Psycho-education 

Psychoeducation provides people with mental health conditions information about the causes, symptoms, prognosis, and treatments of their diagnosed condition. Psychoeducation assists you to gain knowledge of what to expect and what you can do to improve your condition or problem.  

 

Psychoeducation is a learning experience about oneself and particular issues, which assists you to better understand the ways of coping with the consequences of  a mental health disorder or psychological problem. 

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Cognitive Behaviour Therapy  

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a form of psychological treatment that has been demonstrated to be effective for a range of problems including depression, anxiety disorders, alcohol and drug use problems, relationship and marital problems, eating disorders, and severe mental illness. As the name suggests, CBT consists of both cognitive and behavioural interventions. A few examples of cognitive strategies include: identification, analysis, evaluation and reappraisal of unhelpful thought patterns.   

 

Relaxation strategies such as visual imagery, deep muscle and isometric relaxation or controlled breathing, are also components of CBT. Some examples of behavioural interventions are those involved in behaviour modification such as contingency management, self-moniting, and desensitisation techniques.

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Schema Therapy 

Schema therapy is a psychotherapeutic approach that integrates principles from cognitive behavioural therapy, psychoanalysis, Gestalt therapy, and attachment theory. This type of therapy has a strong emphasis on the therapeutic relationship. A schema is a pattern of thought and/or behaviour that forms a belief system or filter through which people perceive and intereact with the world.

 

Schema can develop  early in life as maladaptive coping mechanisms, due to the results of a child's needs not being met. These mental representations of oneself, others and the world can continue to impact individuals during adulthood and cause high levels of emotional distress and ongoing difficulties with relationships.  Schema therapy assists clients to  develop ways to ensure their emotional needs are met in healthy more adaptive ways that do not result in distress. 

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Narrative Therapy 

Narrative therapy seeks to assist clients to adjust the stories they tell about their lives  to bring about positive change and improved. It considers people the experts on their own lives and views them as separate from their problems.This allows clients to get some distance from the issue to see how it might actually be helping them, or protecting them, more than it is hurting them.

 

With this new perspective, individuals feel more empowered to make changes in their thought patterns and behavior and “rewrite” their life story for a future that reflects who they are, what they are capable of, and what their purpose is, separate from their problems. 

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Interpersonal Therapy (ITP) 

This is a brief psychotherapy that aims to strengthen clients' attachments,  and places emphasis on resolving interpersonal/relationship problems in order to achieve symptomatic recovery.  IPT is highly structured and time-limited, and based on the prin ciple that relationships and life events impact mood and that  mood impacts relationships and life events.

 

ITP is often used as a component of therapy for depression and other mental helath disorders, and is often utilised in conjunction with cognitive behaviour therapy as a recommended treatment for depression.

Motivational Interviewing 

This is a type psychotherapy in which clients are encouraged to explore the discrepancies between what they hope to attain in their lives and how they are currently living - that is, it assists clients resolve ambivalent feelings and insecurities in order to find the motivation and confidence they need to change their behaviour. It is a practical, empathic, and short-term approach that acknowledges how difficult it is for human beings to make life changes.

 

Motivational Interviewing is often used to treat addictions, to manage chronic or serious physical conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, asthma, and weight control. Motivational interviewing can also assist clients to prepare for further, more specific types of therapies as it assists people to move forward in terms of their readiness to make changes.

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Solution-Focused Brief Therapy 

Solution-Focused Brief therapy (SFBT) is a future-oriented, goal-directed approach to solving human problems of living. It focuses on solutions rather than focusing on the problems themselves. It assists clients to discover or remember their strengths, successes and competences instead of their perceived deficits, weaknesses and limitations, and to use these strengths to resolve problems. As with many of the therapeutic methods outlined here, the enhancement of self-esteem is an integral component of this therapy. 

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Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) 

This type of psychotherapy is action-oriented and encourages clients to accept negative thoughts and emotions as a part of normal psychological functioning, and to commit to action  which is based on the client's own values and goals.  It has its roots in behaviour therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy, but is also  based on mindfulness and is highly oriented to client as a means by which to improve clients' your quality of life and reduce suffering. ACT may form part of a tailored intervention during the treatment of  stress, anxiety, OCD, depression, and mental health disorders including psychotic disorders. It can also be used in the treatment of chronic illness, chronic pain, and substance use.

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Social Skills Training 

Social skills training is a type of psychotherapy that assists clients to acquire or improve important  social skills in order to develop and maintain friendships and relationships and feel more socially competent . This is predominantly a behavioural therapy, but cognitive therapy can also be used in some situations to maximise success, particularly when other psychological factors may be influencing the performance of appropriate social skill. Assertiveness training may form a component of social skills training when relevant.

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Problem-solving Skills Training 

This type of therapy focuses on  using adaptive coping strategies to solve problems, reduce stress, build resilience and increase self-esteem. It frequently forms a component of treatment for emotion-regulation, anger control, communication training, social skills training, and parenting training.

 

Remedial Cognitive Training 

Depending of the type and severity of the difficulty, this set of interventions aims to either strengthen and improve specific cognitive functions, or assist clients to compensate and make accommodations for cognitive difficulties such that clients are able to resume the level of functioning  needed to complete cognitive tasks that are important for day-to-day life, and academic or career-related success. This type of intervention can assist clients with cognitive difficulties associated with mild cognitive impairment or following brain injuries. It can also be beneficial for clients with Specific Learning Disorders and ADHD, or clients with more specific difficulties in the domains of attention and concentration, memory, planning and organisation, problem-solving and decision-making, and time management.   

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