Not all therapy is the same. Different approaches work for different people and problems. Here's a plain-English guide to the most common evidence-based methods.
Help me find the right approach →CBT is a structured, short-term therapy that explores the connection between thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. You'll learn to identify unhelpful thinking patterns and replace them with more balanced ones.
Weekly sessions with homework between appointments. Most people see significant improvement in 12–20 sessions.
Originally developed for borderline personality disorder, DBT teaches four core skill sets: mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotional regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness. It balances acceptance of who you are with the drive to change.
Typically involves both individual weekly sessions and a skills training group. Longer commitment — often 6–12 months.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing uses bilateral stimulation (typically eye movements, tapping, or sounds) while you briefly focus on a traumatic memory. This appears to reduce the emotional charge attached to the memory so it no longer triggers the same distress.
After a preparation phase, sessions involve recalling distressing memories while following the therapist's hand movements. Many people experience significant relief in 6–12 sessions.
ACT teaches psychological flexibility — the ability to feel difficult emotions without being controlled by them. Rather than fighting painful thoughts, you learn to observe them, accept them, and commit to actions aligned with your values.
A mix of mindfulness exercises, metaphors, and values clarification work. Often shorter-term (8–16 sessions) but highly adaptable.
Rooted in psychoanalytic tradition, psychodynamic therapy explores how unconscious processes, past experiences, and relationship patterns influence current behavior. It creates space for deep self-understanding and lasting change.
Sessions are less structured than CBT — you talk freely, and the therapist helps surface patterns. Often longer-term (months to years) for deep work.
Somatic therapy works with the body's physical sensations to process and release trauma. Rather than just talking about experiences, you'll learn to notice how emotions manifest physically (tight chest, shallow breathing, muscle tension) and work to discharge stored stress.
Sessions may include breathing exercises, gentle movement, body scanning, and grounding techniques alongside verbal processing.
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) use formal meditation practices — body scanning, breath awareness, mindful movement — to build a non-judgmental relationship with thoughts and feelings.
Often delivered as an 8-week structured program with daily home practice of 30–45 minutes. Can also be integrated into individual therapy.
Developed by Drs. John and Julie Gottman after studying thousands of couples, the Gottman Method identifies and repairs specific relationship patterns that predict divorce or separation — like criticism, contempt, defensiveness, and stonewalling.
Sessions assess your relationship's strengths and growth areas, then teach practical communication skills, conflict resolution strategies, and how to build friendship and shared meaning.
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