Therapy Styles: What's the difference?
If you're considering therapy, you have likely come across a few different approaches or styles (in the field it’s often referred to as theoretical orientations)—each with its own philosophy, techniques, and goals. While all forms of therapy aim to help people heal and grow, the methods differ in sometimes fundamental ways. Below, we’ll break down five common orientations—Psychodynamic Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and Internal Family Systems (IFS)—so you can better understand what might resonate with you.
1. Psychodynamic Therapy: Exploring the Unconscious
Rooted in Freudian theory, psychodynamic therapy focuses on how past experiences and unconscious conflicts shape present behavior. It’s less structured than some of the other modalities and often involves open-ended exploration of emotions, relationships, and recurring patterns. This approach is ideal for you if you want to understand yourself on a fundamental level, and deepen your insight into who you are and why you have some of the symptoms that you’re struggling with. Psychodynamic therapy approaches, such as the deep understanding of your history, have been embedded and integrated into most therapy approaches, including the ones below.
2. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Thought-Focused & Solution-Oriented
CBT is a more structured, goal-oriented approach based on the idea that our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are interconnected. The premise is that understanding and changing distorted or unhelpful thoughts can lead to emotional and behavioral changes. In addition to that, CBT can also be used to learn certain skills that you might be missing and struggling with, making it practical if you’re looking for clear strategies to manage distress.
3. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): Mindfulness Meets Action
ACT is similar to CBT in that it addresses thoughts and behaviors, but instead of challenging thoughts, ACT teaches acceptance of difficult emotions while focusing on values-driven action. ACT might be a great fit for you if you struggle with rigid thinking patterns or self-judgment and want to live more meaningfully rather than get caught up in controlling your thoughts or feelings. For some, challenging thoughts, as in CBT, can be effective, but for others, it can cause a pattern of obsession over challenging each distressing though, and that challenge becomes a source of stress itself. If that describes you, then you might benefit from an ACT-based approach that can help you to disentangle yourself from the desire to control your stressful thoughts and feelings.
4. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT): Emotional Regulation & Balance
Originally developed for borderline personality disorder, DBT integrates CBT with mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotional regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness skills. DBT can be more structured and skills-heavy, making it a great fit for people who experience intense emotions or struggle with interpersonal relationships. Sometimes the distress level we experience is too high to be able to develop deep insight into our thought and behavior patterns, and we need some basic skills to help us get to a place where we can learn to put out our major fires first before we can attend to other problems, and that’s exactly what DBT can help with.
5. Internal Family Systems (IFS): Healing Through Self-Compassion
IFS takes a unique approach by viewing the mind as made up of different “parts” that hold emotions, memories, and roles (e.g., an inner critic, a wounded child, a protector). The goal is to develop a compassionate relationship with these parts and access the “Self,” which is inherently wise and calm. IFS is powerful for those who feel stuck in self-criticism, struggle with trauma, or want a deep, compassionate approach to self-exploration.
Which Approach is Right for You?
Each therapy orientation has its strengths, and often, therapists integrate multiple approaches to tailor treatment. If you prefer structured, skill-based therapy, CBT or DBT might be a good fit. If you want to focus on values and mindfulness, ACT could resonate. For those drawn to self-exploration and understanding past influences to make deep changes, psychodynamic therapy or IFS may be ideal.
Ultimately, the best therapy is the one that feels aligned with you and your goals, and one that will resonate effortlessly with you. A great therapist will adapt to your needs—because at the heart of any effective therapy is the therapist’s ability to attune to your needs. If you find that after meeting with a therapist for 3-4 sessions, you still don’t feel a connection, then it’s totally okay to let your therapist know and request to see another therapist.
Among our staff, our therapists integrate all of these therapy styles, and try to stay flexible to figure out what your needs are and how to best attend to them. You can get started by scheduling a free consultation below.