Therapies Can Jump Start Your Life 
By John Gonzalez

When things seem to be spinning out of control or you find yourself dealing with problems over and over again with the same old unproductive results, therapy can help you to jump-start your life and turn it around in positive ways. 

Mental Health professionals use a variety of approaches to give people new tools to deal with ingrained, troublesome patterns of behavior and to help them manage symptoms of mental illness.  The best therapists will work with you to determine a treatment plan that will be most effective for you.  This sometimes involves elements of several different ones, often referred to as an “eclectic approach” to therapy.  Here is a brief description of the methods mental health professionals most commonly use: 

Behavioral therapy:  This approach focuses on behavior – changing unwanted behaviors through rewards, reinforcements, and desensitization.  If often involves the cooperation of others, especially family and close friends, to reinforce a desired behavior.   

Biomedical therapy: Medication alone, or in combination with psychotherapy, has proven to be an effective treatment for a number of emotional, behavioral, and mental disorders.  The kind of medication a psychiatrist prescribes varies with the disorder and the individual being treated.   

Cognitive therapy: This method aims to identify and correct distorted thinking patterns that can lead to feelings and behaviors that may be troublesome, self-defeating, or even self-destructive.  The goal is to replace such thinking with a more balanced view that, in turn, leads to more fulfilling and productive behavior.   

Cognitive/behavioral therapy:  A combination of cognitive and behavioral therapies, this approach helps people change negative thought patterns, beliefs and behaviors so they can manage symptoms and enjoy more productive, less stressful lives.

Group therapy: This involves groups of usually 4 to 12 people who have similar problems and who meet regularly with a therapist, who uses emotional interactions of the group’s members to help them get relief from distress and modify their behavior. 

Psychoanalysis: This approach focuses on past conflicts as the underpinnings for current emotional and behavioral problems. 

Psychodynamic psychotherapy: Based on the principles of psychoanalysis, this therapy is less intense, tends to occur once or twice a week, and spans a shorter time.  Based on the premise that human behavior is determined by one’s past experiences, this approach recognizes that significant influence that emotions and unconscious motivation can have of human behavior. 

- Piece of Mind Newsletter 9-10-00, Health & Human Services Agency

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Copyright 2005 National Alliance for the Mentally Ill Santa Cruz County, All Rights Reserved.

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