When worry or low mood stops feeling like “a rough patch” and starts affecting sleep, work, or the way you show up with people you care about, it’s natural to wonder: Do I need help, and what is psychotherapy, exactly?
Psychotherapy, often called talk therapy, is a structured conversation with a trained mental health professional that focuses on your thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and relationships. It can be brief and targeted to a single problem, or longer-term when patterns run deep. For some people, it’s combined with medication; for others, it’s their main form of mental health treatment. This guide explains how psychotherapy works, who it helps, and what to expect from evidence-based therapy at Capital Psychiatry Group.
What Is Psychotherapy & How Is It Different from Therapy or Counseling?
The word therapy simply means treatment designed to improve a condition. Physical therapy, occupational therapy, and massage therapy all fit under that umbrella.
Psychotherapy is therapy that focuses on the mind. The prefix psycho refers to thoughts, emotions, and behavior. In psychotherapy, you and a licensed therapist talk through your history, symptoms, and current challenges and then work with specific therapy techniques to change patterns that no longer serve you.
In everyday speech, people use “therapy,” “psychotherapy,” and mental health counseling interchangeably. There are some useful distinctions:
- Psychotherapy vs therapy: all psychotherapy is therapy, but not all therapy is about mental health.
- Psychotherapy vs counseling: counseling is often shorter-term and aimed at one problem (a breakup, work conflict, grief). Psychotherapy usually goes deeper into longstanding patterns, trauma, personality, and complex diagnoses.
- Psychotherapy psychology: psychotherapy is grounded in clinical psychology and the theory and practice of counseling and psychotherapy, even when it looks conversational and informal on the surface.
Most psychiatrists and psychologists at CPG provide both counseling support for immediate stress and longer-term psychotherapy for deeper work.
Not Sure If Therapy Is Right for You?
Feeling “off” but not sure it’s serious enough to seek help? Persistent worry, low mood, sleep problems, or burnout are all valid reasons to talk to someone.
When Is Psychotherapy Needed? Causes, Symptoms, & Red Flags
People rarely seek help because of just one bad day. Usually, there is a mix of causes, symptoms, and life pressures.
Common Triggers and Causes
Psychotherapy can help when emotional distress grows out of:
- Ongoing stress at work, school, caregiving, or finances
- Medical illness, chronic pain, or functional symptoms (including psychotherapy for functional neurological disorder)
- Trauma symptoms after accidents, abuse, assault, or combat
- Relationship conflict, divorce, or family problems
- Grief and bereavement
- Identity or role changes, becoming a parent, immigrating, retirement, or job loss
- Long-standing patterns tied to childhood experiences, attachment wounds, or personality traits
Underlying causes are different for everyone. A therapist helps you understand how automatic thoughts, beliefs, and coping habits developed and how they are keeping anxiety symptoms, depressive thoughts, or mood instability going today.
Symptoms That Suggest Psychotherapy Could Help
You don’t need a formal diagnosis to benefit. Common warning signs include:
- Persistent sadness, emptiness, or loss of interest
- Constant worry, panic attacks, or intrusive thoughts
- Emotional dysregulation, big reactions that feel out of proportion
- Sleep or appetite changes, fatigue, or physical complaints with no clear medical cause
- Trouble concentrating, memory problems, or feeling “spaced out” or derealization
- Using substances, food, gambling, or risky behavior to cope
- Withdrawing from friends, family, or activities
- Thoughts that life is not worth living or that others would be better off without you
Psychotherapy is one of the core mental health treatment (online/onsite) options for these symptoms, often combined with medication when needed.
Major Types of Psychotherapy and How They Work
There are many psychotherapy types. Clinicians often talk about four major types of psychotherapy and then build specialized methods from each.
Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies
These approaches focus on how thoughts, feelings, and actions influence each other.
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) helps you notice negative thoughts (“I always fail,” “No one likes me”) and replace them with more accurate views. You practice new behaviors, facing fears, setting limits, and solving problems. CBT is a first-line psychotherapy for anxiety, psychotherapy for depression, PTSD, OCD, insomnia, and many other conditions.
- Cognitive therapy: zeroes in on distorted thinking, using cognitive restructuring to shift how you interpret events.
- Behavioral therapy / behavioral psychotherapy: uses exposure, habit reversal, and reinforcement to change what you do, not just how you think.
- Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT): developed for intense emotion and self-harm, especially psychotherapy for borderline personality disorder. It teaches skills in mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness.
- Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT): blend mindfulness with behavior change so you can accept difficult internal experiences while still moving toward your values.
- Stress psychotherapy and anger management programs fall in this family, teaching stress management and coping skills for daily life.
Therapy That Fits Your Real Life
Back-to-back responsibilities, kids, commute, and no extra time? We offer flexible evening, weekend, in-clinic, and telehealth psychotherapy so care works around your schedule, not the other way around.
Psychodynamic and Insight-Oriented Therapies
Psychodynamic psychotherapy looks at how early relationships, unconscious conflicts, and defenses shape your current life.
- The work often traces patterns such as “I always end up with the same kind of partner” or “I keep sabotaging myself at work.”
- Transference-focused psychotherapy is a structured form used in psychotherapy for personality disorders, especially borderline and narcissistic patterns.
- Psychoanalysis is a more intensive version, with multiple sessions per week, aimed at a very big change.
Humanistic, Experiential, and Somatic Therapies
Humanistic therapies focus on self-awareness. It helps build interpersonal skills, personal growth, and emotional healing.
- Person-centered therapy offers an accepting space where the therapist provides empathy and unconditional positive regard.
- Existential psychotherapy explores questions of meaning, freedom, and responsibility.
- Somatic psychotherapy and sensorimotor psychotherapy track how emotions show up in the body, muscle tension, posture, breathing, and use movement and body awareness in trauma processing.
- Accelerated experiential dynamic psychotherapy (AEDP) integrates attachment, emotion, and body work to heal trauma more rapidly.
Interpersonal, Family, and Group Therapies
These approaches focus on relationships and social context.
- Interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) is a short-term major depression psychotherapy that targets grief, role transitions, relationship conflicts, and social isolation.
- Family therapy/marriage therapy / child-parent psychotherapy works with partners or multiple family members to shift patterns around a child’s behavior, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, or other conditions that impact the whole household.
- The theory and practice of group psychotherapy guide therapy groups for trauma, psychotherapy for social phobia, substance use, and more, where you learn from others with similar experiences.
Additional and Integrative Approaches
Many clinicians use integrative or holistic psychotherapy, blending methods to match what you need. You may hear about:
- Supportive psychotherapy – focuses on encouragement, problem-solving, and emotional support.
- Equine-assisted psychotherapy or animal-assisted therapy – working with horses or other animals to build trust and regulation.
- Creative arts and sexual psychotherapy – using art, music, or focused discussion to address intimacy and sexuality.
- Online psychotherapy – telehealth sessions that follow the same clinical therapy principles via secure video.
- Specialized work, such as work-related counseling, counseling for first responders, or sport/performance counseling for focus and performance enhancement.
Expert Insight
- “Therapy Is More Than Just Talking About Your Week”
- “Good psychotherapy is not just venting. It’s structured work on how you think, feel, and respond to stress.”
- In session, a therapist isn’t only listening; they’re mapping out patterns:
- What triggers your anxiety, low mood, or anger
- Which beliefs keep those reactions in place (“I’m a failure,” “People will always leave”)
- How your body joins in (tension, insomnia, stomach issues, panic sensations)
- From there, evidence-based therapies like CBT, DBT, interpersonal psychotherapy, and trauma-focused approaches give you concrete tools: reframing negative thoughts, practicing new behaviors in and between sessions, and building emotional regulation skills.
- “We expect you to leave with homework—small, realistic experiments in your real life, not just insight.”
- That combination of insight plus practice is why research repeatedly shows psychotherapy improves symptoms, reduces disability, and even leads to measurable brain and body changes over time.
Conditions Psychotherapy Helps Treat
Psychotherapy at CPG is used across almost all areas of psychological treatment via telehealth and in-person care. A few examples:
Mood Disorders
- Psychotherapy for depression: addresses persistent low mood, unwillingness to do anything, loss of pleasure in things that you used to love, guilt, and self-criticism. CBT, IPT, psychodynamic therapy, and supportive approaches all have strong evidence.
- Psychotherapy for bipolar disorder and bipolar 2: focuses on mood instability, unhealthy sleep schedule, medication adherence, and early warning signs of episodes.
- Therapy often works hand-in-hand with medication, not instead of it.
4.2 Anxiety and Trauma
- Psychotherapy for anxiety and psychotherapy for PTSD / post-traumatic stress disorder treat worry, panic attacks, avoidance, nightmares, intrusive memories, and hypervigilance.
- Treatments include CBT with exposure, trauma-focused therapy, EMDR, and somatic or sensorimotor work for stored body memories.
- Psychotherapy for post-traumatic stress disorder includes a homework task to do in daily life, between sessions, and a clear treatment (telehealth and in-clinic) plan. It helps pace trauma processing safely.
Personality and Dissociative Disorders
Psychotherapy is one of the main pillars to manage symptoms of personality and dissociative disorders, including:
- Psychotherapy for narcissistic personality disorder
- Psychotherapy for histrionic personality disorder
- Psychotherapy for borderline personality disorder
- Psychotherapy for dissociative identity disorder
These conditions may include symptoms like emotional dysregulation, unstable relationships, self-harm, or dissociation. Long-term psychodynamic, DBT, transference-focused, and trauma-informed approaches are typically used.
Psychotic and Functional Disorders
- Psychotherapy for schizophrenia and related psychotic disorders uses antipsychotic medication because of its results. Therapy supports medication adherence, coping with voices or paranoia, social skills, and family education.
- Psychotherapy for functional neurological disorder helps patients understand how their mind and body connect and communicate with each other. It helps reduce stigma and regain functioning.
Other Conditions
Psychotherapy also plays a key role in:
- Psychotherapy for bipolar disorder, psychotherapy for PTSD, and complex trauma
- OCD, body-focused repetitive behaviors, and eating disorders
- Substance use and addictions, including relapse prevention
- Psychotherapy for social phobia, school refusal, and other anxiety disorders in children
- Psychotherapy for mental illness more broadly, including adjustment disorders, grief, and medically-related distress
Some centers offer ketamine assisted psychotherapy for severe, treatment-resistant depression; if that becomes relevant, your psychiatrist will discuss appropriate referrals and safety.
Expert Insight
- “How to Know If You’re Getting the Most Out of Psychotherapy”
- “A key sign therapy is working is not ‘I feel better every week,’ but ‘I’m handling hard weeks differently than before.’”
- Psychotherapy is a gradual process, and progress rarely looks perfectly linear. Instead of only watching symptom scores, our clinicians encourage you to track:
- Are you avoiding fewer situations because of fear, shame, or low energy?
- Are conflicts at home or work resolving faster, or escalating less often?
- Are you using coping skills (breathing, thought-challenging, boundaries) without needing as many reminders?
- Therapy works best when you’re active in the process: showing up consistently, being honest even when it’s uncomfortable, and bringing real-life examples into the room. If you feel stuck, a good therapist adjusts the plan with you rather than leaving you to drift.
- “If after a reasonable time nothing is shifting, that’s not your failure; it’s a sign we need to change the approach together.”
What to Expect in Therapy Sessions at Capital Psychiatry Group
First Visits: Assessment and Planning
Your first visits focus on understanding your story and clarifying goals:
- history of symptoms, medical issues, and medications
- family background and relationship patterns
- work, school, and daily functioning
- strengths, values, and supports
Together, you build a treatment (onsite/telehelp) plan: which therapy methods to use, how often to meet, and whether to combine therapy with medication management or other psychological services.
Ongoing Sessions
Typical therapy sessions last 45–50 minutes and may be weekly or biweekly. Over time, you and your therapist:
- track anxiety symptoms, depressive thoughts, and other changes
- practice coping skills, communication strategies, and emotional regulation tools
- explore how past experiences influence present choices
- work on behavioral change, sleep, substance use, eating, and routine
- review progress and update therapy goals
The therapist-client relationship, also called the therapeutic alliance, is at the core of effective work. Feeling heard, respected, and safe makes it easier to talk honestly and try new strategies.
Confidentiality and Safety
Psychotherapists are bound by strict confidentiality. They cannot share what you discuss except in limited situations (serious safety risk or required reporting of abuse). You can also sign releases if you want your therapist to coordinate with your primary care physician or school.
Benefits, Risks, and Limits of Psychotherapy
Benefits
Research across many psychotherapies shows that roughly three out of four people who stick with treatment notice meaningful improvement, fewer symptoms, better relationships, and more mental well-being. Benefits can include:
- A clearer understanding of yourself and your patterns
- greater self-awareness and personal growth
- stronger relationships at home and work
- fewer medical visits tied to stress
- improved ability to make decisions about health and life
- skills for stress management, communication, and emotional regulation
Psychotherapy often leads to lasting change because it targets underlying causes, not just surface symptoms.
Risks and Limitations
Psychotherapy is generally safe, but there are some realities to keep in mind:
- Talking about painful/stressful events can temporarily increase distress.
- Change takes time; it is not a quick fix.
- Not every approach or therapist will be the right fit.
- Cost and schedule demands are real considerations, even when insurance helps.
A good licensed therapist checks in regularly about how treatment feels, adjusts techniques, and invites honest feedback.
Already on Medication? Therapy Can Do More
Medication can ease symptoms; psychotherapy helps you change the patterns underneath them. Together, they often work better for anxiety, depression, PTSD, and bipolar disorder than either one alone.
Practical Questions: Insurance, CPT Codes, & Online/Onsite Care
Does Medicare cover psychotherapy?
For many patients, yes. Under current rules, does Medicare cover psychotherapy? Medicare Part B typically covers outpatient psychotherapy when provided by a psychiatrist, psychologist, clinical social worker, or certain other licensed professionals. You may still owe copays or coinsurance. Medicare Advantage plans have their own rules; our staff helps you understand your specific benefits.
What are psychotherapy CPT codes?
When you see therapy on a bill, it is usually described by psychotherapy CPT codes, billing codes that indicate session length and type (individual psychotherapy, family session, crisis visit, and so on). These codes help insurance companies process claims; they do not change your actual care, but they explain what services you received.
Is online psychotherapy as effective?
Evidence suggests online psychotherapy can be just as helpful as in-person care for many conditions, especially anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Secure telehealth sessions are available for patients who prefer to be at home or have difficulty traveling. Some people choose a mix of in-person and virtual visits; both are available at CPG.
Choosing a Psychotherapist & Next Steps with CPG
When you look for psychotherapy services, focus on three things:
- Credentials – psychiatrist, psychologist, counselor, or social worker with appropriate licenses.
- Experience – training with your concerns: psychotherapy for bipolar disorder, psychotherapy for PTSD, child or adolescent work, couples, etc.
- Fit – you feel respected, understood, and able to be honest.
At Capital Psychiatry Group, our psychiatrists, psychologists, and therapists collaborate so that psychological therapy, medication management, and psychotherapy work together. Some patients see only a therapist; others see both a therapist and a prescriber in the same clinic.
If you’re wondering whether you need individual psychotherapy, supportive psychotherapy, or a more specialized approach like DBT, trauma-focused CBT, or holistic psychotherapy, you don’t have to decide alone. Your first appointments are devoted to understanding what is happening and recommending the mental health treatment options that match your goals.
Take the Next Step
If you recognize yourself in the causes or symptoms described here, whether it’s constant worry, low mood, relationship strain, or long-standing trauma, psychotherapy can be a turning point.
Capital Psychiatry Group offers psychotherapy for anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, PTSD, schizophrenia, personality disorders (online & onsite), and many other concerns, alongside thoughtful medication care when needed.
You don’t have to keep managing this alone. Reach out to schedule an appointment and begin a treatment plan tailored to your life, your values, and your goals.
One Team for Diagnosis, Medication & Therapy
Tired of bouncing between providers who don’t talk to each other? At Capital Psychiatry Group, evaluation, medication management, and psychotherapy live under one roof, so your plan stays coordinated and clear.
CPG experts follow strict sourcing standards, using peer-reviewed research, academic institutions, and trusted medical journals. Only reliable, evidence-based sources are cited to maintain accuracy and integrity.
- https://www.apa.org/topics/psychotherapy/approaches
- https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/23445-psychotherapy
- https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/psychotherapy
- https://www.dbhutah.org/reasons-to-see-a-therapist/
- https://www.healthline.com/health/do-i-need-therapy
- https://www.goodrx.com/health-topic/mental-health/why-do-people-go-to-therapy?
- https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/psychotherapies
- https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/raising-resilient-children/202506/the-limits-of-healing-through-therapy
Our Review Standards
Our team regularly reviews health and wellness writings. Updates are made on the availability of new & authentic information.
Our Editorial Team
Clinical Adviser:
Author:
