1. Cognitive behavioral therapy
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) aims to help clients understand the relationship between their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. More specifically, CBT therapists help clients identify and challenge their “thought distortions” and replace them with more helpful ways of thinking.
In integrative therapy, CBT tools can help clients who want to shift unhelpful thought patterns, such as someone with social anxiety who believes “no one will ever like them.” An integrative therapist would infuse CBT to help their client challenge and reframe this thought trap, so that it becomes something more helpful and realistic, such as, “Not everyone has to like me. I will focus my attention on people who do.”
2. Humanistic therapy
In graduate school, many students watch a depiction of humanistic therapy with psychologist Carl Rogers. In the video, Dr. Rogers talks with a client named “Gloria,” showering her with “unconditional positive regard,” which is acceptance, love, and affirmation towards a person just as they are. It’s the same kind of love that parents aim to show their children. With this unending support, clients can achieve personal growth, a concept Dr. Rogers referred to as “self-actualization.”
Humanistic therapy emphasizes the client’s positive attributes and personal growth. Humanistic therapists focus on the present moment, rather than the past. An integrative therapist may incorporate humanistic approaches to support a client who needs extra empathy and understanding, such as someone who struggles with low self-esteem, social isolation, or body-image concerns. Instead of a cognitive-behavioral approach, which might gently challenge the client’s thoughts and feelings, humanistic therapists affirm them. For example, with a client who has low self-worth, a humanistic therapist would say, “I hear that you feel down on yourself, and I hear how difficult that must be. I am here for you. We can explore this together.”
3. Interpersonal therapy
Relationship concerns are one of the main reasons people seek therapy. Whether it’s a break-up, family strife, or the death of a loved one. Interpersonal therapy (IPT) helps clients understand their relationships, which helps them take active steps towards change. Whereas cognitive behavioral therapists ask clients about their thought patterns, IPT therapists invite their clients to discuss their interpersonal worlds, including their relationships with parents or caregivers, friends, and other significant individuals. From an IPT lens, mental health symptoms are often fueled by unfulfilling relationships or maladaptive interpersonal patterns.
For example, an integrative therapist may draw from IPT to help a grieving client find better social support or to help a client who shies away from conflict assert themselves. First, the therapist explores what feels unfulfilling in the client’s relationships. Then, the therapist helps the client examine these patterns and take active steps towards change. Change can include behavioral activation steps, such as joining a support group or taking a class.
4. Existential therapy
Existential therapy focuses on the pursuit of meaning, free will, and personal empowerment. An insight-oriented therapy, existential therapy aims to increase self-awareness, responsibility-taking, and self-understanding. Existential therapists ask self-reflective questions and help clients address existential concerns, such as illness, empty-nest syndrome, death, or other life transitions.
An integrative therapist may incorporate existential therapy to help a widow find meaning after the loss of a loved one or to help a lonely client make meaningful choices to reduce social isolation. Similar to humanistic therapy, existential therapists adopt a supportive and empathetic stance, aiming to understand the client’s pain and help them find greater fulfillment in their lives.
5. Psychoanalytic therapy
One of the oldest forms of psychotherapy, psychoanalytic therapy aims to make unconscious thoughts and feelings conscious, so that the client can examine any buried emotions or maladaptive relationship patterns. In summary, psychoanalysts help clients discover thoughts, feelings, and desires that are not within conscious awareness.
For example, a client who is continually late for work may unknowingly be dissatisfied with their job. A psychoanalytic therapist helps the client make this connection by offering up interpretations about their behavior. In this case, the therapist may say, “Could it be that you’re late for work because your job is dissatisfying?” Any conflicts rooted in the past that persist in the present can be addressed through a psychoanalytic approach. In another example, an integrative therapist may draw from psychoanalysis to help a divorced client understand why it’s challenging for them to begin dating, or to help a survivor of childhood trauma explore their difficulties with trust.
