What is psychotherapy?
Psychotherapy, called talk therapy, consists of techniques that help people change behaviors, emotions, and thoughts that cause distress. Therapy involves communicating with your therapist to overcome disturbing thoughts. Therapy takes a long time to work and only gives results after a while. Many hardships can occur in life. Stress is routine, but if it gets so overwhelming that it interferes with your life, and if online self-help advice has not worked so far, it might be time to seek help from a professional. But how do you recognize when to start looking for a psychotherapist?
How are psychotherapists different from psychiatrists?
While both psychotherapists and psychiatrists are mental health professionals, there are some key differences between them. These include:
- Approach: Psychiatrists' training focuses on the biological aspects of mental health conditions, whereas psychotherapists concentrate on all aspects of human behavior with a primary emphasis on scientific research.
- Education: Psychiatrists attend medical school with an MD or a DO degree. Psychotherapists are not doctors; they typically complete advanced degrees such as a PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) or a PsyD (Doctor of Psychology). PsyD programs focus more on clinical practice than research and take less time to complete. In some US states, individuals with relevant master's degrees can also practice psychotherapy.
- Prescriptive authority: Since psychiatrists are doctors, they can prescribe necessary medications based on your condition. On the other hand, psychotherapists use various methods, like art therapy, movement therapy, psychodynamic therapy, etc., to assist you. They cannot prescribe medicines but can perform evaluations to help you better understand your mental health conditions and receive the proper treatment.
What are the different approaches to psychotherapy?
A psychotherapist may use multiple types of psychotherapy or a combination to address various mental health concerns. They approach treatment depending on an individual's condition and the severity of the situation. However, psychotherapy may be a part of your mental healthcare plan. Depending on your diagnosis, you may be given several treatments such as medication or may have to consult other mental health care professionals like a psychiatrist.
The different types of psychotherapy techniques are as follows:
- Behavioral therapy: This is a focused, action-oriented approach to mental health treatment. Behavioral therapists believe that certain behaviors originate from things you have learned in the past, and some of these behaviors can negatively impact your life. They help you change your behavioral responses and patterns that cause distress. Behavioral therapy has several subtypes: systematic desensitization, flooding, and aversion therapy.
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT): Addresses how a person thinks, their recurring patterns of behavior, and ways they cope with trauma or psychological problems. This therapy involves helping individuals identify and change inaccurate perceptions of themselves, people, or things around them. Your therapist will help you focus on right and wrong assumptions and redirect your thought process. It can help people facing depression or anxiety, who cannot take antidepressants, and whose thinking can trigger mental illness.
- Psychodynamic therapy: Treats unresolved and generally unconscious conflicts, often originating during childhood, which may lead to emotional issues. This treatment can last several months to even years, helping one understand and manage these feelings by talking about them openly.
- Humanistic therapy: Consists of different types of treatment that help patients maximize their unique potential and abilities. It is more focused on assisting people to overcome difficulties by allowing personal growth. The humanistic therapy approach emphasizes that people are innately good. Some forms of humanistic therapy include client-centered therapy, gestalt therapy, and logotherapy. Humanistic therapy can help with panic disorders, anxiety, depression, trauma, and low self-esteem.
- Interpersonal therapy (IPT): Focuses on the interactions and behavior a person displays with family and friends and helps improve communication skills and self-esteem over a short period. This treatment is specifically helpful for people going through depression due to social isolation, major life events, relationship conflicts, and mourning. IPT is considered a short-term therapy program consisting of 12 to 16 sessions. Some adaptations of interpersonal therapy include dynamic interpersonal therapy and metacognitive interpersonal therapy.
- Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT): Combines two contradictory concepts, i.e., acceptance and change. This approach treats people who experience emotions intensely. For example, DBT may help those with suicidal tendencies and personality disorders. To enhance life skills, it focuses on distress tolerance, emotion regulation, mindfulness, and interpersonal effectiveness. It uses journaling, individual or group therapy, and phone coaching to help modify problematic behaviors like lying and self-harm. DBT is also effective in group settings.
How do you know if you need psychotherapy?
Consider consulting a therapist if you find yourself dealing with overwhelming issues and have trouble connecting with others and communicating your feelings. Here are some reasons to see a psychotherapist near you:
- Having unhealthy coping mechanisms/addictions: If you deal with significant life issues by drinking, smoking, using drugs, binge eating, breaking things, or taking out your frustrations on people around you, you should consult a therapist. While these habits might make you feel better, they are not suitable for you long-term and can cause your mental health, life, and relationships to deteriorate. A therapist can help individuals develop healthier coping strategies.
- Loss: You might have recently lost a loved one or a pet. We all know that death is unavoidable, but that doesn't make it easier to deal with. There are many stages of grief and different ways to deal with it. Avoiding managing your grief can lead to lingering problems. A therapist can help you cope with your loss.
- Phobias: Phobias are unusual and unfounded fears that can cause excessive reactions. You could experience dread or panic when you encounter something (specific) which is your source of anxiety. These incidents can be severely crippling and prevent you from functioning properly. You might realize that your fear is irrational, but you might be unable to do anything about it. Phobias could develop after distressing events like almost drowning, having an accident, or after traumatic brain injuries. Depression and substance abuse could also lead to phobias. Your symptoms could include a pounding or racing heart, shortness of breath, inability to speak, trembling, profuse sweating, a choking sensation, or even a panic attack. CBT is the most common treatment for phobias.
- Mental disorders: You could have mental health conditions like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, or post-traumatic stress disorder. They can manifest themselves in many different ways.
- Stress and anxiety: "Stress" is any demand on your brain or body and can be caused by many situations, from a job interview to a relationship problem. While some stress can motivate you to finish complex tasks, it can sometimes lead to anxiety if left unmanaged for too long. Anxiety is an overwhelming feeling of unease, worry, or fear and can happen with or without a trigger. Some symptoms are irritability or anger, digestive issues, muscle tension, sleep issues, dizziness, headaches, increased sweating, restlessness, a feeling of impending doom, increased heart rate, numbness, brain fog, and difficulty concentrating. In such cases, it can interfere with your daily life and affect your mental health, leading to social isolation and depression. A therapist can help you locate the source of your stress and counsel you about the appropriate ways to overcome it.
- Depression: Depression is not just defined by feelings of sadness. It's a severe mental health disorder that causes people to lose interest in things, have negative thoughts, and have trouble managing their emotions. Some symptoms of depression are overwhelming feelings of helplessness or hopelessness, worthlessness, inappropriate guilt, self-hate, and recurring negative thoughts. You could have persistent, unshakable dark feelings, uncontrollable mood swings, and outbursts of anger. Depression takes away the pleasure from things you once enjoyed, whether your hobbies or relationships with your friends. You could lose interest in sex, have less energy, feel tired, and might sleep too much or too little. Your appetite and weight could fluctuate. Some people might overeat and gain weight, while others might eat too little and lose weight. A few others might even consider taking their life. Please know that it's possible to get better if you seek help. A therapist can help you find the source of your depression and help you manage your negative thought processes.
How should you prepare for your first therapy session?
Attending your first therapy session can be overwhelming as you are unsure what to expect and how to prepare for the appointment. Here are some tips that can help you have a more comfortable and productive consultation:
Prepare for paperwork
Before you meet with your psychotherapist, you will complete essential paperwork, such as medical questionnaires and a psychotherapist-patient services agreement. You must also carry documents and information like your photo ID, personal and emergency contact details, insurance card, and referral letter (if available). Lastly, remember to bring a payment method your therapist accepts at their office.
Write down your concerns, needs, and goals
During your first session, the psychotherapist will try to understand what brought you to therapy and what you aim to achieve. Hence, gathering your thoughts in a journal is a good idea to communicate everything clearly with your provider.
You can write down your symptoms, including troubling thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. You can also record the current life challenges, stressors, or trauma that prompted you to seek therapy. Finally, you can give your provider an idea of your therapy goals.
Know your life history
The therapist may also discuss your life history, including your childhood, education, work, family, friendships, relationships, and general health status. You can prepare notes around these topics and refer to them during the session.
List your questions
Your psychotherapist will reserve enough time for you to address your queries. You can list questions beforehand to ensure you do not forget anything during the session. If you are unsure what to ask, use the following list as a starting point:
- Can you share your education and training background?
- How many years of practice experience do you have?
- Have you helped patients with issues similar to mine?
- What can I expect during future sessions? Will you give me homework?
- How many sessions will I need? How often will I meet you?
Finding the best psychotherapist near you in Saint Louis, Missouri
To be healthy, you must focus on your mental and physical well-being. However, opening up to a stranger about your feelings can be challenging. That's why you must have a relationship of trust with your psychotherapist. Therapy takes time and requires you to commit to the process. It would help if someone listened patiently to you, understood you, and offered advice to help you. But how do you find such psychotherapists?
Zocdoc can help you find a top-rated therapist near you in Saint Louis, Missouri. To get started, create a free account on the website. After that, you can search the website for doctors using various filters like the name of your condition, your symptoms, and the specialty of the doctor you're searching for (in this case, a psychotherapist).
It is advisable to search using the name of your health insurance carrier so that your insurance covers your treatment. When you do so, Zocdoc will show you a list of only those doctors who accept your healthcare plan. You can also use Zocdoc's insurance detector to identify in-network doctors. If you do not see your plan listed on the website, try taking an image of your medical insurance card (not applicable for dental and vision insurance) and uploading it. Zocdoc will scan it and show you your most likely plan. You can contact Zocdoc's service team if you face any challenges while uploading the picture. For other insurance-related queries, check Zocdoc's patient help center.
You can also filter by location so that your doctor is near your residence and your travel time is less by booking online. You can visit the doctor in person or schedule a video visit by clicking the purple icon next to their name. Their Zocdoc profile contains their schedule, which lets you see their free slots and make an appointment when the doctor is free.
Click on the doctor's name for more information, such as their education and qualification, training, awards, experience, expertise, gender, language, whether or not they offer pediatric care, and past patient ratings and reviews. Patients write these reviews after consulting the doctor, enabling you to make an informed decision.
Booking an appointment with a top-rated psychotherapist near you on Zocdoc is simple, secure, and 100% free!
Mental health statistics in Missouri and the US
As per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 1 in 4 American adults have a mental health condition. Around 1 in 20 (or about 14.6 million) American adults have a severe mental illness.
America's Health Rankings defines frequent mental health distress as the percentage of adults who reported poor mental well-being for 14 or more days in the past 30 days. They have stated that 14.7% of Americans experienced frequent mental health distress in 2021. In Missouri, 16.2% of adults experienced it, higher than the national average.
As per the National Institute of Mental Health, in 2020, roughly 52.9 million American adults (21.0% of the adult population) had mental illnesses. The incidence of mental diseases was higher in women compared to men. People in the age group of 18–25 had the highest prevalence of mental illnesses.
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