In the US, around 20% of adults experience mental illness every year. So if you’re struggling or know someone who is, you’re not alone.
But to address your issues properly and efficiently, you need to seek out the right mental healthcare professional. Or maybe you want to be someone who helps those in need so you want to become a therapist. Either way, you’ll want to know about the options available.
What are the different types of therapists out there? Read on to find out!
Behavioral Therapist
Behavioral therapists (or behaviorists) usually work with people who have mental disorders that create challenges in their day-to-day lives.
For example, someone with ADHD may find it difficult to have a normal life, even if they’re currently on medication. A behavioral therapist helps them develop skills and gives them tools for dealing with the disruptive symptoms of their mental health issues.
Some of the things that behavioral therapists treat include smoking, phobias, anorexia, and obesity. The key thing in treating each of these disorders is eliminating the negative behavior and replacing them with more positive ones.
Clinical Therapist
Clinical therapists are very similar to behavioral therapists. Both have the main goal of helping patients overcome hurdles in life that result from their mental health issues.
However, clinical therapists don’t just treat people with mental health disorders; they’re able to help pretty much anyone who’s struggling. So if you don’t have a diagnosed issue but are struggling recently with negative feelings, then seeing a clinical therapist can be beneficial.
These professionals are able to put together a treatment plan that can put you back on the road to a happy and healthy life. This can be especially true if you’ve recently suffered trauma, such as from an assault.
Addiction Therapist
As the name suggests, an addiction therapist is a professional who specializes in helping those with addictions break free of them. Not only does this involve substances, but also things like addictions to sex, shopping, gambling, food, and more.
To many people’s surprise, addiction isn’t just a purely mental thing. Not only do we develop mental dependences on our substance of choice, but also physical ones as well. So it requires the delicate touch of an addiction therapist to guide someone through their addictions safely.
Most patients will go through both individual and group therapy, which may take place in a rehabilitation center.
Cognitive Therapist
Cognitive therapists are therapists who help their patients with problematic thought patterns. These thought patterns can have a profound effect on your quality of life.
In fact, cognitive therapy was first developed in the 1960s to treat depression. The theory was that if you can take those negative thought patterns and defuse them, you’ll be able to have a more happy and positive outlook on life.
So in cognitive therapy, you’ll learn to think in a more flexible way to break out of negative thought cycles.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapist
Cognitive behavioral therapists are very similar to cognitive therapists. They also help their patients break out of negative thought cycles so they can decrease distress and impediments in life.
However, they can do a lot more than this. Basically, cognitive behavioral therapists can take any thought patterns and help you “rewire” them if needed.
These mental healthcare professionals tend to specialize in one area, such as memory.
Child Therapist
Child therapists are equipped to treat those who are younger than 17. Growing up, there can be many life changes that are difficult to navigate. Not to mention, children and teenagers are just as susceptible to mental health disorders, if not more.
Child therapists will help their patients grow up with the right coping methods for tough situations in life. This can lead to much healthier outlooks.
Marriage and Family Therapist
These professionals use psychotherapy to usually treat couples and/or families. But this doesn’t necessarily mean they always see their patients in a group setting.
The main objective is to treat either an individual, couple, or family so that everyone can have a happier life together. This can include issues like substance abuse, anxiety, depression, and phobias.
Divorce Therapist
Unfortunately, despite your best efforts, not all marriages last forever. For some couples, there comes a time where they’re going to sign divorce papers soon.
A divorce therapist can work with the couple as both individuals and as a couple together. In both settings, they can help the couple get through this tough time and learn to be a happy single person again.
Physical Therapist
Physical therapists actually don’t operate within the space of mental health. Instead, as their name says, they assist patients with physical ailments.
They’ll give you exercises to strengthen parts of your body so you can get better flexibility and reduce pain. In turn, this can help with your mental health since you won’t be suffering daily from bad pain and immobility.
No matter which therapist you see or become, you’ll probably come across therapy management software. This helps healthcare professionals keep track of their patients to streamline their services.
Know the Types of Therapists Available
Mental health used to have a certain type of stigma attached to it. But today, more and more people are talking about it, which makes it more acceptable to get help when needed.
Now that you know about the different types of therapists available, we hope it’ll help you choose the right professional when you need some help and guidance. Or if you want to help others, then this article should’ve given you better insight into becoming a therapist.
If you liked this article on the kinds of therapists around, then read more on mental health issues by browsing our blog page.
