How are you? How is life going?
I’m ok, managing, it’s a balancing act. Life ebbs and flows like the tides of the ocean.
Something that helps me manage the impact of the ebbs and flows is therapy. Therapy can aid with mental health and mental illness, and it can aid for anyone wanting to look at how their mind operates.
Even living in 2025 there is still a lot of stigma around ‘seeking help’ and ‘going to a therapist’. I didn’t like therapy when I was younger because it was a way for me to be palmed off to someone else when my parents didn’t want to bother, or I was ‘too difficult’. Now that I’m older, I see it more for what it is: a tool.
I think it’s easier for people to accept help when it comes to physical injury or illness because you can see it. You can see someone in physical pain, you can see a broken limb, you can see the rash, the graze, the snot or the puss. When we talk about help ‘mentally’ it’s harder to see. Yes, you can see signs of someone in distress, sad, angry, but there is so much more going on under the surface, like an iceberg with a little at the top for all to see and the massive chunk of ice below the surface.
Think of it this way, if you fell off a bike a broke your arm, would you refuse help from the hospital? Or if you had allergies, would you refuse help from an ENT? If you contracted an illness, would you refuse medical intervention and rest? Or even examples that are not physical, like if you had a leaking tap would you refuse to get help from a plumber? If you had no power coming to your home, would you refuse the help of an electrician?
That’s how I look at therapists: they are educated people who deal with the mind, who can aid in providing strategies, tools, perspective and support in the ways in which we think, feel, how we express ourselves, and they can help with deprograming and reframing how our minds operate, so we can become the person we want to be.
Does everyone need therapy, no. Is it ok to not want therapy, yes. Is it there for you to explore to see if it will aid you, yes.
So…
WHAT IS THERAPY?
Therapy is a form of treatment that can help people address issues. Like going to a physiotherapist to work on gait, or going to a dermatologist for eczema, for mental health it’s going to a range of professionals to help with an issue/challenge/way of processing and way of thinking. But therapy can be a broad term. There are professionals that ‘specialise’ in a certain type of therapy, and there are others that deliver more than one.
Personally, I believe in a holistic approach, in incorporating many different things that can aid in someone’s mental health/illness. For me I have made lifestyle changes, I do talk therapy, EMDR therapy, Art Therapy and I’m on medication. There isn’t a ‘one size fits all’ method on aiding the management of mental health, and it does take time, effort, and trial and error to find what works for you and what combination of things works for you.
So what therapies are there, what are they designed to do, and what professionals delivery therapy?
Now, this list will probably be overwhelming. I would always recommend starting by talking to your GP or another medical professional that you trust, and start your journey there. If you don’t have a GP there are plenty that are bulk-billed and you can search for one here at Health Direct: https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/australian-health-services
COGNITIVE THERAPIES
CBT – Cognitive Behaviour Therapy
Focuses on identifying and changing negative thought patterns and behaviours. Exploring the relationship between a person’s thoughts, feelings and behaviours.
DBT – Dialectical Behaviour Therapy
A form of CBT that teaches skills to manage emotions, cope with stress. It’s about regulating emotions, being mindful and accepting uncomfortable thoughts and feelings.
ACT – Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
Focuses on accepting difficulty thoughts and feelings while committing to actions that align with values
MBCT - Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy
Combines CBT therapy and techniques of mindfulness practices to help people manage depression and prevent relapse
MBT - Mentalisation-Based Therapy
It involves a technique called mentalizing. This therapy helps people notice and understand their thoughts and feelings and those of others. It can aid with a sense of self and help people connect to others.
Psychotherapy or Talk Therapy
Through talking about things, understanding certain feelings and behaviours
Supportive Psychotherapy
Focusses on bolstering self-esteem, ego functions and adaptive skills
Exposure Therapy
A form of CBT therapy – Exposure therapy will work with their therapist to figure out what triggers them. They will work together to expose the person to their anxiety, and it is then encouraged to sit with their anxiety until it decreases naturally on its own rather than trying to avoid it.
REBT – Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy
Helps you learn how to challenge irrational beliefs that contribute to emotional distress or other issues. The idea is to replace irrational thoughts with more rational ones which can improve well-being
MET - Motivational Enhancement Therapy
This type of therapy can help for people reluctant to change when it come to addiction.
The goal is to help someone view their life objectively and be real about how their self-destructive behaviours. A MET therapist does not tell someone what is wrong with them and how to change. Instead, they motivate them to take an honest, objective look at their lives, leading them to want change.
SFBT – Solution-Focused Brief Therapy
Many mental health therapies work because they get to the origin of the problem. Therapists can help identify what happened in the past that led to the mental illness.
For some, however, focusing on the past is not helpful. Instead, therapists will use solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) to move a person closer to positive mental health. The first step is to identify strengths or skills already acquired that can help you overcome obstacles.
SFBT only works for those who have the skills but may not realize or accept them.
SUPPORTIVE THERAPY/CREATIVE THERAPY
AAT - Animal Assisted Therapy
Involves a person spending time with a trained therapy pet. A therapy pet may reduce a person’s anxiety as well as support those with PTSD.
Art Therapy
Utilising creative expression to help improve mental well-being.
Music Therapy
Utilising music to help improve mental well-being
Narrative Therapy
Focuses on helping people become experts in their own life stories while also helping them more effectively observe their own lives, behaviours and problems.
Nature Therapy
Utilising nature to help promote healing and wellness
Play Therapy
Utilises play such as painting, dancing or games, to help cope with emotional or mental challenges
Equine Therapy/Equine-assisted therapy
Uses interactions with horses to promote emotional, physical and cognitive growth and wellbeing.
PSYCHODYNAMIC THERAPY
Psychodynamic Therapy
Explores unconscious thoughts and feelings to understand their impact on current behaviours and relationships. It focuses on patterns of behaviour that derive from a person’s attachment relationships with caregivers and other close relationships from a young age. This can include object relations therapy which looks at how people’s relationships with others shape their behaviour and development.
Psychoanalysis
Long term and in-depth approach to exploring unconscious processes
Interpersonal Therapy
Focuses on a person’s interactions with family members, close friends, and loved ones. It aims to help a person work on these relationships. The therapist will evaluate a person’s social interactions and helps them notice negative patterns.
MIND-BODY THERAPY
EMDR – Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy
It involved a person recalling a traumatic event while performing specific eye movements. It aims to replace adverse reactions to painful memories with less charged or positive ones.
Hypnotherapy
It involved being guided into a state of deep relaxation and focus, known as a ‘trance’ or altered state of consciousness, to facilitate positive change
Hakomi therapy
A somatic approach that utilizes supportive, consensual touch to help people gain comfort and awareness while processing difficult emotions and experiences
Somatic Therapy
A body-centric approach and it incorporated breathwork, dance, meditation, mind-body exercises and talk therapy
Movement Therapy
- Dance Therapy
- Yoga Therapy
- Drama Therapy
BEHAVIOURAL THERAPY
Behavioural Therapy
Focuses on ways to change behavioural reactions and patterns.
Including types of behavioural therapy
- Systematic desensitization
- Aversion therapy
- Flooding
HUMANISTIC THERAPY
Existential therapy
In this philosophical approach to treatment, you’ll consider concepts such as responsibility for your choices and your freedom to make choices.
Person-centred therapy
This approach works from the belief that emotional distress can result when others criticize you or show disapproval for your choices or actions. This can make self-acceptance and growth difficult.
Gestalt Therapy
With this approach, you’ll look at unresolved issues, such as relationship and family conflicts, considering how they affect your emotional well-being. Gestalt therapy focuses on the present moment and often involves role-playing or acting out scenarios with movement or visualization.
DIFFERENT TYPES OF PROFESSIONALS
Psychologists
They hold a doctoral degree in clinical psychology or another specialty such as counselling or education. They are trained to evaluate a person’s mental health using clinical interviews, psychological evaluations and testing. They can make diagnoses and provide individual and group therapy. Some may have training in specific forms of therapy like cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) and other behavioural therapy interventions.
Ø Some are covered under a Mental Health Treatment Plan: https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/mental-health-care-and-medicare?context=60092
Ø Australian Psychology Society: https://psychology.org.au/find-a-psychologist
Counsellors/Clinicians/Therapists
These masters-level health care professionals are trained to evaluate a person’s mental health and use therapeutic techniques based on specific training programs. They operate under a variety of job titles—including counsellor, clinician, therapist or something else—based on the treatment setting. Working with one of these mental health professionals can lead not only to symptom reduction but to better ways of thinking, feeling and living.
Ø You can find counsellors at some Community Health Centres
Ø Australian Counselling Association: https://theaca.net.au/find-a-counsellor/
Ø Australia Counselling: https://www.australiacounselling.com.au/locations/nsw/
Psychiatrists
Psychiatrists are licensed medical doctors who have completed psychiatric training. They can diagnose mental health conditions, prescribe and monitor medications and provide therapy. Some have completed additional training in child and adolescent mental health, substance use disorders or geriatric psychiatry.
Ø The Royal Australian & New Zealand College of Psychiatrists: https://www.yourhealthinmind.org/find-a-psychiatrist
Psychotherapists
Psychiatric or mental health nurse practitioners can provide assessment, diagnosis and therapy for mental health conditions or substance use disorders. In some states, they are also qualified to prescribe and monitor medications. Requirements also vary by state as to the degree of supervision necessary by a licensed psychiatrist.
Ø Psychotherapy and Counselling federation of Australia: https://pacfa.org.au/portal/portal/Find-a-Therapist/Find-A-Therapist.aspx
Mental Health Nurses
Psychiatric or mental health nurse practitioners can provide assessment, diagnosis and therapy for mental health conditions or substance use disorders. In some states, they are also qualified to prescribe and monitor medications. Requirements also vary by state as to the degree of supervision necessary by a licensed psychiatrist.
Mental Health Occupational Therapists
Ø You can see a mental health nurse at your local doctor's office or community health centre without a referral.
Some mental health nurse practitioners work in special clinics or private practices. For these services, you may need a referral from your doctor.
Social Workers
Clinical social workers are trained to evaluate a person’s mental health and use therapeutic techniques based on specific training programs. They are also trained in case management and advocacy services.
Ø Some are covered under Medicare, Centrelink, and you can find one through Services Australia: https://findus.servicesaustralia.gov.au/
Occupational Therapists/Mental Health Occupational Therapists
Occupational therapy is an allied health profession that focuses on helping individuals regain or maintain independence in daily activities through various techniques and interventions. Occupational therapists work with people of all ages to address barriers to participation in everyday life, whether due to injury, illness, disability, or psychological impairment. In Australia, OTs must have a degree in occupational therapy from a World Federation of Occupational Therapists approved program. They must also be registered with the Occupational Therapy Board of Australia (OTBA).
Ø Some are covered under a Mental Health Treatment Plan: https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/mental-health-care-and-medicare?context=60092
Ø Occupational Therapy Board: https://www.occupationaltherapyboard.gov.au/
SOURCES:
Thank you for joining me!
C xo
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