Psychotherapy Explained: What Is the Goal of Psychotherapy?

There are over 550,000 mental health professionals in practice in the US alone. 

Mental health, especially in the current days of growing isolation, is a constantly evolving conversation. Many people are starting to seek therapy, and it’s been important to destigmatize issues surrounding mental health. 

Psychotherapy is a great approach to helping someone work through their own mental health concerns, and it’s greatly embraced by many mental health professionals. 

You might be asking, “What is the goal of psychotherapy?” That’s a great question we explore below so make sure to keep reading. 

What Is Psychotherapy?

Psychotherapy sounds like an intimidating word. In reality, it’s not at all. Psychotherapy is the use of psychological methods to help someone work through issues and develop better, healthier behavioral patterns.

Many people have stumbled across psychotherapy when researching how to treat anxiety or how to work through crippling depression. With the help of a therapist, people are able to gain a better perspective and coping methods to improve their quality of life. 

Those who have experienced psychotherapy first-hand have seen the common use of talk therapy- most likely CBT or interpersonal approaches. It’s worth looking into if you’re in need of some counseling.

What Are the Goals of Psychotherapy?

There are several main goals of psychotherapy! Before you start working towards these goals in therapy, it’s important to understand that it’s a collaborative effort between you and your therapist. Trust the process.

One primary goal of psychotherapy is to correctly identify what some of the core problems are in your life and way of thinking. Once they are identified, you’ll learn how you can start to effectively address those problems.

Changing how you think and addressing issues will lead to a reduction of symptoms. You’ll feel less anxious, be able to sleep better at night, find your appetite, etc. There are many benefits of psychotherapy.

How Do I Reach Those Goals?

As mentioned above, you’ll be able to work towards goals in psychotherapy by developing a strong relationship with your therapist. Find a therapist who truly listens, respects you, creates healthy boundaries, and is able to offer constructive instructions.

They may give you homework to work on between therapy sessions. It may be as simple as practicing mindfulness techniques or it may require actions that confront some of your fears. 

In addition to homework, they may also ask you to log your daily emotions or journal each day. These may seem like silly tasks but make sure to do them. 

What Is the Goal of Psychotherapy?: An Essential Question Explained

Many of us are realizing the importance of taking care of our mental health. You may have found yourself wondering, “What is the goal of psychotherapy?” There’s no need to ask because the answers are provided above.

Psychotherapy is the use of psychological methods to help someone address problems and develop healthier behavioral patterns. If it’s something you find could be helpful, there’s no better time than now to find a therapist.

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