How to Treat Anxiety With Psychotherapy
The Psychotherapist:
A psychotherapist is ?omeone wh? pr?vid?s psychotherapy t? clients on a professional basis. This ma? b? t? individuals, couples, families ?r ?n ? group setting. A psychotherapist m?? h?ve other trainings or backgrounds. For ex?m?l? th?? m?y al?? be a doctor, social worker, mental health worker, nurse or counsellor. However wh?n ?eeing a client for psychotherapy the? will ?nl? h?v? that role w?th th? client ?nd n?t be providing th?m w?th ?ny other service.
Psychotherapists w?ll u?u?ll? h?ve h?d ?n intensive training wh??h ?s generally betw??n 4-8 years in length. This training will h?ve involved ? period of supervised practice a? w?ll as th??r ?wn personal therapy. Many psychotherapists will th?n b? members of a professional organisation ?uch a? th? British Association f?r Counselling ?nd Psychotherapy (BACP).
The Psychotherapeutic Relationship:
The psychotherapist i? responsible for creating ? relationship wh?re psychotherapeutic change ??n occur. This involves ensuring that the psychotherapy occurs ?n a private, comfortable and safe environment. They will offer to the client ? certain level ?f confidentiality wh?ch ensures that th? client feels confident th?t th?? ?an open up to th? psychotherapist w?thout th??r family friends, colleagues, or other professionals b??ng informed ab?ut what th?? ?re discussing. The psychotherapist will al?o listen v?ry carefully t? the client and hel? them t? identify th??r goals ?nd wishes for the work. It is th?s active listening and engagement by the psychotherapist that helps create the psychotherapeutic relationship.
Psychotherapeutic Ideas:
The w?y th?t th? psychotherapist works with ? client w?ll depend up?n the?r training and th? theory that th?? use to help th? client. In general psychotherapy is attempting t? hel? th? person live ? mor? satisfying life b? helping to: build the persons sense of th?ir ?wn esteem; resolve issues fr?m their past that ?r? affecting th?m in the present; th?m to h?v? healthier relationships; and to gain perspective and skills to tackle th?ir problems themselves.
Psychotherapeutic Approaches:
The main approaches to psychotherapy are:
Psychodynamic Psychotherapy - This has ?ts roots ?n psychoanalysis and attempts to work w?th the clients unconscious processes to help relieve distress ?nd tension.
Person Centred Psychotherapy - This is based ?n th? work of Carl Rogers. Here the psychotherapist offers th? core conditions of empathy, congruence and unconditional positive regard t? hel? the client find th??r own solutions to th?ir problems.
Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapy - Here th? client's thoughts and behaviours ?re focused ?n ?nd maladaptive thoughts and behaviours ?r? changed t? h?l? the person move on fro th?ir situation.
Integrative Psychotherapy - Here th? psychotherapist mat b? trained ?n var??u? approaches ?nd adjusts th? way th?? ?re working t? suit th? needs of th? client.