I THRIVE

Mental health recovery is a personal journey, with a range of therapeutic options available to suit each individual’s needs. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach, and survivors may benefit from different interventions over time.

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For survivors experiencing symptoms of depression, anxiety, PTSD, or other conditions, medications can be helpful and should be explored with a licensed healthcare provider, primary care doctor, or psychiatrist.

 

Below is a list of therapies that may support survivors of sexual violence, mental illness, and trauma. This is a sampling, not exhaustive. For more details, visit our “Offerings” tab or consult a licensed healthcare professional.

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Therapies for General Mental Health Concerns:

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• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): ACT is a mindfulness-based, evidence-supported therapy that encourages clients to accept rather than fight their thoughts and emotions, promoting committed action toward their values and reducing psychological suffering.

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• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): CBT is one of the most widely researched and effective therapies for various mental health issues, such as depression, anxiety, and PTSD. It teaches clients to identify and alter dysfunctional thought patterns and behaviors.

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• Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT): DBT combines cognitive-behavioral techniques with mindfulness and emotional regulation strategies. Developed specifically for borderline personality disorder, DBT is also effective for treating chronic suicidality, PTSD, and other conditions involving emotional dysregulation.

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• Psychodynamic Therapy: Psychodynamic therapy has evidence supporting its use for a variety of mental health conditions, including depression and anxiety. It explores unconscious processes and past experiences to resolve underlying conflicts affecting current functioning.

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• Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT): MBCT combines cognitive therapy with mindfulness practices. Evidence shows it is particularly effective for preventing depression relapse, especially in individuals with recurrent depressive episodes.​

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• Interpersonal Therapy (IPT): IPT is a structured, time-limited therapy effective for depression and other mood disorders. It focuses on improving interpersonal relationships and social functioning as a way to reduce depressive symptoms.

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• Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR): EMDR is an evidence-based therapy for PTSD that helps individuals process traumatic memories through guided eye movements, reducing the intensity of trauma-related symptoms.

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• Prolonged Exposure Therapy: Prolonged Exposure Therapy is a well-researched approach for PTSD, helping clients confront trauma-related memories in a safe and controlled environment to reduce avoidance and distress.

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• Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT): CPT is a structured, evidence-based approach for treating PTSD. It helps clients evaluate and modify distressing trauma-related thoughts, reducing their emotional impact and symptoms.

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• Internal Family Systems (IFS): IFS is an evidence-based therapy focusing on understanding and harmonizing inner “parts” or subpersonalities. This approach helps clients gain insight into conflicting parts of themselves, fostering self-compassion and emotional balance.

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Additional Evidence-Based Therapies:

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• Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET): NET is an evidence-based therapy designed for individuals exposed to repeated trauma. By creating a coherent narrative of their experiences, clients can process traumatic memories and reduce distress.

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• Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT): CFT is based on research on self-criticism and shame, helping clients build self-compassion and reduce these negative feelings, especially helpful for those with mood and anxiety disorders.

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• Schema Therapy: Schema Therapy integrates cognitive, behavioral, and psychodynamic approaches and is particularly effective for chronic mental health issues, including personality disorders, by addressing deeply ingrained schemas developed in childhood.

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• Metacognitive Therapy (MCT): MCT focuses on changing thought patterns related to worry and rumination, rather than the content of thoughts. It has strong evidence supporting its effectiveness for anxiety, depression, and OCD.

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• Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT): SFBT is an evidence-based, goal-oriented therapy that emphasizes finding solutions and strengths rather than focusing on problems. It is effective for individuals seeking quick resolutions to specific issues.

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• Positive Psychology Interventions (PPIs): PPIs focus on enhancing well-being, resilience, and positive emotions. Evidence supports the use of PPIs for improving overall mental health and reducing depressive symptoms.

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• Behavioral Activation (BA): BA is a simple, evidence-based approach for treating depression by encouraging clients to engage in meaningful activities, which can improve mood by disrupting patterns of avoidance and inactivity.

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• Mentalization-Based Therapy (MBT): MBT is effective for borderline personality disorder and other mental health conditions. It helps individuals understand their own and others’ mental states, improving emotion regulation and interpersonal relationships.

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• Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT): TF-CBT is a structured, evidence-based treatment designed to help children and adolescents recover from trauma, combining trauma-sensitive interventions with cognitive-behavioral techniques.

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• Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP): ERP is a subtype of CBT that is particularly effective for treating OCD. It involves exposing clients to their fears and preventing compulsive responses, helping reduce anxiety over time.

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• Behavior Therapy: Behavior therapy focuses on modifying maladaptive behaviors and is effective for various issues, including phobias, OCD, and addiction. Techniques include reinforcement, punishment, and desensitization.

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• Acceptance-Based Behavioral Therapy (ABBT): ABBT integrates acceptance and mindfulness strategies with behavior change techniques, making it effective for generalized anxiety disorder and other conditions involving chronic worry.

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• Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP): FAP focuses on therapeutic relationships to create change, helping clients increase awareness of interpersonal patterns and behaviors that may limit their emotional and relational health.

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• Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT): REBT is an action-oriented form of CBT, focusing on changing irrational beliefs that lead to emotional distress. It is effective for various mental health issues, including anxiety and depression.

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• Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT): PCIT is an evidence-based therapy for children with behavioral issues. It focuses on improving the quality of the parent-child relationship and enhancing parenting skills.

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• Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment: This approach combines elements of CBT to address a range of emotional disorders, such as anxiety and depression, under one protocol, with evidence supporting its effectiveness across various disorders.

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• Motivational Interviewing (MI): MI is a client-centered approach that helps individuals resolve ambivalence about behavior change, especially effective for substance abuse, smoking cessation, and other areas requiring behavior modification.

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• Attachment-Based Therapy: Attachment-based therapy focuses on helping individuals understand and modify attachment patterns developed in early relationships, beneficial for improving relational and emotional well-being.

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• Functional Family Therapy (FFT): FFT is an evidence-based therapy for at-risk youth and their families. It addresses dysfunctional family interactions and promotes positive behaviors, reducing the risk of delinquency and substance use.

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• Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT): EFT is effective for couples and individuals dealing with relationship distress. It helps clients understand and express their emotions within relationships, fostering secure attachments.

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• Psychosocial Rehabilitation (PSR): PSR helps individuals with severe mental illness develop skills to improve daily functioning and quality of life, combining vocational, educational, and social support services.

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These evidence-based therapies cover a broad spectrum of needs, with strong research support for their effectiveness across different mental health conditions. Many clients benefit from integrating several of these approaches based on their unique challenges and goals.

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Psychology Today is a great resource to find therapy providers in the United States.

Head to the Psychology Today website and search for providers based on filters such as insurances accepted, office locations, to styles of therapy provided.