Psychological treatment is a collective term for many different treatment methods that are based on psychological science. The best known of them is psychotherapy. It is not uncommon for psychotherapy and psychological treatment to be combined with drugs.
There are psychotherapy and psychological treatment for many different diagnoses and conditions. Among other things, some methods focus on depression, anxiety, phobias, eating disorders, and other forms of mental illness.
Some methods focus on pain, stress management, smoking cessation, and other lifestyle changes.
Caregivers can have different training
Psychotherapy is a treatment method that usually means you go and talk to an Exton psychologist or psychotherapist. To make sure that the person you meet is legitimate, you should go to a practitioner who has a professional ID issued by the National Board of Health and Welfare. Sometimes you may be offered therapy by a therapist who is under supervision, i.e. someone who is not yet finished with their education.
Other professionals use conversation therapy as a method to help people. Examples are doctors, sociologists, curators, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and nurses. They can work at a health care center, hospital, or specialized hospital.
Because many different professionals work with therapy and psychological treatment in health care, we sometimes use the terms “treatment” and “therapist” in this text.
Psychotherapy: An agreement between you and the therapist
When you go into psychotherapy, it means that you and the psychotherapist work together according to a common agreement. Before the therapy begins, you and your therapist will agree on what you want to achieve with the therapy. Then you work together to achieve that goal.
The therapist is responsible for the work being evaluated regularly so that you both see whether it is progressing or not. You are responsible for keeping your part of the agreement, such as arriving at the times you have decided.
There are different approaches and methods in psychotherapy. The National Board of Health and Welfare’s guidelines for the treatment of depression recommend cognitive behavioral therapy, KBT, and interpersonal therapy, IPT.
For the treatment of anxiety states, KBT is recommended. You can also get psychotherapy as an internet treatment. You can read more about the different treatments in each chapter.
Other psychological treatment:
You can be offered psychological treatment for, for example, sleep difficulties, stress management, family problems, work-related problems, physical and mental disorders in combination.
Depending on where you get the help, and what you are seeking for support, the treatment can be called for example support calls, motivational calls, crisis treatment, psychosocial treatment or call therapy.
If you have gone through an investigation in psychiatry and received a diagnosis, you may be offered what is called psychoeducation. It is a treatment that aims to help you understand your diagnosis and suggestions on what you can do to not get the hassle back.
What is the purpose of the treatment?
The purpose of all psychotherapy and psychological treatment is to make you feel better and reduce your mental health problems. By going into treatment you can get support in making changes in your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.
The treatment can help you to reduce anxiety and anxiety and to experience your emotions, even if they are difficult or painful. You can also get help learning how to understand yourself and your feelings about other people.
Treatment can often lead to you either making an actual change in your life and getting rid of your symptoms or learning to manage your situation so that it no longer negatively affects you.
How does it happen?
When you go into psychotherapy or psychological treatment you meet a therapist for calls, usually once a week. Most often, you and the therapist talk about how you experience your problems and your situation, your relationships, and your life in general.
Sometimes the therapist asks questions that may make you need to stop and focus on something you might not have thought of before. Sometimes you get tasks that you need to work on between conversations, such as gradually approaching things that you are afraid of or for some reason usually avoid.
Alone or in group
You can either meet a therapist alone or with others. Either with people you know, such as your partner or family, or people you don’t know from the beginning but who you will work within the group. The former is usually called a couple or family therapy, the second is group therapy.
Professional secrecy
All professionals who work with psychotherapy and psychological treatment in health care have a duty of confidentiality. This means that the person you are talking to may not disclose information about you to anyone. In group therapy, all group participants may agree on the duty of confidentiality. This means that what is said in the group stays there.
What can I think about before starting treatment?
You have the right to know the conditions of treatment. Questions you can ask include:
- How much will the treatment cost?
- What is the aim of the treatment?
- How will the treatment go?
- How long does each hit take?
- How many times will you meet?
You can also ask if there is anything else to do with the treatment that you need to know about. Often, you make up a plan with the therapist after one or a few hits.
