Types of psychotherapy and their description. Types of psychotherapy in psychology and their description. Object Relations Therapy

Sometimes help is needed not only for the body, but also for the soul of a person. Depression, neuroses, phobias and anxiety disorders are not a complete list of problems that a psychotherapist can work with. You will learn about what psychotherapy is and what methods the doctor uses to help the patient in this article.

What it is?

In the 19th century, mental disorders were treated with methods that now seem barbaric. Unhappy patients in psychiatric hospitals were literally tortured: they were tied to beds for several weeks, doused with ice water, and electric shocks... Of course, such methods can hardly be called effective.The sick were not cured, but ended their lives in shelters and almshouses.

At the end of the 19th century, a revolution occurred in the treatment of mental disorders. Performed by a Viennese psychiatrist Sigmund Freud, who came to the conclusion that it is necessary to treat diseases of the soul using an innovative method - psychoanalysis. It was psychoanalysis that laid the foundation for psychotherapy as a separate direction in medical science. Freud talked with his patients, discussed their problems and looked for the preconditions for the formation of mental disorders in early childhood. And he managed to achieve enormous success. It turned out that the patient needs to experience the so-called catharsis, that is, cleansing of the senses, after which the symptoms of the disease subsided forever or for a long time.

Despite the fact that psychoanalysis is currently being criticized, it is impossible to deny that it was from it that the treatment of mental illness became a scientific direction. All modern methods of psychotherapy “grew” from psychoanalysis, like branches growing from a common trunk. Currently, there are dozens of psychotherapy methods, each of which is effective for treating a specific group of diseases.

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Types and methods of psychotherapy

All therapy methods are divided into group And individual .

As the name implies, group therapy is work in a group; in individual therapy, the psychotherapist interacts with the patient one-on-one.

A striking example of group psychotherapy can be called groups Alcoholics Anonymous. The principle of such groups is that people who want to get rid of addiction get together, discuss their feelings, provide each other with support and share their experiences. Working in a group is a resource for the individual, thanks to which a person manages to cope with the desire to drink. In this format, it is possible to work on family problems, various addictions (including drug addiction), work in personal growth groups is highly effective .

Individual Therapy helps when working on deep-seated problems that a person is not ready to share with others. The patient can tell the psychotherapist about his difficulties and problems, receive feedback and support from him.

Many people believe that the doctor gives ready-made solutions after studying the client’s problem. However, it is not. The specialist’s task is to help you find your goals and resources to achieve them, and not to offer a “recipe for happiness.” Working with a psychotherapist is a difficult process in which a person takes an active part.

Systemic family psychotherapy

In psychology, it is generally accepted that a family is not a group of disparate individuals, but an integral system. And the problem of one of the family members changes the entire system as a whole. There is also a feedback: systemic changes lead to changes in the inner world of each family member.

• Family therapy It is used not only to solve problems in the relationship of a married couple. It is often recommended when there are problems in a child who may not even be involved with the therapist.
• Family therapy is very effective if one of the family members suffers from any addictions (alcoholism, drug addiction, gambling addiction, etc.). Modern drug treatment centers often offer the services of family therapists: it has been proven that systemic treatment helps avoid the return of addiction and facilitates the patient’s rehabilitation after completion of treatment.

The main directions of modern psychotherapy

Typically, a psychotherapist specializes in one of the areas. Here are the main ones:

• body-oriented. This method can be called paradoxical, because the main work is done with the patient’s body, and changes as a result of therapy occur in the inner world. During treatment, you can get rid of muscle tension, which, according to body-oriented therapists, is a reflection of internal problems at the bodily level. Psychotherapy for excess weight is often carried out in this way: the therapist helps clients learn to feel better about their body, love and accept it. Body therapy helps you become more free and relaxed, which is why it is recommended for people who have problems in the sexual sphere;

• cognitive-behavioral. Cognitive therapy is based on the fact that many of a person's problems arise due to errors in his thinking. Once these errors are corrected, positive behavioral changes occur. Cognitive therapy is effective for neuroses, especially phobias: a strong emotional reaction to a stimulus can disappear after the patient realizes that the object of his fear does not pose any threat. Close to the cognitive direction is rational therapy, which is also based on explaining to the patient the error of his judgment and changing his attitude towards problems;

• suggestive therapy. This method is based on hypnosis and suggestion techniques. The therapist puts the patient into a trance and instills in him the necessary attitudes. Suggestive therapy is used to treat addictions and works best in combination with other therapies, such as cognitive behavioral therapy;

• transpersonal therapy allows you to explore the so-called transpersonal experience. Patients experience altered states of consciousness and comprehend religious experience. Transpersonal therapy has much in common with spiritual practices and is popular with people passionate about personal growth and development;
• existential therapy aims to work with the meaning of life. The method is based on the works of existentialist philosophers (Sartre, Camus, Kierkegaard). The existential method can be effective for depression, a sense of loss of meaning in life, and when the patient experiences loss;
• positive psychotherapy. This method focuses not on the patient's problems, but on what he can do, that is, on his resources. In positive therapy, it is believed that a person who has the opportunity to comprehend and overcome a problematic situation can be considered healthy.

There are currently many types of therapy for mental disorders in the world. And finding a good therapist is not easy. It is important that he has a good education and graduates from a specialized institution, for example, the Institute of Psychotherapy and Clinical Psychology.

It is equally important that the patient feels comfortable working with the therapist, that he has respect and trust in him. Only in this case are positive changes possible, which, ultimately, are the main goal of psychotherapeutic work.

There are three fundamental types of psychotherapy.

Play psychotherapy. It follows from the diagram that game psychotherapy contains both rational (rules of the game) and suggestive (encouragement, highlighting, consolidation of successes) conditions for its success.

Rational psychotherapy is a psychological analysis of the patient’s condition, a search for the causes of neuroticism, explanation, dialogue, and persuasion. In preschool children, due to insufficiently developed self-control, it is carried out in an elementary form, in contrast to the developed psychological system when parents work.

Suggestive psychotherapy consists of the use of suggestion and hypnosis, as well as various methods of self-regulation. Suggestion in direct and indirect (indirect) form is applicable from the first years of a child’s life. Hypnotherapy in its classic version is a natural method of restoring body tone, including sleep biorhythm, starting from school age. As a rule, hypnotherapy is not used as a separate, much less a replacement, method of treating neuroses, since it is designed to strengthen the physical rather than the mental sphere of the body. It is more appropriate to conduct hypnotherapy in parallel with other types of psychotherapy or after them after solving psychological problems, including fears, difficulties in self-control and communication.

The third basic type of psychotherapy is play psychotherapy. If for adults it is not considered the main one (excluding psychodrama), then for children it is a priority. But a neurologist in a clinic, a psychiatrist in a dispensary and a psychotherapist in the same institutions often do not have the opportunity to engage in gaming for therapeutic purposes due to lack of time and space. Serious training in this area is also required, including preliminary knowledge of the psychology of age-related development, neurology and pathocharacterology, not to mention knowledge of psychotherapy itself. That is why, despite the practical effectiveness of play psychotherapy, it is not used as widely as we would like, and in practice

This is mainly due to the unjustified prescription of psychotropic and stimulant drugs. Let us add that when parents of children with neuroses contacted us, the average number of psychotropic medications reached four (!) per one already very somatically healthy and allergically sensitive child. The opinion has long been expressed that psychotropic drugs do not treat neuroses, but only drive them inside, and “unearthing” them in adults seems to be a difficult, if not unattainable, task. The game is the most “ecologically friendly,” so to speak, type of psychotherapy, and the more attention to it is shown by specialists and parents, the smaller the number of neuroses will be, and therefore, the duration of their chronic course will be shortened. You should think about the average duration of a neurotic disease in children: it is 3 years and 4 months from the moment of treatment. All these children were not provided with proper and, no less important, timely psychological, especially psychotherapeutic, assistance. But tranquilizers were prescribed in abundance, and “treatment” was practiced with psychics using so-called traditional medicine. Undoubtedly, the duration of the neurosis would have been even longer if the complex of psychotherapy we had developed had not been carried out, thanks to which it was possible to achieve a weakening or cessation of neurotic manifestations. We offer, if necessary, to contact us again, but when conducting play psychotherapy “lege artis” (no to all the rules of art), the number of such requests was 0.5% of the total number of children we treated. This figure shows how effective play psychotherapy is as one of the methods of the complex of pathogenetic (based on the principles of V.N. Myasishchev) psychotherapy of neuroses in children that we have developed.

Based on the form of psychotherapy, it is divided into individual, group and family.

Individual psychotherapy is based on clinical assistance to the child with the goal of improving his well-being and overcoming his own difficulties through involvement in activities where he can open up and develop age-appropriate methods of psychological defense.

In group psychotherapy, the group effect is triggered - imitation when jointly successfully playing out specific stressful situations.

The child learns to adequately perceive the intentions of those interacting with him, to protect himself and to build a more flexible system of relationships.

In family psychotherapy, the main focus is on improving relationships between parents and children and parents among themselves in the process of joint play psychotherapy.

Let us clarify the concepts of individual, group and family psychotherapy through its family psychological options. We can also say that they exist independently, precede psychotherapy, are combined with it, or are a logical continuation and completion *.

* Author's version of the classification. Social pedagogy is a relatively new discipline. Its tasks are to organize the pedagogical process, taking into account the psychological and social conditions of children’s lives and to help families solve problems in relationships with children. This requires knowledge of social and legal psychology, developmental psychology and psychotherapy.

Medical pedagogy is the upbringing and training of children with mental and physical pathologies through the selection of individual and most effective methods.

Pedagogical correction - correcting deviations in raising children, teaching parents more adequate ways of family relationships, restoring impaired social skills and acceptable relationships both with peers and in the family.

Medical pedagogy is a relatively rarely used term nowadays. It involves the use of pedagogical classes to improve the condition of patients with various pathologies and their personal growth.

Psychological training is the most popular method at present. As the name suggests, this is training through programmed training systems aimed at improving certain skills, reactions, attitudes and self-control. It is based not on correction, but on the development of promising, often missed or impaired opportunities.

Psychological rehabilitation - consolidating what has been achieved and helping to ensure more acceptable living conditions.

Our classification of methods of pedagogical and psychological influence confirms the relevance of their use before and after psychotherapy as an adaptive way of entering normal life and establishing acceptable interpersonal relationships.

relationships. At the same time, we must remember the advisability of conducting psychological training only after psychotherapy, and not vice versa, if we are treating neurotic personality disorders, and not just solving psychological problems. In this regard, there have been many cases where psychologists, especially young ones, begin to “repair” the personality using various methods of Gestalt psychotherapy, positive and existential approaches, neurolinguistic programming and other methods that they heard about in lectures and seminars. Moreover, the treatment of any patient or client in a psychological sense is carried out using one, favorite, preferred method of psychological influence by a psychologist or doctor, i.e., without taking into account individual characteristics and the type of clinical disorders, if any. At the same time, the rather rich domestic experience and the principle of selecting a technique to solve the problems of a particular patient or client are ignored, and the patient is “strung together” with the technique of which the psychologist or doctor is an apologist. This practice poses a particular danger in relation to patients with neuroses, when they are taught methods of self-regulation, including auto-training, meditation, while the patients themselves are not able, due to affective disorders and asthenia, to master programs that are relatively complex even for a healthy person. There is a time for everything - an undeniable truth in this case, if you figure out what to treat or correct.

The term "psychotherapy" covers a wide range of approaches and methods. These range from one-on-one conversations, to therapy sessions that use techniques such as role play or dance to help explore human emotions. Some therapists work with couples, families, or groups whose members have similar problems. Psychotherapy works with adolescents, children, as well as adults. Below is a list of different types of psychotherapy and their benefits.

Art therapy combines therapy and creative exploration through paints, crayons, pencils, and sometimes modeling. Methods may also include theatrical performances and puppet theatre. Sandworking, for example, involves clients choosing toys depicting people, animals and buildings and placing them in the controlled space of a sandbox theater. An art therapist is trained in the psychological understanding of the creative process and the emotional attributes of various art materials. In this case, art is seen as the outer expression of our inner emotions. For example, in painting, size, shape, line, space, texture, shade, tone, color and spacing all reveal the client's perceived reality.

Art therapy can be especially effective for clients who have difficulty expressing themselves verbally. In settings such as art studios and workshops, an emphasis on creative development can be beneficial, especially when working with children and adolescents, as well as adults, couples, families, and groups.

Art therapy can be beneficial for both people who have experienced trauma and people with learning difficulties.

Behavior therapy is based on the theory that current behavior is a response to past experiences and can be unlearned or reformulated.

People with compulsive and obsessive disorders, fears, phobias and addictions can benefit from this type of therapy. The emphasis is on helping the client achieve goals and change behavioral responses to problems such as stress or anxiety.

Brief therapy uses a variety of psychotherapy approaches. It differs from other therapeutic approaches in that it focuses on a specific problem and involves the direct intervention of a therapist who works more actively with the client. It emphasizes the use of the client's natural resources while also temporarily suspending disbelief to allow new perspectives and multiple points of view to be considered.

The main goal is to help the client see his current circumstances in a broader context. Brief therapy is seen as addressing current barriers to change rather than looking at the root causes of issues. There is no single method, but there are many ways that, individually or in combination, can ultimately be beneficial. Brief therapy typically takes place over a predetermined number of sessions.

Cognitive analytic therapy combines theories to explore the connection between linguistics and thinking, as well as the historical, cultural and social factors that influence the way we function. Cognitive analytic therapy encourages clients to use their own resources and develop skills to change destructive patterns of behavior and negative ways of thinking and acting.

Therapy is short-term, structured and directive, for example the client may be asked to keep a diary or use progress charts. The therapist works collaboratively with the client, changing behavior patterns and learning alternative coping strategies. Attention is paid to understanding the relationship between behavioral patterns established in childhood, social contributions and their impact on the client in adulthood.

Drama therapy uses theatrical techniques such as role-playing, drama, mime, puppetry, voiceover, myth, ritual, storytelling and other improvisational techniques to facilitate creativity, imagination, learning, understanding and personal growth. The highly diverse approach provides an expressive therapy that can be used in a variety of settings, including hospitals, schools, and mental health centers.

Drama therapy provides an opportunity for individuals or groups to explore personal and/or social issues in a creative environment, and calmly reflect on existing beliefs, attitudes and feelings, and find alternative ways of acting in the world. Drama therapy encourages self-awareness, reflection and self-expression of feelings towards oneself and others.

Existential psychotherapy helps the client find meaning in life and the desire to face himself and his problems. The existential belief that life has no ready answer or predetermined significance and the individual is completely free and has full responsibility so that meaning must be found or created. This can cause a feeling of meaninglessness in life, so therapy explores the client's experience, the human condition, and aims to clarify the understanding of individual values ​​and beliefs, clearly naming what has not previously been spoken out loud. The client accepts the limitations and contradictions of what it means to be human.

Family therapy is a branch of psychotherapy with a special emphasis on family relationships. She works with the fact that the problem lies within the family, and not with one person. Family therapy is also called systemic family therapy.

Family therapy promotes change and development, and as a result, resolution of family conflicts and problems. The emphasis is on how family members interact with each other, emphasizing the importance of family functioning to mental health and well-being. Regardless of the origin of the issue or problem, the therapist's goal is to engage the family in finding beneficial and constructive solutions for family members to support each other through direct involvement. An experienced family therapist will be able to influence negotiations in a way that draws on the strength and wisdom of the family as a whole, taking into account the broader economic, social, cultural, political and religious context in which the family lives, and respecting each family member and their different views. beliefs, opinions.

Gestalt means the whole and the totality of all the parts, and the symbolic configuration or form of the elements that makes up the whole.

Gestalt therapy is a psychotherapeutic approach that is based on the belief that people have a natural desire for health, but old behavior patterns and fixed ideas can create blocks.

Gestalt therapy starts from what is happening in the moment, bringing awareness to the individual's self-image, reactions and interactions with others. Being present in the here and now creates the potential in the client for greater excitement, energy and courage to live immediately. The Gestalt therapist looks at how the individual resists contact in the here and now, how the person resists change, and the types of behaviors or symptoms that the client views as inappropriate or unsatisfactory. The Gestalt therapist helps the client become aware of not only what is happening and what is being said, but also of body language and suppressed feelings.

Group psychotherapy is a psychotherapy designed to help people who would like to improve their ability to cope with difficulties and life problems through a group.

In group therapy, one or more therapists work with a small group of clients. Psychologists recognize positive therapeutic effects that could not be obtained in individual therapy. For example, interpersonal problems are solved in groups.

The goal of group psychotherapy is to provide emotional support for difficult decisions and to stimulate the personal development of group members. The combination of past experiences and experiences outside the therapeutic group, interactions between group members and the therapist, becomes the material through which therapy is carried out. These interactions may not only be perceived as positive, since the issues that the client faces in everyday life are inevitably reflected in the interaction with the group. This provides the opportunity to work through problems in a therapeutic setting, producing experiences that can then be translated into “real life.”

Hypnotherapy uses hypnosis to induce a deep state of relaxation and alteration of consciousness during which the subconscious mind is receptive to new or alternative points of view and ideas.

In the field of hypnotherapy, the subconscious mind is seen as a source of well-being and creativity. Addressing this part of the mind through hypnosis opens up possibilities for maintaining a healthy body.

Hypnotherapy can be used to change behavior, relationships and emotions, as well as manage pain, anxiety, stress, dysfunctional habits, promoting personal development.

Jungian analysis is a psychotherapy that works with the unconscious. The Jungian analyst and client work together to expand consciousness to achieve psychological balance, harmony and wholeness. Jungian analysis explores the deep motives in the client's psyche, thoughts and actions that lie in the subconscious. The Jungian analyst strives to achieve profound change in personality. Particular attention is paid to what happens in sessions, as well as the internal and external experiences of the client's life. Psychotherapy aims to reconcile conscious and unconscious thoughts to eliminate psychological pain and suffering and create new values ​​and goals.

Neurolinguistic psychotherapy was created from neurolinguistic programming. NLP has a broad basis and draws on many areas of psychology and psychotherapy. The foundation of NLP is the premise that we create our own model of reality (personalized map of the world) based on our experiences and how we represent them from within. Each person uses their own maps to navigate through life. The models that are used can promote change that improves self-actualization and success, or at times can be limiting and inhibiting.

NLP explores the patterns of thinking, beliefs, values ​​and experiences behind problems or goals. It allows people to make appropriate adjustments to transform the corresponding world view, which helps reduce limiting beliefs and decisions, overcome emotional and behavioral patterns and create resources, by expanding the person's existing skill base. This gives a person a sense of control and therefore greater ability to create life as they wish.

NLP psychotherapists work with a wide range of psychological problems.

Transactional analysis is an integrative approach in psychology and psychotherapy and is based on two concepts: first, we have three parts or “ego states” of the personality: child, adult and parent. Secondly, these parts communicate with each other in “transactions” and, within each social interaction, one part predominates. Therefore, by recognizing these roles, the client will be able to regulate his behavior. This form of therapy works with the term "inner child" to describe unmet needs from childhood.

Therapy is based on acceptance and a non-judgmental relationship with the consultant, the assumption that the individual is seeking support in resolving the problem and that this allows the client to freely express his emotions and feelings. This therapy is also called person-centered therapy or Rogers psychotherapy.

Counseling for clients who would like to address specific psychological habits and thought patterns. The client perceives the consultant as the best authority on his own experience and is therefore able to achieve his potential for growth and problem solving. The client-centered counselor provides the enabling environment to allow such potential to arise through unconditional acceptance, positive regard, and empathic understanding so that the client can come to terms with negative feelings and develop the inner resources, strength, and freedom to bring about change.

Studies conducted in the USA and other countries show that psychological disorders are detected in 14–20% of children, i.e. every fifth or seventh child. These rates vary by gender, age, ethnic origin and location. For example, children aged 6–11 years are more likely to have behavioral problems than other age groups.

Psychological disorders in children are identified by various methods, including using a variety of tests, specially organized conversations (interviews) and by observing the child’s behavior. Parents and teachers are important sources of information. The most common childhood disorders include attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, conduct disorder, oppositional disorder (disobedience, negativism, provocative behavior), extreme anxiety, separation anxiety (being separated from the mother or someone close), depression and learning disorders (including learning disabilities, mental retardation, autism and other syndromes). In addition, children may need psychotherapeutic help even if they do not have psychological disorders, for example, in situations where the child is a victim of sexual harassment, divorce, or parental neglect of the child.

Unlike adults, who usually seek help themselves, a child is most often referred to a psychotherapist by parents or teachers. In many cases, an appeal to a child psychotherapist is due to the fact that the child is seriously upsetting adults in some way, violates the rules of behavior, or has poor contact with peers. Most of these children exhibit behavioral problems or impulsivity, inattention, and other manifestations of attention deficit disorder ( cm. HYPERACTIVITY). Such child behavior disorders have a serious impact on his immediate environment. In contrast, children with anxiety and depressive disorders suffer primarily themselves and often do not know how to get the attention of those who can help them.

Professionals involved in child psychotherapy need a good knowledge of the normal course of mental development. Many of the same childhood problems that are considered disorders are also found in children without any abnormalities. The difference may lie in the severity of the problem, the surrounding circumstances, or the appropriateness of a particular emotional state or behavior for a given developmental stage. The child's level of social adaptation must be assessed taking into account behavioral variations within the framework of normal development. For example, children's fears in early childhood and in later periods differ in nature, and the presence of certain fears is normal for a certain age. The characteristics of the child’s family are no less important; in some cases, it is the parents who need help.

Types of psychotherapy.

Child psychotherapy is carried out using various methods, but, as a rule, it involves the establishment of interpersonal contact, trusting relationships and verbal communication with the child, as well as the presence of a certain theoretical approach that guides the psychotherapist in his work. Conversations, games, role-playing games, rewards for good deeds, discussion of positive examples of behavior, as well as aids - board games, teaching aids, toys - are used. The therapist's entire attention is usually focused on how the child feels, thinks, and acts.

The approaches used in child psychotherapy differ both in the type of problems it is aimed at and in the volume of psychotherapeutic assistance itself; the main ones are psychodynamic therapy, behavioral and cognitive-behavioral therapy and family psychotherapy.

Psychodynamic therapy, focused on resolving unconscious conflicts, was one of the first to appear. Since the possibilities of verbal therapy in the case of a small child are very limited, playful forms of influence have been developed. Play therapy releases pent-up emotions and allows the child to express feelings that would otherwise remain hidden. By inviting the child to draw, play with toys, or write stories, the therapist penetrates his world, making every effort to uncover the internal conflict that causes behavioral or emotional disturbances.

Behavioral psychotherapy for children aims to teach the child adaptive ways of behavior. To do this, the therapist provides the child with the opportunity to learn and practice new patterns of behavior, and also tries to encourage the child and reward him for the desired behavior. This approach is focused on the process of a child’s activity, during which they try to instill new skills, overcome fears, relieve depression or facilitate social interactions. For example, the fear of speaking in public can be overcome by preparing the child for verbal communication and giving him the opportunity to practice. The therapist should observe the child's actions and provide feedback, assessing their results and rewarding success.

Cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy is aimed at developing adaptive behavior and uses reward reinforcement, as is typical for behavioral therapy itself, but also takes into account cognitive processes, i.e. peculiarities of perception and thinking of a given child. In other words, attention is paid to how the child perceives and processes the information received during psychotherapy. The cognitive-behavioral approach is focused on the learning process, the psychological preparation of the child for various unforeseen circumstances and the selection of examples of behavior that he could follow; At the same time, this approach involves observing how the child comprehends what he is taught.

A family approach to psychotherapy can use any of these strategies, but it focuses on the family as a whole, not just the child. At the same time, the child is considered as a product of the entire system of relationships in the family, and it is with this system that the emergence and development of the child’s maladjustment is associated. Treatment thus involves interaction with all family members.

When is psychotherapy needed?

There are no hard and fast rules here, except that the decision must be made in the best interests of the child. As mentioned, many emotional and behavioral difficulties that occur in childhood and adolescence are part of normal development and do not require therapeutic intervention unless they occur too frequently or are not too severe at a particular point in the child's development. Only when the severity of psychological and behavioral problems exceeds the boundaries of the norm can one think that they are maladaptive, i.e. entail undesirable consequences for the child. For example, if a ten-year-old child has no friends, does not talk on the phone, is afraid to sleep in a room alone, and often refuses to go to school, then the child's behavior can be considered maladaptive; It is in such cases that psychotherapy is indicated.

The decision about whether a child needs psychotherapeutic help is usually made jointly - by parents, psychotherapist and child. When any facts are learned from sources such as school or other family members, teachers and relatives should also be involved in the discussion of this issue. Sometimes it is the parents’ inability to handle the child, their personal psychological problems or problems in family relationships that lead to serious difficulties for the child. Consulting various sources of information can help determine whether treatment is needed and help you choose the right psychotherapeutic approach.

Treatment process.

A child’s visits to a psychotherapist by themselves do not provide the desired result. It is important that the child feels comfortable with the therapist and actively participates in the treatment process. Many psychotherapists argue that the child’s involvement in the psychotherapeutic process is the key to improving his condition.

The nature of psychotherapeutic assistance depends on the disorder that has arisen in the child. Behavioral disorder and deviant (crime-related) behavior respond best to individual and family psychotherapy. In this case, individual therapy introduces new behavioral skills, and environmental change is achieved by working with the entire family. In another situation, the child may be prescribed weekly individual psychotherapy sessions, and sometimes participation in special school programs is sufficient. Some children require hospitalization, in which case psychotherapy is carried out within the walls of a medical institution.

The duration of therapy varies. For example, behavioral or cognitive behavioral therapy takes several months, while psychodynamic therapy lasts longer, often several years. Various studies confirm the effectiveness of both behavioral psychotherapy and its combination with cognitive psychotherapy. It has also been established that the vast majority of children who need psychotherapy feel significantly better after treatment.