Psychotherapy Approaches
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a psychotherapy approach developed based on scientific findings in psychology and psychopathology. Its goal is to facilitate recovery by targeting the thoughts, emotions, and behaviors associated with or maintaining psychological problems. The behavioral aspect of CBT focuses on identifying maladaptive behaviors and using various therapeutic techniques to develop more adaptive ones, while the cognitive component examines an individual's mental processes.
CBT primarily focuses on a person's current problems, is time-limited, and is solution-oriented. It not only helps resolve present issues but also teaches individuals specific skills they can use throughout their lives. During therapy, negative thoughts that lead to distressing emotions and maladaptive behaviors are identified, and various therapeutic techniques are employed to foster more objective and realistic thinking. These changes in thoughts and behaviors result in a reduction in negative emotions and, over time, an improvement in psychological well-being.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a psychotherapy approach that helps individuals cope with negative thoughts, emotions, symptoms, or circumstances.
ACT aims to develop flexible coping skills for handling emotions and thoughts, enhance resilience against life’s challenges, and support individuals in taking action and defining their life purpose. This therapeutic approach guides individuals in discovering how they want to find meaning in their lives.
At its core, ACT is based on the theory that individuals should accept their challenging circumstances and learn to cope with them in a more flexible manner. This accepting attitude helps individuals manage distressing emotional experiences and thoughts while reducing the tendency to avoid them.
ACT guides individuals in cultivating tolerance toward their internal experiences, setting value-based goals, and committing to these goals. By doing so, individuals can enhance their psychological flexibility and find a more meaningful and fulfilling direction in their lives.
Narrative Therapy is a postmodern therapeutic approach that views each individual as the expert of their own life and places their experiences at the center of the process. This approach assumes that people are separate from their problems and that they possess the skills, beliefs, values, and abilities to reduce the impact of these problems.
This type of therapy focuses on how individuals make sense of their lives and reshape their personal narratives. Rather than focusing on the causes of problems, it emphasizes their meanings, encouraging individuals to view their struggles as part of their life story and rewrite that story in a more empowering way.
In Narrative Therapy, an individual’s strengths and problem-solving abilities take center stage, while weaknesses and difficulties are placed in the background. Problems are perceived as external to the person, eliminating the need for them to internalize or identify with their struggles. In this therapeutic process, the development of an individual’s skills, along with the presence of witnesses who acknowledge this growth, enriches and strengthens their life.
Systemic Family Therapy emphasizes the impact of an individual's social environment and family dynamics on mental health. Rather than focusing solely on the individual, this approach centers on the family unit and explores the roots of problems within family interactions.
This therapeutic approach does not primarily address psychological disorders but instead examines family structures and relational bonds. The family consists of subsystems that collectively shape its integrity. Systemic Family Therapy analyzes these subsystems, exploring the interactions within the family and the individual's role in these cycles.
During the therapy process, the internal dynamics of the family are examined, and all family members are invited to participate. To make sense of the issues at hand, relationships within the family are explored, along with intergenerational patterns, rules, and cultural perspectives. The therapy progresses by identifying solutions that facilitate change within this framework.
Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) is a therapeutic approach that aims to resolve individuals’ current problems through short-term interventions. Typically lasting between 6 to 20 sessions, this therapy seeks to achieve rapid and effective outcomes by utilizing the client’s strengths and available resources.
SFBT encourages clients to explore their internal and external resources to solve their problems. Therapists guide clients in viewing their issues from different perspectives and developing new solutions.
A defining characteristic of this therapy is its emphasis not only on past experiences but also on present resources in the search for solutions. This approach helps individuals recognize, enhance, and utilize their existing strengths to overcome their difficulties.
SFBT can be effectively applied in various areas, including anxiety, family conflicts, addictions, work-related stress, and depression. This method, which yields successful results in both individual and group therapy settings, supports individuals in feeling better, making positive changes in their lives, and developing problem-solving skills for the future.
Play therapy is a therapeutic method conducted in specially designed playrooms to support children’s emotional and psychological development. This approach provides a safe environment where children can express themselves and meet their emotional needs. Play therapy helps children express the emotions they struggle with in everyday life through metaphors and stories. In the therapy room, children can find comfort and reassurance that they may not find at home, school, or other social settings, boosting their confidence.
Play therapy typically targets children between the ages of 2 and 12 and helps them cope with various challenges. Children receive therapeutic support to address issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, family problems, aggressive behaviors, attention deficits, and eating disorders. This therapy method enhances children’s self-esteem, improves their social relationships, and helps them lead a more emotionally healthy life.
Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT) is an approach based on human development and close relationships, shaping the therapeutic process by focusing on emotional experiences and emotional impulses. This therapy method aims to help individuals explore their emotional world, express their emotional experiences, and cope with emotional challenges.
At the core of EFT is the inherent need of humans to form relational and social bonds. In this therapeutic model, emotions and the management of emotions in individual experiences and relationships are key factors. Emotions are seen as regulatory elements in both the self and important relationships, and EFT uses experiential and relational techniques to understand and change these factors.
Therapists help individuals uncover and work on their emotional impulses, inner conflicts, and emotional blockages. This therapy can typically be applied in individual therapy or group therapy formats and is used in various fields of psychotherapy.
Traditional Islamically Integrated Psychotherapy (TIIP) is a therapeutic approach grounded in the values, beliefs, and principles of Islam as outlined in the Qur'an and Hadith. This approach addresses psychological problems by taking into account the client’s spiritual and religious needs, aiming for mental well-being in alignment with Islamic teachings. TIIP emphasizes the close connection between the mental and spiritual health of individuals, as Islam views the mind and soul as intricately linked.
In this approach, therapists integrate Islamic teachings, Qur'anic verses, and Hadith into the therapy process. The goal is not only to alleviate mental health issues but also to foster spiritual growth and strengthen religious commitment. TIIP supports clients in overcoming psychological struggles by incorporating practices and principles from Islam, enhancing their psychological resilience while nurturing their faith and spirituality.
Gottman Couple Therapy is a therapeutic approach focused on strengthening relationships and resolving issues between couples. Unlike other couple therapy methods, it places great importance on emotions. This approach argues that understanding individuals' emotional worlds is essential for grasping and resolving relationship problems. Supported by scientific research, this method is based on effective strategies that help couples achieve healthier and happier relationships. It also aims to teach the necessary skills to deepen friendship and intimacy within the relationship.
Gottman Couple Therapy incorporates elements from various therapeutic methods, using them with a focus on the emotional states of the couples. During the therapy process, the couples' interactions, behavioral patterns, and individual histories are addressed. The primary goal is to make the relationship healthier and happier. This method equips couples with the skills necessary to strengthen their emotional bonds, communicate effectively, and resolve issues in a constructive manner.
Psychodynamic psychotherapy is an approach that examines how an individual's past experiences shape their current emotional and psychological issues. This therapy method focuses on unconscious processes and how they affect a person’s behavior.
During the therapy process, individuals are helped to understand the impact of unconscious events and their relationship to current behaviors. The human mind is considered in three layers: conscious, subconscious, and unconscious. The therapist works to understand the transitions and interactions between these layers to gain insight into the client's inner world.
Psychodynamic psychotherapy aims to explore the unconscious causes of a person’s behaviors. Instead of merely alleviating symptoms, the goal is to address the root causes of these symptoms. This helps individuals lead a more balanced, healthy, and fulfilling life. During the process, clients become aware of how past experiences influence their current behavior, and the release of repressed emotions from the unconscious can lead to positive changes in their lives.