People Therapy Types Psychological Disorders Sessions Psychologist Medical

Many therapy "sessions" (meetings) are "one-on-one" (between only two people) sessions with a psychologist or a "psychiatrist" (a medical doctor trained in medical illness, who can prescribe medicine). These types of sessions are also known as "psychoanalytic therapy," where the "patient" (the person receiving treatment) talks about his or her life and the therapist looks for "patterns" (things that happen in the same way over and over again) and then provides advice.

However, there are also many other popular types of therapy that change this "dynamic" (way of doing or structuring something). For example, in "group therapy" there is usually one psychologist or psychiatrist working with several people who are "struggling" (having problems) with the same type of problem. Group therapy is common among people who are "grieving" (feeling sad about the death of a relative or close friend) or people who have eating disorders. In group therapy, people "benefit" (receive advantages) from hearing about each other's experience.

"Hypnotherapy" is another popular type of therapy. It relies on "hypnosis," which is a mental state where one almost appears to be asleep, but one's thoughts and actions can be influenced by what another person says. Hypnotherapy works best for "behavioral therapy," which focuses on changing people's actions. For example, someone who wants to quit smoking might "undergo" (experience) hypnosis where the "hypnotist" (the person who performs the hypnosis) helps him or her change or "cease" (end) the smoking behaviors.

Therapists specialize in different types of therapy, so it is important to speak with more than one therapist before choosing a doctor.