Mental health therapies (also called “talk therapies” or “psychotherapies”) help people change thoughts, emotions, and behaviours, heal from trauma, and build a life aligned with their values. Below is a practical guide to today’s most used, evidence-based approaches—what they are, what a session looks like, and who they tend to help best.

Quick note: Many therapists blend methods to fit you (“integrative” care). What matters most is a good therapeutic alliance and using approaches with evidence for your concern.

1) Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

Essentials: Short-term, skills-focused therapy that links thoughts ↔ feelings ↔ behaviours. You learn to identify unhelpful thinking patterns, run behavioural “experiments,” and practise new coping skills between sessions.

Helps with: Depression, anxiety disorders (panic, phobias, GAD), OCD, insomnia, eating problems, chronic pain, and more.

What sessions look like: A structured agenda, goal tracking, worksheets, and homework (e.g., exposure tasks, thought records).

Evidence snapshot: Large meta-analysis of 409 trials finds CBT is as effective as medications short-term and more effective long-term for depression.

2) Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)

Essentials: Built for people with intense emotions, self-harm, or suicidal thoughts. DBT balances acceptance (“you are doing your best”) with change (“you can learn new skills”). Core modules: mindfulness, emotion regulation, distress tolerance, interpersonal effectiveness.

Format: Weekly individual therapy + weekly group skills class; after-hours coaching is common.

Helps with: Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), self-harm, emotion dysregulation; adapted protocols exist for substance use, eating disorders, and teens.

Evidence snapshot: Systematic reviews show DBT reduces self-harm, anger, and BPD severity and improves functioning vs usual care; Cochrane and later reviews support benefit.

3) Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR)

Essentials: A trauma-focused therapy. You briefly recall traumatic memories while doing bilateral stimulation (e.g., guided eye movements). The aim is to reprocess stuck memories so they’re less distressing and more integrated.

Helps with: PTSD in adults, adolescents, and children; sometimes complex trauma.

Evidence snapshot: WHO and multiple national guidelines recommend EMDR for PTSD; the U.S. VA notes EMDR has one of the strongest guideline recommendations among PTSD treatments.

What sessions look like: Preparation and stabilisation → identifying target memories → sets of eye movements/taps with brief check-ins → installing more adaptive beliefs.

4) Exposure-Based Therapies (including Prolonged Exposure, ERP)

Essentials: Gradual, supported exposure to feared memories/situations until anxiety reduces (habituation) and new learning occurs. ERP (Exposure & Response Prevention) is the gold standard for OCD; Prolonged Exposure (PE) is key for PTSD.

Helps with: OCD, PTSD, panic disorder, phobias, social anxiety.

Evidence snapshot: High strength of evidence that trauma-focused exposures like PE reduce PTSD symptoms and loss of diagnosis; APA/VA materials recommend exposure approaches prominently.

5) Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

Essentials: A “third-wave” CBT. Instead of fighting thoughts, ACT builds psychological flexibility—accepting inner experiences, defusing from thoughts, and taking actions guided by values.

Helps with: Depression, anxiety, chronic pain, substance use, health behaviour change.

Evidence snapshot: Overview of 20 meta-analyses (133 studies, 12,477 participants) shows ACT is efficacious across conditions. Later reviews suggest ACT is at least comparable to CBT for many outcomes.

6) Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT)

Essentials: Time-limited therapy targeting four interpersonal areas: grief, role disputes, role transitions, and interpersonal deficits. The idea: depression and relationships influence each other; improving one helps the other.

Helps with: Major depressive disorder; adaptations exist for perinatal depression, teens, and eating disorders.

Evidence snapshot: NICE guidelines include IPT among recommended psychological treatments for adult depression (choice depends on severity/preferences).

7) Motivational Interviewing (MI)

Essentials: A collaborative style that strengthens your own reasons for change. Therapists avoid arguing, amplify “change talk,” and roll with ambivalence—powerful for lifestyle and substance-use goals.

Helps with: Alcohol/tobacco use, diabetes self-management, medication adherence, justice-involved populations (as an adjunct to other treatments).

Evidence snapshot: Reviews show MI is effective for behaviour change across health conditions; recent meta-analyses support MI for glycaemic control and in justice settings.

8) Psychodynamic Therapy

Essentials: Explores patterns from early relationships and unconscious processes shaping current life. Can be brief (time-limited) or open-ended.

Helps with: Depression, personality patterns, complex relational issues.

Evidence snapshot: For adolescent depression, psychodynamic therapy shows some remission benefits vs controls, though effects on function and longer-term symptoms are mixed; it’s often used within stepped-care.

9) Family & Couple/Marital Therapy (Systemic Approaches)

Essentials: Works on the relationship system—communication, problem-solving, boundaries, and patterns. Especially important when a young person is affected or when conflict maintains symptoms.

Helps with: Adolescent difficulties (including self-harm risk), couple distress, some eating disorders (e.g., family-based therapy for teens).

Evidence snapshot: NICE collates several conditions where family/couple therapy is recommended within pathways; trial results vary by diagnosis and model.

How to choose the right therapy

1. Match the method to the problem

• OCD: ERP (exposure with response prevention) is first-line.
• PTSD: EMDR or trauma-focused CBT/PE.
• Depression/anxiety: CBT, ACT, IPT are common options; choose based on preference and availability. NICE outlines stepped choices by severity.

2. Look for structure when symptoms are acute
   If you need fast, skill-based relief (panic, insomnia, compulsions), a manualised, homework-heavy therapy like CBT/ERP or DBT skills can help first.
3. Consider trauma history and complexity
   For single-event PTSD, EMDR or PE. For complex trauma with unstable relationships or self-harm, DBT then shift to trauma-processing when safe.
4. Therapist factors matter
   Training, supervision, and fidelity to the model improve outcomes—ask about the therapist’s specific credentials and experience with your condition.

What to expect in therapy (regardless of model)

• Assessment & goals: A clear problem list and shared treatment plan.
• Between-session practice: Skills, exposures, journaling, or behavioural experiments.
• Measurement-based care: Brief symptom scales to track progress and fine-tune treatment.
• Time frame: Many structured therapies run 8–20 sessions; complex presentations may need longer or staged care.

Therapy + Medication?

For moderate–severe depression or PTSD, combining evidence-based psychotherapy with appropriate medication can help some people, especially early on; long-term, many guidelines prioritise psychotherapy to build self-management skills and reduce relapse risk. (See NICE for adult depression pathways.)

Finding care in India (quick pointers)

• Clinical psychologists/psychiatrists/psychotherapists: Look for providers who name their modality (e.g., “CBT,” “DBT,” “EMDR-trained”) and show certification or supervised training.
• Hospitals & medical colleges: Psychiatry departments often run CBT/DBT/EMDR clinics.
• Tele-therapy: Effective for CBT/ACT/IPT; ensure privacy, a stable internet connection, and crisis plans.

Safety & crisis note

If you are in immediate danger, having thoughts of self-harm, or feel unable to stay safe, seek urgent help (local emergency number or nearest hospital). Therapy is highly effective, but not a substitute for emergency care.