Why Are There So Many Different Approaches to Therapy and How Do You Find the Right Fit?
BSP, ImTT, EFT, CBT, DBT, IFS… If you have ever looked at therapist websites and wondered, "Wait… what are all these letters?" you are not alone. I have been there and know how mindboggling it can feel to navigate the alphabet soup on a lot of therapist websites.
You might wonder, “Why are there so many different types of therapy? What does that actually tell me about how the therapist works? Do I have to know what I need before I start?”
Take a breath. You don’t have to know everything all at once. Let’s unpack this together.
Why there are so many therapy approaches
The field of psychotherapy has changed a lot over the decades. It draws from psychology, neuroscience, philosophy, and mindfulness traditions, and with the thousands of voices that have shaped its offerings over time came thousands of answers to the big question of "What actually helps people heal?”
You can think of these approaches as different lenses. Each lens offers a slightly different way the therapists trained in the approach view the human experience and the way change happens in therapy. There are approaches that focus on thoughts, emotions, relationships, the body, storytelling about our life events, and combinations of all these and more.
For example, I’ll break down some of my specialty areas:
Image Transformation Therapy (ImTT) helps release the emotional pain and imagery stored in the nervous system without forcing you to relive traumatic memories
Internal Family Systems (IFS) explores people’s inner worlds through the concepts of “parts” of Self to understand inner conflict and build self-compassion
Brainspotting (BSP) uses the brain-body connection to access and process material below conscious awareness
The list can go on and on. Each method has the strengths. Many therapists, including myself and my team, integrate the wisdom of several different approaches to meet each client’s unique needs.
Is therapy one-size-fits-all?
Absolutely not. What helps one person may not be what helps another, and that’s okay. Just like you wouldn’t expect one type of exercise to fit every body, therapy also works best when it’s tailored to the person, their story, and their goals.
Some people want structure and skills. Others need space to process emotion. Some are looking to heal deep trauma; others want to strengthen communication or self-understanding.
The right fit is about the therapy relationship and how safe and understood you feel in it. Research shows again and again that beyond the skills and interventions used in the room, it is the strength of the therapist-client relationship that predicts success.
How to know what’s right for you
Here’s the truth. You don’t actually have to know what you need before you start. Most therapists offer a consultation call in which you can ask important questions about your needs, but sometimes it’s getting into the work itself that helps figure out what works for you. A good therapist will explain their methods in language you understand, adapt their techniques based on your comfort level and feedback along the way, and combine approaches if/when it helps deepen your understanding or healing process.
The goal through and through is to find what supports you.
The Bottom Line
I have learned that therapy is not about memorizing acronyms or looking for the “perfect” technique. Healing is not a perfect process, and there is no such thing as the perfect fit. I have learned that therapy is about finding the therapist you can trust. The therapist the listens to you and helps you understand yourself in new ways.
Whether we are using BSP, IFS, ImTT, or just talking things through, the purpose stays the same. The purpose of healing is to help you feel grounded, connected, and whole.
If you are ready to explore what might work for you, our team is ready to help you.
