Chapter 20
Psychotherapy
149
, Chapter 20: Psychotherapy
Introduction
• Psychotherapy is a term that is used to describe the process of treating psychological disorders and mental
distress. During this process, a therapist helps the individual to tackle a specific or general problem such as a
particular mental illness or a source of life stress.
• The aim of psychotherapy is to help people cope with emotional problems by talking and listening.
• The patient in a facilitating, non-threatening relationship with the therapist can explore problems in another
direction from which they had been considering, perhaps finding their own solution while getting support and
emotional relief.
• Patterns and links become clearer and the patient can practice new ways of dealing with their lives and concerns.
• Psychotherapy is based on a rationale which helps the patient understand their problems and therefore
they may feel more confident in solving their difficulties.
• Many different types of professionals can provide psychotherapy (e.g. psychiatrists, psychiatric nurses,
clinical psychologists, counsellors, occupational therapists, social workers, mental health counsellors, and
marriage and family therapists).
Types of psychotherapy include the following
1. Psychoeducation.
2. Supportive therapy.
3. Cognitive behavioural therapy.
4. Behavioural therapy.
5. Dialectical behaviour therapy.
6. Psychoanalytical psychotherapy.
7. Interpersonal psychotherapy.
8. Family and couples therapy.
9. Psychodrama.
10. Gestalt therapy.
11. Mindfulness.
Note: no specific training is required to deliver psychoeducation and supportive therapy, unlike the other types of
psychotherapy listed above.
1. Psychoeducation
• Psychoeducation involves teaching people about their illness, how to manage it and how to recognise signs of
relapse so that they know when and where to obtain necessary treatment before their illness worsens or occurs
again.
• Psychoeducation enables patients to feel that what is going on is not entirely beyond their control and therefore
involves them in their own treatment.
• Psychoeducation can be offered in different forms: psychoeducation groups, single consultation, lectures,
leaflets, books, emails, videos, information websites.
2. Supportive therapy
• Supportive therapy is a type of psychological therapy that aims to help the patient to function better by
providing personal support.
• In general, the therapist does not ask the patient to change; rather they act as a support person, allowing the
patient to reflect on their life situation in an environment in which they are accepted.
• Supportive psychotherapy can be broken down into the following components:
o Clarification: pointing out and linking events so that a patient is helped to understand repeated patterns
in their feeling and thinking.
o Enquiry: asking questions to elaborate a patient’s account.
o Explanation: explaining to a person why they are experiencing certain symptoms can be reassuring and
therapeutic.
o Expression of feeling: useful for patients to express emotions such as anger, frustration and despair within a
supportive setting.
o Guidance of discussion: ensures that emotionally painful but relevant topics are dealt with adequately
rather than avoided.
o Listening: listening carefully to what a person is saying and enabling them to give a full account of
their difficulties.
o Reassurance: can be used to relieve fears, boost self-confidence and promote hope.
150
Psychotherapy
149
, Chapter 20: Psychotherapy
Introduction
• Psychotherapy is a term that is used to describe the process of treating psychological disorders and mental
distress. During this process, a therapist helps the individual to tackle a specific or general problem such as a
particular mental illness or a source of life stress.
• The aim of psychotherapy is to help people cope with emotional problems by talking and listening.
• The patient in a facilitating, non-threatening relationship with the therapist can explore problems in another
direction from which they had been considering, perhaps finding their own solution while getting support and
emotional relief.
• Patterns and links become clearer and the patient can practice new ways of dealing with their lives and concerns.
• Psychotherapy is based on a rationale which helps the patient understand their problems and therefore
they may feel more confident in solving their difficulties.
• Many different types of professionals can provide psychotherapy (e.g. psychiatrists, psychiatric nurses,
clinical psychologists, counsellors, occupational therapists, social workers, mental health counsellors, and
marriage and family therapists).
Types of psychotherapy include the following
1. Psychoeducation.
2. Supportive therapy.
3. Cognitive behavioural therapy.
4. Behavioural therapy.
5. Dialectical behaviour therapy.
6. Psychoanalytical psychotherapy.
7. Interpersonal psychotherapy.
8. Family and couples therapy.
9. Psychodrama.
10. Gestalt therapy.
11. Mindfulness.
Note: no specific training is required to deliver psychoeducation and supportive therapy, unlike the other types of
psychotherapy listed above.
1. Psychoeducation
• Psychoeducation involves teaching people about their illness, how to manage it and how to recognise signs of
relapse so that they know when and where to obtain necessary treatment before their illness worsens or occurs
again.
• Psychoeducation enables patients to feel that what is going on is not entirely beyond their control and therefore
involves them in their own treatment.
• Psychoeducation can be offered in different forms: psychoeducation groups, single consultation, lectures,
leaflets, books, emails, videos, information websites.
2. Supportive therapy
• Supportive therapy is a type of psychological therapy that aims to help the patient to function better by
providing personal support.
• In general, the therapist does not ask the patient to change; rather they act as a support person, allowing the
patient to reflect on their life situation in an environment in which they are accepted.
• Supportive psychotherapy can be broken down into the following components:
o Clarification: pointing out and linking events so that a patient is helped to understand repeated patterns
in their feeling and thinking.
o Enquiry: asking questions to elaborate a patient’s account.
o Explanation: explaining to a person why they are experiencing certain symptoms can be reassuring and
therapeutic.
o Expression of feeling: useful for patients to express emotions such as anger, frustration and despair within a
supportive setting.
o Guidance of discussion: ensures that emotionally painful but relevant topics are dealt with adequately
rather than avoided.
o Listening: listening carefully to what a person is saying and enabling them to give a full account of
their difficulties.
o Reassurance: can be used to relieve fears, boost self-confidence and promote hope.
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