Who is a psychotherapist?
Psychotherapists are medically trained professionals who use talk therapy or other treatments to diagnose and treat emotional and mental health challenges and disorders. Their training may vary, resulting in specialties such as psychiatrists, counselors, psychologists, or social workers. They may offer individual, group, couples, and family sessions.
The term "psychotherapy" refers to a technique applied to diagnose, treat, and deal with mental health issues and conditions. It involves regular interaction between the patient and a mental health professional.
In psychotherapy, you typically learn about your challenges or disorder and how it may affect your mood, feelings, ideas, and behaviors. Psychotherapy provides patients with insights they can use to gain control over their lives and develop effective coping mechanisms.
There are many different types of psychotherapy, each with a different approach. Your condition will determine the kind of psychotherapy that's most effective for you. Sometimes broadly referred to as talk therapy, psychotherapy is also called counseling, psychosocial therapy, or simply therapy.
Conditions that a psychotherapist near you can treat
Psychotherapy is effective in treating several mental health conditions, such as the following:
- Anxiety disorders, for example, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), phobias, panic disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Mood disorders such as depression and bipolar
- Addictions such as alcoholism, drug addiction, and compulsive gambling
- Eating disorders, including bulimia and anorexia nervosa
- Personality disorders like dependent or borderline personality disorder
- Schizophrenia and other severe mental health illnesses that produce a disconnection from reality (psychotic disorders)
Types of psychotherapy
Psychotherapy takes various forms. Certain illnesses and conditions can be alleviated or treated more effectively using specific techniques, so therapists frequently combine several methods. Ideally, your therapist will consider your unique circumstances and preferences when deciding which strategy would work best for you.
Although there are several kinds of therapies, some techniques that have been the most effective are as follows:
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) helps one recognize harmful, destructive beliefs and actions and teaches to replace them with healthy, constructive ones.
- Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) teaches behavioral techniques to help people cope with stress, control emotions, and strengthen interpersonal connections.
- Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) increases one's capacity to cope with and adapt to new, unusual, or unexpected situations by becoming conscious of, accepting of, and committed to one's thoughts and feelings.
- Psychoanalysis therapies focus on making you self-aware of your motivations, unconscious beliefs, and thoughts, helping you resolve underlying conflicts.
- Interpersonal psychotherapy aims to resolve issues with interpersonal interactions to enhance relationships with romantic partners, family, friends, coworkers, etc.
- Supportive psychotherapy strengthens your capacity to handle stress and challenging circumstances.
What is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)?
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) depends on the idea that psychological issues occur due to our interpretation or evaluation of situations, thoughts, and feelings. Negative interpretations and assessments might lead to undesirable behaviors.
CBT helps by modifying the interpretations that contribute to undesirable behavioral habits. It also teaches you the abilities and cognitive methods to deal with anything life throws at you.
What are some cognitive behavioral therapy coping strategies?
Coping skills in CBT entail dealing with unpleasant feelings healthily. It offers ways to deal with negative emotions with less anxiety, despair, and stress so that you can feel better physically, make better decisions, and so on. These cognitive tactics are especially effective for persons with certain mental health conditions and issues, such as people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms.
The following are a few common CBT coping strategies:
- Diaphragmatic breathing: Diaphragmatic breathing, often known as deep breathing or breathing retraining, is a fundamental cognitive coping approach for anxiety management. It involves bringing your diaphragm down while inhaling deeply. With each breath, you should notice your abdomen area rising, which is why it is also called "belly breathing."
- Muscle relaxation in stages: Relaxation techniques can help lower tension and anxiety. Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) is one such exercise that involves rotating between tensing and relaxing various muscle groups throughout the body. By tightening your muscles (a frequent anxiety symptom) and instantly relaxing them, the symptom of muscle tension may become a signal to loosen over time.
- Self-monitoring: Self-monitoring is another fundamental CBT coping technique. To remedy a problem or symptom, we must first become aware of it. Self-monitoring can help with this. With this insight, we can take action to modify our behaviors and achieve more positive outcomes.
Tips to consider when receiving psychotherapy
To ensure that you make the most of your therapy and contribute to its success, you can keep these tips in mind:
- Make sure you feel at ease with your therapist. If not, seek a different therapist with whom you can connect better.
- Take a collaborative approach to therapy. It works best when you actively participate in the treatment and make decisions with the therapist. Ensure you convey your most significant concerns and understand your therapist's approach. You may both establish objectives and track your progress over time.
- Be frank and truthful. Your success in therapy depends heavily on your willingness to share ideas, sentiments, and experiences and consider fresh perspectives, concepts, and approaches. Tell your therapist if you're hesitant to discuss some topics because of upsetting feelings, humiliation, or concerns about their response.
- Adhere to your treatment schedule. It is easy to skip or forget about appointments when you're depressed or lack motivation. However, doing so can impede progress. Try to attend as many sessions as possible, and consider what you want to discuss.
- Expect delays in getting results. Working with emotional issues can be difficult and hurtful. Consider a few sessions before observing positive results.
- Completing your homework between sessions is essential. Follow through if your therapist instructs you to journal or perform other tasks outside treatment sessions. By doing the work and implementing the lessons, you can use what you've learned in therapy sessions to improve your life.
- Talk to your therapist if you feel like the treatment isn't working. After a few sessions, if you still don't feel any positive outcomes, discuss them with your therapist. You and your therapist might tweak something or attempt a different, more successful strategy.
4 FAQs on psychotherapy
If you have never taken therapy before, you may have many queries about how it works. Here are answers to some of the most popular questions on psychotherapy:
What will happen during my first consultation?
You will complete the necessary paperwork during the first therapy session and submit the documents. Next, you will meet your therapist and discuss the reasons for your visit, symptoms, coping strategies, needs, and goals. The provider will also ask about your medications, medical history, family history, and lifestyle to gain more insights into your situation. Before you leave, they will give you time to address your queries.
What questions should I ask my psychotherapist during the first session?
The first appointment allows you to get to know your therapist by asking relevant questions and later evaluating whether you want to continue more therapy sessions with them. Here's what you can ask them:
- Can you talk about your education, training, licenses, and certifications?
- How much experience do you have practicing psychotherapy?
- Have you worked with clients facing the same issues as me?
- What therapeutic techniques will you use?
- How will I know therapy is working for me?
How long is each psychotherapy session?
Individual therapy sessions typically last 30 minutes to an hour, whereas group therapy sessions can be longer, up to 90 minutes.
How many sessions will I need to feel better?
Therapy is generally a long-term process, and the number of sessions you need will depend highly on your particular situation, its complexity, and your therapist's approach. Based on research, most people need at least 12-16 therapy sessions to see positive results.
How can you find psychotherapists near you in Chicago, IL?
If you're considering therapy for any reason—to improve your overall mental health, mend a relationship, get over a trauma, or prepare for a new stage of life, the first hurdle to get past is selecting the right therapist.
If you want to save time looking for an experienced psychotherapist, Zocdoc is the best option. It allows you to locate and connect with providers of psychotherapy in Chicago, Illinois.
To begin, register for free on Zocdoc and enter the location, doctor's specialization, or preferred day and time in the Zocdoc search box. If applicable, you should also provide your insurance provider and plan information. This way, when you click "Find," Zocdoc will show you a list of nearby in-network psychotherapists to choose from.
However, when you do not have an insurance plan or are not comfortable sharing your insurance information initially, you can acknowledge that you are paying for yourself and continue to browse providers. On the other hand, if you are still looking for your exact insurance plan, Zocdoc can help.
Submit a clear photo of your insurance card on the website. Zocdoc will scan it and let you know your likely plan. Additionally, the service team can resolve any hurdles you face when uploading your image. Check out the FAQs listed on Zocdoc's patient help center for any more insurance-related queries.
To navigate through several pages of professionals, you can use Zocdoc's filters, including visitation purpose, commute time, hospital affiliations, appointment time, languages spoken, gender, and more. It will shorten your process and give you options that are right for you. If you want to consult online, look for specialists with a purple video call icon in their profile.
Speaking of profiles, Zocdoc provides a thorough profile page that includes pertinent information about each doctor's education and training, practice names, professional affiliations, board certifications, awards, experience, expertise, and accolades. Moreover, you can read patient reviews and ratings for first-hand information and FAQs for any additional concerns.
Once you have found the perfect psychotherapist near you, please schedule an appointment with them in minutes. Remember that booking appointments with Zocdoc is simple, safe, and 100% free!
Mental health facts and figures in Illinois
Based on its 480-to-1 population-to-mental health professional ratio, Mental Health America by United Health Foundation ranks Illinois as having the 29th-most accessible mental health workforce in the nation.
As of September 2022, Illinois had 300.4 psychiatrists, psychologists, licensed clinical social workers, counselors, family and marital therapists, and advanced practice nurses focused on providing mental health care, compared to the national average of 305 for every 100,000 people.
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), about 38.5% of persons in Illinois reported anxiety or depression symptoms in February 2021. Moreover, about 403,000 adults in Illinois have severe mental diseases.
Further, depression affects 145,000 Illinois citizens between 12 and 17. Notably, as per the same report, around 1,488 people in Illinois died by suicide last year, while 376,000 individuals reported suicidal thoughts.
Sources
Mayo Clinic
WebMD
Illinois General Assembly
America's Health Rankings
National Alliance on Mental Illness
Verywell Mind
GoodTherapy
Mindwell NYC
Talkspace
Mental Health Match
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