Talk therapy such as counselling and psychotherapy can help all sorts of people in lots of different situations. For example, anyone who's going through a difficult time, has emotional challenges they need help with or has mental health difficulties.
Some people say that therapy may not make their problems go away, but they find it easier to cope with them and feel happier.
What talk therapy is
Other common names for talk therapy include counselling, psychotherapy, psychological therapy, psychological treatment, talking therapy and talking treatment.
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), person-centred therapy and psychodynamic psychotherapy are all talk therapies. Talk therapies all have a similar aim - to help you feel better.
Sometimes people use the word counselling to describe any type of talk therapy, but counselling is a type of therapy in its own right.
Deciding to get talk therapy
You may be thinking about going to a counsellor or psychotherapist:
- because someone else recommended it
- after trying self-help
- if your usual coping strategies have stopped working
- to help you get through a difficult time
- to help mental health difficulties
- as a way to improve your mental wellbeing
It is better to get help for your mental health before it gets more difficult to deal with.
What talk therapy helps with
You do not need to have a diagnosed mental health difficulty to get talk therapy.
You may be:
- feeling anxious
- feeling low and hopeless
- having panic attacks
- finding it hard to cope with work, life or relationships
- struggling with flashbacks and nightmares about things from your past
- feeling stressed
Other things that talk therapy can help with include:
- worrying a lot
- obsessive thoughts or behaviours
- fear of social situations
- being afraid of things, such as spiders, flying or heights (phobias)
Talk therapy may help you deal with difficult life events, a current crisis or things that happened in the past.
These include:
- loss
- drug or alcohol use
- harmful behaviour such as gambling
- relationship and family problems
- physical or sexual abuse, childhood abuse or neglect
- low self-esteem
- pressure or problems at school or work including being bullied
- confusion about sexuality
- anger
Talk therapy can also help if you have mental health difficulties resulting from health conditions that are long-term or upsetting. For example, diabetes, cancer, long-term pain or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
For many adults, therapy can work as well as taking prescribed medicine. It is also commonly used alongside medicines.
It can be just as helpful for children as it is for adults.
If you're not sure about therapy
Sometimes people delay getting talk therapy.
If you're not sure about therapy, it may help to learn more about:
- what to expect in a therapy session
- why other people find talk therapy helpful
- phone and video counselling
- how your GP can help you
- self-help you can try first
- other supports and services
Why people find talk therapy helpful
Reasons people find counselling and psychotherapy therapy helpful include:
- feeling their therapist listens to them
- feeling deeply understood
- a warm and genuine therapeutic relationship between them and their therapist
- setting clear goals for what they want to get from therapy
- working together with their therapist to find solutions to their problems
- therapy that changes to match their needs or cultural needs
- talking in confidence with their therapist
What we mean by talking to your therapist in confidence
You can talk in confidence with your therapist. This means they do not share what you tell them with anyone else. There are some exceptions.
There are very strict rules about sharing medical information. Your therapist will explain the rules when you contact them. If your therapist does not explain the rules at the start of therapy you can ask them exactly what confidentiality means .
They may be professionally and legally obliged to act to ensure safety if:
- they feel you are an immediate risk of harming yourself, someone else
- you share information about a child at risk
If relevant, your therapist may discuss you with the treatment team that you are attending or with their professional supervisor that all therapists need to attend.
Ways to get talk therapy
You can get talk therapy: