Mental Health: Other Types of Therapists & Therapies

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Other Types of Therapists

• Social workers. A social worker is one of the three most common types of therapists (the other two are psychiatrists and psychotherapists) who provide psychotherapy. A social worker in New Zealand and Australia has completed a Bachelor or Master of Social Work course. The main emphasis of social workers, with respect to mental health, is to connect people with the community and support services available in the area through the use of psychotherapy.
  
  

• Life coach. Most of us are familiar with coaches in sports and business. So, what is the difference with a life coach? Life coaching can be loosely defined as a holistic orientation to working with people, to help them find happiness and meaning in their lives. It also includes guiding you on how to achieve balance and improving your skills and performance. A life coach can help with your mental health issues by developing your strengths, resilience, and the ability to rely on oneself for improvement. A life coach doesn’t mean that they’re an expert in the field their client is in but they are expected to have completed formal training to attain core coaching competencies and are required to uphold professional standards.

Other Types of Therapies

1. Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT). CBT revolves on adjusting your behaviour and changing your attitude by identifying and changing false beliefs and the thoughts behind them. Commonly used for breaking a bad habit and dealing with negative thoughts. Research studies have demonstrated its effectiveness in mental health issues and disorders like anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, eating disorder, trauma-related disorder, and schizophrenia.
   
   
2. Art therapy. Examples of art therapy activities include painting, colouring, and sculpting. In this type of therapy, the visual arts are used to help people with mental health issues express themselves artistically. A trained professional then examines the underlying emotional and psychological meaning in the creative works. Additionally, art therapy also improves your sensorimotor and cognitive functions and decreases distress and conflict.
   
   
3. Music therapy. There are four significant ways that music therapy can be utilised in addressing mental issues: lyric analysis, improvisation music playing, active music listening, and songwriting. Music is an art form that pushes human interactions within society. It motivates a person to be socially cohesive, existing together to prosper and survive. This type of therapy has shown positive results for people with posttraumatic stress disorder, postpartum depression, schizophrenia, and anxiety.
   
   
4. Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP). NLP examines the way you think (neuro), the language pattern you utilise (linguistic), and your behaviour (programming), and how the three of them interact with each other to produce a positive or negative effect on yourself. It has been shown to help with anxiety, depression, fear of public speaking, stress management, pain management, weight management, and even smoking cessation.
   
   
5. Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). ACT is a type of CBT. It teaches you to accept and live with anxiety. Sounds harmful and counterproductive? No. You acknowledge and live with anxiety, but you don’t let it define you, your behaviour, or daily life. The therapist can teach you how.
   
   
6. Psychoanalysis. Psychoanalysis goes deeper into the unconscious and conscious elements of your mind. Psychoanalysis is usually reserved for people who have tried other forms of therapies for over a year and still want to understand the forces behind their behaviour. . It’s specifically suited for compulsions, obsessions, phobias, persistent negative thoughts, and troubled relationships with people happening over a long period.
   
   
7. Psychodynamic therapy. This form of therapy is excellent for those relationship problems that keep happening. Your therapist will analyse past events and previous relationships and how they impact your present one. It also identifies subconscious factors formerly unidentified to surface and get resolved.
   
   
8. Dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT). DBT adds weekly group therapy sessions to individual therapy. It focuses on emotional regulation and mindfulness and has been beneficial for people struggling with addictions and people with suicidal thoughts.
   
   

9. Play therapy. Play therapy provides a safe venue for children to deal with stress, behavioural problems, or trauma. A child who undergoes play therapy will often express how he or she feels in the way they play. Play, whether used in therapy or not, is essential for every child to develop physical, social, emotional, and cognitive skills.
   
   
10. Mindfulness-based therapy. Mindfulness is living in the moment and accepting things (such as a life defining illness or injury) as they are, with no interpretation or judgement. A 2015 meta-analysis study concluded that mindfulness-based interventions successfully relieve depression and anxiety in patients with cancer.
    
    
11. Exposure therapy is another form of CBT. It has been primarily used by therapists to successfully treat people with anxiety disorder, phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder. Exposure therapy identifies the trigger/s for anxiety and other conditions. Your therapist will then show you how to deal with negative behavioural responses and anxiety. Finally, you will be exposed to your trigger in a controlled setting and will be instructed by your therapist to apply the methods you were taught in dealing with your anxiety.
    
    
12. Mentalisation-based therapy (MBT). This kind of therapy is specifically for people with a borderline personality disorder. A person with a borderline personality disorder manifests an ongoing pattern of shifting moods, behaviour, and self-image. These problems lead to impulsive actions when relating to others. . Mentalising is one of the techniques used in MBT to help people with a borderline personality disorder be aware of their feelings and thoughts toward themselves (sense of self) and others.

• Need to talk? Free call or text1737 any time for support from a trained counsellor
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• Healthline – 0800 611 116
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• Depression Helpline – 0800 111 757 or free text 4202
  
  

• Beyond Blue Support Service – Phone: 1300 22 4636
• Lifeline Australia 24-hour telephone counselling service. Phone: 13 11 14
• MensLine Australia Phone: 1300 78 99 78
• Suicide Call Back Service Australia Phone: 1300 659 467 call any time

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