BENEFITS OF TALKING THERAPY

WHAT IS TALKING THERAPY?

Talking therapy is a treatment that encourages people to talk to therapists about their issues, thoughts and feelings.

Most people will benefit from the results of talking therapies when suffering with mental health problems or having difficulties opening up and understanding their emotions and traumatic life experiences.

These kinds of therapies helps people to:

• Understand their feelings and emotions more.
• Change any behaviours that could be considered negative or damaging.
• Explore the way they think about things and approach life.
• Talk about things that worry them in a non-judgmental setting.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF TALKING THERAPY?

• It allows them the opportunity to turn these thoughts and feelings into healthy ones.
• Many types of talking therapy cater well to different people’s needs – if they find it easier to speak just to one person, they can choose the one-on-one therapy, but if they prefer speaking to lots of people, they can choose the group therapy.
• Patients can develop skills in order to form better relationships and bonds.
• The patient is able to discuss and choose their own goals that they would like to achieve by the end of their final session.
• Talking therapy has been proven to help people overcome mental illnesses.
• It can boost moods and improve a person’s self-confidence.
• Therapists are able to give their patients the tools they need to effectively deal with stressful and negative situations in their daily lives.

DIFFERENT KINDS OF TALKING THERAPY

There are so many kinds of talking therapies used to treat different people with different issues, though they all have similar goals. Some of these are mentioned below.

COUNSELLING

• This is most popular form of talking therapy.
• There is no set number of sessions that people are recommended to attend as the amount differs from person to person.
• Most commonly used to help people suffering with anger and relationships issues and bereavement.
• Deals with current situations rather more than a person’s past.

COGNITIVE BEHAVIOURAL THERAPY

• A person using this kind of talking therapy usually attends around 4 to 16 hourly sessions.
• Aims to help people feel more positive.
• Discourages unhealthy behaviours.
• Focuses more on a person’s current situation.
• Mostly works for people suffering with depression, anxiety and other mental health issues.
• Available on the NHS.

PSYCHOTHERAPY

• This talking therapy lasts the longest – many people attend weekly hour long sessions for around a year.
• Focuses more on a person’s past experiences.
• Helps people understand themselves and their relationships better.
• Gives people ways in which they can live mentally healthier lives.
• Research shows that this talking therapy is most effective in treating mental illnesses such as depression and some eating disorders.
• This therapy can be offered on the NHS and privately – if done through the NHS, the patient will be seen as an outpatient.
• If done privately, they will often be seen at the therapist’s home.

FAMILY THERAPY

• Each sessions varies in length from around 45 minutes to an hour and a half.
• This kind of therapy is recommended to families who are in crisis because of things like addiction, divorce, mental health issues.
• A therapist will split their time equally between each family member in order to understand the problems the family are having and the reasons behind them.
• Helps families communicate better.

RELATIONSHIP COUNSELLING

• Attendance of between 10 to 14 weekly hour long sessions is recommended.
• Although it would be ideal for both partners to attend the sessions, the final result can still be good if only one person attends.
• Useful to couples in crisis.
• Offers couples a non-biased, outside perspective in order to help them understand overcome their issues.

GROUP THERAPY

Although most commonly known as a talking therapy, group therapy can also consist of therapeutic forms such as expressive therapy and psychodrama.

• Each group is small and includes between 7 and 12 people.
• Attendance of between 6 to 20 weekly sessions is recommended, though some people do stay for more.
• Helps people to learn and understand themselves better.
• Improves interpersonal relationships.
• Almost always effective, though the final results do depend on the severity and reasoning behind each person’s problems.

INTERPERSONAL THERAPY

• Consists of 12 to 16 hour long weekly sessions.
• Usually works best for people suffering with depression.
• Focuses on how the symptoms of depression can affect a person’s relationships.
• Aims to give people the skills to cope and reduce their symptoms.

MINDFULNESS-BASED COGNITIVE THERAPY

• 8 sessions of MBCT are offered.
• Most commonly known to treat depression, stress, anxiety and addiction.
• Research has shown that in some cases, it may also help people suffering with bipolar disorder.
• Allows people to focus on their thoughts and feelings in a healthy way.
• Focuses on meditation to help cure people.

DIFFERENT WAYS TALKING THERAPY CAN BE OFFERED

Many talking therapies are offered through the NHS.

This can be helpful for a lot of people, especially those who suffer with money troubles, as it means they won’t personally have to fund their own treatment.

However, because there are so many talking therapies offered through the organization and lot of people need this help, they may sometimes be put on a waiting list and have to wait (often for long periods of time) to be invited.

Sometimes people will refer themselves for talking therapy through the NHS, though depending on each doctor, they may prefer their patients to talk to them before doing this.

If a person doesn’t want to wait to begin their therapy and are prepared to pay the money to do so, they are often able to see a therapist privately.

A lot of the time, young people who need therapy are offered the easiest access to it.

This is because many colleges and universities now have free, confidential on-site therapy services. These sessions can usually be booked in person at the main reception. However, if a student doesn’t feel comfortable enough to do this, there is often a way for them to book online instead.

Charities are another way in which a person may get access to talking therapy