[lostmyway21]

Okay so I'm an idiot. I've been with T for over a year and I've always thought he was straight CBT. I finally noticed tonight that he's listed as a CBT/Psychodynamic...T.

So I googled it I kind of got a little idea. Insight oriented? Haha yeah I'm lost. Anyone's T also do "insight oriented" therapy? Or can explain in simple terms what it is he's been doing with me the last year?

[adel34]

Hi Lost,
It's ok that you didn't know about your t's therapy orientation. There are so many it's confusing!
Insight oriented or psychodynamic therapy as I understand it works a lot with linking present issues to past stuff, usually with your family growing up, and talking about that and processing it. There's also a lot of emphasis on the theraputic relationship and processing stuff that comes up between the therapist and client and also linking that to past issues. The goal is that with increased insight into where patterns come from eventually we can let go of the unhealthy ones and change and heal. It's slow work, and often not completely effective on it's own, which is why often therapists combine it with CBT or DBT or something else, so that the client also has tools to use while doing the process work. Hope this makes sense. Anyone else feel free to add stuff, or correct me if I'm wrong.

[lostmyway21]

Originally Posted by adel34

Hi Lost,
It's ok that you didn't know about your t's therapy orientation. There are so many it's confusing!
Insight oriented or psychodynamic therapy as I understand it works a lot with linking present issues to past stuff, usually with your family growing up, and talking about that and processing it. There's also a lot of emphasis on the theraputic relationship and processing stuff that comes up between the therapist and client and also linking that to past issues. The goal is that with increased insight into where patterns come from eventually we can let go of the unhealthy ones and change and heal. It's slow work, and often not completely effective on it's own, which is why often therapists combine it with CBT or DBT or something else, so that the client also has tools to use while doing the process work. Hope this makes sense. Anyone else feel free to add stuff, or correct me if I'm wrong.

Hm that's odd. He has made the connections to childhood but definitly doesn't like to spend a lot of time talking about my past...but maybe that's the CBT in him. Now the theraputic relationship one makes a ton of sense. He invested a LOT into our theraputic relationship and teaching me to learn from the irrational decisions I made in ours. He is ALWAYS bringing up the need to change certain patterns.

[Eliza Jane]

I once read somewhere that most T's consider themselves "eclectic" and integrate things from different schools of thought.

Best,
EJ

[lostmyway21]

Yes he's eclectic but he does specifically list these two. It HAS been a lot of CBT. So I was curious about the other. I'm going to probably flat out ask him what kind of therapy we've been doing in the morning. Then ask him to explain it. Then ask him to tell me what he's figured out about me from it. Haha our one year anniv is coming up. I'm feeling quite daring.

[marphtwo]

Originally Posted by Eliza Jane

I once read somewhere that most T's consider themselves "eclectic" and integrate things from different schools of thought.

Best,
EJ

Yeah I am sure your T is using a lot of different therapeutic interventions, and you cant really classify your T's therapy as one. CBT deals with thoughts and thought patterns. How they can be maladaptive, and how they cause emotional affect. The "10 common cognitive distortions" thread are what is being watched in CBT.

Insight oriented and supportive therapy falls under the psychotherapy umbrella. If the client has relatively solid ego strength, and can handle "uncovering" difficult things from the past, insight oriented therapy is used. SUpportive therapy is used with a client with low ego strength, and is used to build up confidence and coping mechanisms to be able to use insight therapy. The therapist is usually a little more involved and is very empathetic and supportive through the emergency situations presented.

All of these have bits and pieces from other therapies and theories like Object, Attachment, Ego psychology, interpersonal theory and so on.

Anyway these things take a lot of work to understand. Your T is probably using a lot of theories and interventions. Just sit back and enjoy the ride

[lostmyway21]

Originally Posted by marphtwo

Yeah I am sure your T is using a lot of different therapeutic interventions, and you cant really classify your T's therapy as one. CBT deals with thoughts and thought patterns. How they can be maladaptive, and how they cause emotional affect. The "10 common cognitive distortions" thread are what is being watched in CBT.

Insight oriented and supportive therapy falls under the psychotherapy umbrella. If the client has relatively solid ego strength, and can handle "uncovering" difficult things from the past, insight oriented therapy is used. SUpportive therapy is used with a client with low ego strength, and is used to build up confidence and coping mechanisms to be able to use insight therapy. The therapist is usually a little more involved and is very empathetic and supportive through the emergency situations presented.

All of these have bits and pieces from other therapies and theories like Object, Attachment, Ego psychology, interpersonal theory and so on.

Anyway these things take a lot of work to understand. Your T is probably using a lot of theories and interventions. Just sit back and enjoy the ride

That's totally interesting.
I'm enjoying the ride. Its just ...my curiosity has been sparked. lol.