A - Z Guide

What is Talking Therapy?

Talking therapy is much more than people just talking. It is the general name for a collection of psychological therapies that help people with a variety of problems. The distinguishing factor of it is that it relies on the patient expressing themselves verbally to a trained practitioner. These collections of therapies are considered to be more effective than drugs and anti depressant medicines as they typically target the psychological problem at its root as opposed to having the placebo affect.

Who Are Talking Therapies Good For?

Anyone who feels like they have any kind of emotional or psychological problems can visit talking therapists. They tend to benefit people who suffer from anxiety, panic attacks, stress, depression, relationship problems and low self-esteem. For more serious mental conditions; a psychiatrist may be better to consult.

Your GP can refer you to talking therapists. There are also non National Health Service organisations that offer free talking therapies. Private therapy prices can range from £5 - £50 depending on who you wish to visit.

Types of Talking Therapies

You may like to visit these hyperlinks:

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
Involves the patient identifying their negative behaviour patterns, how to change them and overcome their problems. CBT tends to be used for people who have phobias or are experiencing relationship problems.

Psychoanlaysis
Is a form of treatment which allows the patient to talk openly about their experiences and to tap into their unconscious ways of thinking.

Group Therapy
Encourages patients to interact with other people facing similar problems to them. This produces very positive results as not only does it make patients express themselves in a group situation, which builds confidence, it also allows them to see how others have gone wrong and using that process of identification allows them analyse their own behavior and way of thinking

Relationship Therapy
Allows the patients to express their concerns and problems in any relationship they are in. Allowing a third party to objectively analyse the relationship and to see where the cause of the problems lie can make it easier to overcome them.

Autogenics
Is a recent therapy that involves deep relaxation techniques that teach the body and mind how to relax and overcome stress and anxiety.

Counselling
Involves you talking about your problems to a counsellor.

Psychiatry
Is the branch of medicine that deals with diagnosis and treatment of medical illness. It involves more serious cases of mental illnesses and the prescription of medicines to combat mental illness.

Neuro Linguistic Programming
Focuses on the power of positive thought. It encourages the mind to focus on the positive and to negate the negative.