Therapy options to support your mental health

Taking care of your mental health means juggling lots of things, like building meaningful relationships, staying active, managing work stress, and getting enough sleep.

But sometimes, when life gets tough, a bit of extra support can make all the difference. That’s where psychotherapy comes in.

There are many types of therapy, and it can be hard to know which one suits you best. Getting to know your options can help you find the right fit for your needs.

Psychotherapy¹, also called therapy, talk therapy, or counselling, includes different approaches that help improve your mental wellbeing. It works by helping you understand how your thoughts and reactions to stress and life events affect your feelings and behaviour.

Therapy can be part of a treatment plan for conditions like depression, or it can support you through tough life changes, such as losing a job, ending a relationship, grieving, or coping with trauma.

You can do psychotherapy one-on-one, in groups, with your partner, or as a family, usually guided by trained professionals like psychologists, counsellors, or psychotherapists.

Psychologists, counsellors and psychotherapists may specialise in one type of therapy, or they may use an integrative approach, taking different tools and technique from a range of therapies to provide the best care.

Common types of therapy include:

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)

This popular therapeutic approach connects how we think to how we feel and behave, says Bupa GP, Dr Janice Tan.

“The most common psychotherapy is CBT, and it helps identify and change negative thinking patterns and behaviours.”

Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)

“Developed over the last decade or so and tied together with mindfulness techniques, ACT focuses on accepting difficult emotions and then using them to commit to value-based action,” says Dr Tan.

Person-centred counselling

“This approach offers a safe space to talk and help people build insight, focusing on empathy and support.”

Psychodynamic/interpersonal psychotherapy

“This type of therapy explores past experiences and how they influence current emotions and behaviour,” says Dr Tan.

“Other types of therapy can be used to address specific mental health conditions,” says Dr Tan.

“Borderline personality disorder is often treated with an approach called dialectical behavioural therapy which can work to reduce harmful behaviours, whereas eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR) is being more commonly used to treat symptoms of complex trauma.”

There are hundreds of types of psychotherapy, with more models being developed all the time. The type of therapy that’s right for you will depend on several factors which your GP can discuss with you when recommending a provider.

There is very rarely a single solution to any challenge. This is also true for mental health care. Different approaches and techniques will work for different people. How effective they are may depend on a variety of factors such as what the primary issue is, how long it has been present and personal preferences for treatment.

This is also true for the way the therapy can be delivered, says Dr Tan.

“Face-to-face psychotherapy can be very effective for developing a good therapeutic relationship. But, online delivery or telehealth can make therapy more accessible for people, especially if they are busy and would struggle to travel to an in-person appointment.”

Discuss your symptoms or issues with your GP. They can assess what treatment approach might suit you best and refer you to a provider.

If there is a specific therapy you would like to explore, start by searching online databases.

It’s important to ensure any practitioner you see is registered with the appropriate governing body, properly qualified and bound by an ethical code of conduct. If you aren’t sure, ask your GP for some guidance.