Which type of therapy is right for you?

We know it can be confusing and overwhelming when you start looking for a therapist because there are so many different types of therapy available and it is difficult to know what type of therapy is best suited to you. In fact that is why we developed our unique directory which matches you to a selection of the best therapists for your individual needs after you compete a simple, user-friendly questionnaire.

As psychotherapist Philippa Perry points out, there is more to choosing a therapist than knowing lots about their therapy style: “The most important factor when choosing a therapist or an analyst is not the model of therapy so much as the practitioner him or herself. Therapy’s effectiveness is in the common factors that all the talking therapies have, a safe space to talk and be, and your relationship with your therapist”.

However, at the same time we recognise that many people are interested to know more about the different types of therapy that exist. We have compiled a list of therapy types; the content for each entry has been vetted by a member of welldoing.org (their names are listed below).

Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP)

Adlerian therapy

Art therapy

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

Behavioural therapy

Biodynamic massage therapy

Body psychotherapy

Cognitive Analytical Therapy (CAT)

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT)

Couples therapy or relationship therapy

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)

Drama therapy

Dynamic Interpersonal Therapy (DIT)

Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT)

Equine assisted therapy

Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR)

Existential

Family or systemic

Gestalt

Group analysis

Humanistic

Human Givens

Hypnotherapy

Integrative

Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP)

Internal Family Systems (IFS)

Interpersonal Therapy (IPT)

Jungian

Mindfulness

Music therapy

Online therapy and counselling

Person-centred counselling

Play therapy

Psychoanalysis

Psychodrama

Psychodynamic psychotherapy

Psychosynthesis

Relational therapy

Schema therapy

Sex therapy

Solution-Focused Brief Therapy

Transactional Analysis (TA)

Transpersonal therapy

The welldoing.org directory therapists and counsellors who approved this resource material are: Clare Asherson Bartram, Peter Cockersell, Julia Crabtree, Josephine Cropper, Jo Ham, Hugh Hetherington, Sarah McGuinness, Nickie McNamara, Linda Newbold,  Sasha Roseneil, David Samson, Collette Sharbel-Merven, Anna Storey, Gilead Yeffett