There are various schools or types of psychotherapy and a combination of these is applied as per the needs and personality of each client:

PERSON CENTERED THERAPY 

Also known as the humanistic or Rogerian approach, Person Centered therapy forms the basis of all forms of counselling. It mainly focuses on creating an environment and therapeutic alliance based in empathy, unconditional positive regard, active listening and congruence. The counsellor strives to create a transparent relationship with the client and encourages them to engage in full exploration of all aspects self. Person Centered therapy is rooted in the belief that the humans have the potential to actively choose and purposefully make decision about things related to them and their environment. A person centered therapist creates an environment that builds on this potential and fosters growth and actualisation for the client.  

Mindfulness Based Psychotherapy 

Mindfulness is a beautiful practice of staying rooted in the present. The mind is a creature of habit. It habitually clings to stories and beliefs about ourselves, our past and our future. The practice of mindfulness allows us to step out of the continuous stream of thought, create openness to experience the moment for what it is, adopt a non-judgmental attitude towards ourselves and to life, and view our patterns with more compassion. It gives a firm, solid base upon which one can build a meaningful life and make changes to patterns slowly, gently and with compassion.

(We also offer a course on Mindfulness Based Psychotherapy for psychologists, counsellors and other helping professionals, to enable them to integrate mindfulness into their work with their clients. Know more about this course here.)

Somatic Psychotherapy

Somatic Psychotherapy is a means of including the body in the healing process. Since the nervous system is spread all over the body, the body experiences and stores emotional experiences along with the mind. Hence, changing habitual patterns includes working through stored emotions and trauma in the body in addition to working with changing perspectives through the mind. Somatic Psychotherapy beautifully opens up space for better and fuller processing of difficult emotions, which then allows for greater flow and room for change.

Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) / Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)

Our thoughts determine who we are. What we think about ourselves, about other people and about our world will affect how we feel about the same. How we feel about a particular thing also in turn affects what we think about it. Behavior is also similarly connected to our thoughts and emotions. So while positive and logical thinking can be a great asset, negative or insensible thought patterns can be highly maladaptive. REBT focuses on challenging and altering irrational thoughts which lead to negative emotions and dysfunctional behavior. It is a comprehensive approach dealing with thoughts, emotions and behavior to bring about holistic change, growth and development.

Behavior Therapy

Behavior is the end product of all our thoughts and emotions – this is what we do. It can either work for us or against us. Often, unhealthy behavior patterns prove counterproductive and we end up creating problems for ourselves and others. Dysfunctional patterns can be difficult to change on one’s own as mostly we don’t even realize what’s going wrong or just feel helpless to change it. Behavior therapy focuses on altering problematic or dysfunctional behavior patterns through a series of concrete techniques. It is applied most widely with children and is quite useful for adults too.

Play Therapy

Play therapy is the most widely used form of therapy when it comes to children. In this, the therapist communicates with children in the language they understand best – play. Rapport and trust is built while playing with children till they are very comfortable in the setting and with the therapist. Then children are helped and guided to express their concerns through play and their issues are addressed also through play itself. Emotions are expressed and new behavior patterns are taught all while the child is playing which helps the child accept and imbibe things better and much more easily. The child is coached with skills and helped sort through emotional or behavioral problems through various play techniques ranging from puppets to puzzles to clay, and therapy happens naturally in this process while the child is having fun!

Transactional Analysis

Transactional analysis is a powerful therapeutic tool that helps increase internal well-being. It helps individuals identify the ego-state they are functioning in and their interpersonal transactions. This helps them gain insight and increases their willingness to effect a positive change in themselves. With the help of the therapist, they are able to eliminate dysfunctional behaviors and establish and reinforce positive relationship styles and healthy functioning. Transactional analysis utilizes a contract for specific changes desired by the client and involves the “Adult” in both the client and the clinician to sort out behaviors, emotions and thoughts that prevent the development of full human potential.