it out with.
3. Art Therapy. Art therapy in California is used to help clients become more aware of themselves through the form of art. They are asked to complete certain art assignments and then they discuss it with their therapist and work through the underlying meanings that may be present. This type of therapy can help improve one’s understanding of himself. This type of therapy is often used with children that don’t know how to express themselves well with words yet.
There are many other forms of therapy including group therapy, dialectical Behavior Therapy, Neurofeedback Therapy, Hypnotherapy, and more. Different methods will be more productive in helping different people.