Psychotherapy can take many forms, always adapting to the characteristics and needs of each patient.
However, There are a series of techniques widely used in various types of psychological therapy due to their versatility and effectiveness. when working on recurring aspects discussed in consultation. In this article we will see several of them.
Psychotherapy techniques to help patients: which are the best?
This is a brief summary of the most adaptable and useful techniques and strategies in therapy in a wide variety of cases.
1. Cognitive restructuring
This is one of the most used sets of techniques in psychology consultations around the world, and is associated with cognitive and cognitive-behavioral therapy. Inspired by the Socratic dialogue, in which a series of questions leads us to review and test what we think we knowthis practice is very useful to detect dysfunctional or highly irrational beliefs and, after becoming aware of their problematic aspects, replace them with other belief systems and cognitive schemes from which to interpret the world (and ourselves).
2. Assertive Training
Assertiveness is one of the most important skills to know how to manage personal relationships and to maintain an adequate level of self-esteem. It consists of having the ability to find the middle ground between empathy and respect for the point of view of others, on the one hand, and respect for our own interests and opinions, on the other. Thus, assertive people do not leave anything out if they consider that it is important and should be said, even if they assume that this will cause discomfort or some discomfort at first, because in the medium and long term it is the best.
That is why in psychotherapy various exercises are used to “train” people in assertiveness, so that they do not let their problems accumulate due to not having expressed an uncomfortable truth in time, and at the same time preventing them from being hurtful and abrupt in your comments. In short, in this way both their social skills and, more indirectly, their self-esteem are enhanced.
3. Controlled exposure
Controlled exposure is a resource very effective in helping patients suffering from anxiety problems. Basically, it allows them to face their fears in a safe place where they have the help and supervision of the psychologist, and facing situations that they really have the possibility of overcoming at that moment and with their degree of skill in managing emotions.
4. Empty Chair
The Empty Chair is one of the best-known techniques of humanistic therapies and specifically Gestalt therapy; It can be summarized in the iconic image of the patient sitting in front of an empty chair and expressing himself with increasing fluency and honesty on a topic related to the problem to be addressed.
This technique is used above all to reach a resolution of emotional blockages based on the fear of facing one or more ideas, especially if they are linked to traumatic events or that have left a strong mark on the person’s emotional memory. For example, it is used in grieving processes after the loss of loved ones, in sessions in which self-acceptance is worked on, etc.
5. Externalization of the symptom
Externalization of the symptom It helps you see the problem in perspective and approach it from a constructive mindset. Don’t give in to the fear of leaving your comfort zone or to the paralysis of not knowing what to do at first. It is a very good way to start a process of managing emotions starting from the fact of recognizing that there is a problem, and understanding the implications of that problem.
Many of the solutions reached through psychotherapy go through discover new aspects about yourself. Skills that had gone unnoticed, sources of potential that had not been given a chance, and also, of course, defects that we had not noticed before but that are limiting our quality of life. Psychotherapists know this, and that is why they help and accompany their patients in this mission of building an adequate self-concept that is adjusted to what is realistic and what is important.
7. Associative letters
This group of techniques helps to make the narratives with which the patient explains reality appear in the context of psychotherapy, showing the “mental routes” that they usually use to think about their daily lives. In essence, a kind of game is proposed in which Each patient captures the concepts that they most often use to structure their representation of the world.relating ideas to each other.
Do you want to train in the theory and practice of psychotherapy techniques?
If you are interested in learning about this area of work in psychology, the Course on Intervention Techniques and Tools in Psychotherapy organized by the Mensalus Institute may be what you are looking for. This 100% online training program, which begins on April 12, 2021, offers 3 months of theoretical-practical classes designed for psychology professionals who want to specialize in clinical practice.
The classes are designed and taught by psychotherapists who dedicate most of their time to working with patients, and include both videos and guides and tutorials as well as experiential exercises and a communication channel with teachers to resolve doubts. All this, in a course based on an integrative theoretical positioning, in which many strategies and approaches for intervention in patients and many of the techniques that we have seen here are combined.
