Types of therapists and what do they do?

Question

I want to be a threapist, but I dont know what kind. What are the different kinds and what do they do?

Answer 1

There are psychotherapists, who are the ones that work with their patients through talking, and are there to treat emotional disturbances and disorders.

Then there are psychoanalysts, who look at the background of the patient and try to analyze and understand their current state. They also work with the subconscious.

Psychiatry is also considered a form of therapy, but psychiatrists MUST have good medical background, and they're the ones who prescribe the medications.

Cognitive-behaviorists perform cognitive behavioral therapy, which is working with a patient's manner of thinking. For instance, they work with the patient to turn unhealthy thoughts into healthier statements. Self-talk is a BIG thing in CBT. (Cognitive behavior therapy.)

Then you have behavioral therapists, which simply modify their patient's behaviors. They teach them what's wrong, what's right, and try to help them adopt healthy behaviors.

Now,

there's also different types of therapy, which a psychotherapist can use. This includes CBT, but also DBT, which is oftentimes used for those with borderline personality disorder (BPD). DBT focuses on suicidal behaviors, past events, negative thinking, and self-esteem. I would think it'd be safe to say that DBT is a mixture of CBT and psychoanalysis.

Hope this helps. (: