Therapy library

Therapy styles, explained — so you can choose with confidence.

Pick a few filters (or type a word) and you’ll see therapy styles that may fit what you’re dealing with.

Different styles can feel very different (more structured vs more open, more skills vs more insight, more body-based vs mostly talk-based). Finding a good match can make therapy feel clearer and more useful.

As you type, the list below updates right away.

How this works: This page matches your filters to the words on each therapy description — not your personal data. You can change filters anytime.

Showing 27 of 27 therapy styles(Browsing all — use filters to narrow)

Lanes:Trauma-focused processingBody & nervous systemCreative / expressiveRelationships & communicationHigher support programsMedical optionsPractical tools & skills

Lanes are broad “paths” — many therapists blend styles.

CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy)

Evidence-based & skills-based

CBT helps you spot unhelpful thought-and-behavior loops and practice new patterns that reduce symptoms over time—one doable step at a time.

Practical tools & skillsToolsSkills

DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy)

Evidence-based & skills-based

DBT teaches practical skills for navigating big emotions, handling distress, and strengthening relationships—often in a supportive, coaching-style format.

Practical tools & skillsEmotion regulationDistress tolerance

ACT (Acceptance & Commitment Therapy)

Evidence-based & values-driven

ACT helps you make room for difficult thoughts and feelings while building a life guided by your values—so you can move forward even when things feel hard.

Practical tools & skillsValuesMeaning

ERP (Exposure & Response Prevention)

Evidence-based & specialty care

ERP is a gold-standard approach for OCD that helps you reduce compulsions by gradually facing triggers while practicing new responses—at a pace you can handle.

Practical tools & skillsOcdIntrusive thoughts

Mindfulness-Based Therapies (MBCT / MBSR)

Evidence-based & skills-based

Mindfulness-based approaches strengthen attention and present-moment awareness, helping you relate to thoughts and emotions with more steadiness and choice.

Practical tools & skillsMindfulnessGrounding

Motivational Interviewing (MI)

Evidence-based & change-focused

MI helps you work through ambivalence about change by strengthening your own reasons, confidence, and next steps—without shame or pressure.

Practical tools & skillsMotivationStuck

EMDR

Trauma-focused

EMDR helps distressing memories feel less intense and less ‘stuck,’ so the present can feel safer and more manageable.

Trauma-focused processingPtsdTrauma

Somatic Therapy (Body-Focused)

Trauma & body-focused

Somatic approaches support regulation by working with the nervous system and body cues—especially helpful when stress shows up physically.

Trauma-focused processingNervous systemBody anxiety

Somatic Experiencing (SE)

Trauma & body-focused

SE is a somatic method that helps restore regulation by working with sensation, attention, and gradual processing—focused on safety and pacing.

Trauma-focused processingSomatic experiencingSe

NARM (NeuroAffective Relational Model)

Trauma & relational

NARM focuses on developmental trauma and attachment wounds—how survival strategies shape identity, emotion, and connection, and how to move toward more freedom and choice.

Trauma-focused processingDevelopmental traumaAttachment

Trauma-Focused CBT (TF-CBT) & Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)

Trauma-focused & evidence-based

These structured trauma treatments reduce trauma symptoms and shift trauma-linked beliefs—helping you rebuild safety, trust, and self-understanding.

Trauma-focused processingTf-cbtCpt

Psychodynamic Therapy

Depth & insight-oriented

Psychodynamic therapy helps you understand deeper patterns—how past experiences shape present emotions, relationships, and self-beliefs—so you can live with more clarity and choice.

Practical tools & skillsPatternsChildhood

IFS (Internal Family Systems / Parts Work)

Depth & parts-based

IFS helps you relate to different ‘parts’ of yourself (like an inner critic or protector) with curiosity and compassion—often reducing shame and inner conflict.

Practical tools & skillsParts workInner critic

Narrative Therapy

Meaning-making & identity

Narrative therapy helps you separate from the problem (“the problem is the problem”) and strengthen your story with more agency, values, and preferred identity.

Practical tools & skillsIdentityStory

Family Systems Therapy

Relational & family-focused

Family systems therapy looks at patterns between people—not just within one person—so you can shift cycles, strengthen boundaries, and build healthier connection.

Relationships & communicationFamily conflictParenting

FBT (Family-Based Treatment) for Eating Disorders

Relational & specialized

FBT is a structured approach where caregivers play a central role in supporting eating disorder recovery—often for adolescents—with an emphasis on safety and steady progress.

Relationships & communicationEating disorderAnorexia

Gottman Method Couples Therapy

Relational & couples-focused

A research-informed couples approach that strengthens friendship, builds conflict tools, and supports shared meaning—so both partners feel more understood and connected.

Relationships & communicationCouplesMarriage

IPT (Interpersonal Therapy)

Evidence-based & relational

IPT improves mood and symptoms by strengthening relationships and building skills for navigating key interpersonal stressors—often in a focused, time-limited format.

Relationships & communicationRelationshipsGrief

Group Therapy

Relational & skills-based

Group therapy uses shared experience, guided support, and practice to reduce isolation and strengthen real-life relationship skills—at a pace you control.

Relationships & communicationSupport groupGroup therapy

Art Therapy

Expressive & experiential

Art therapy uses creative process and image-making to support regulation, insight, and integration—especially when words feel limited or exhausting.

Creative / expressiveCreativeDrawing

Music Therapy

Expressive & experiential

Music therapy uses music experiences (listening, rhythm, songwriting, improvisation) to support regulation, connection, and emotional expression in a structured therapeutic way.

Creative / expressiveMusicSongwriting

Dance/Movement Therapy

Expressive & somatic

Dance/movement therapy uses movement and body awareness to support regulation, integration, and connection—helpful when emotion lives in the body.

Creative / expressiveMovementBody

Medication Management (Psychiatry / PMHNP)

Medical support

Medication management supports symptoms biologically (sleep, anxiety, mood, attention) and often works best alongside therapy, lifestyle support, and regular check-ins.

Medical optionsPsychiatryMeds

Play Therapy (Child Therapy)

Child & adolescent

Play therapy helps children express feelings, build coping skills, and work through stress using developmentally appropriate play—often with caregiver support included.

Practical tools & skillsKidsChild therapy

IOP & PHP (Intensive Outpatient / Partial Hospitalization)

Higher level of care

Structured programs with multiple sessions per week (often groups + individual) designed to offer more support, stability, and momentum when symptoms feel too heavy for weekly therapy alone.

Higher support programsPhpIop

TMS (Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation)

Advanced treatment

TMS is a noninvasive brain stimulation treatment often used for depression when medications and therapy haven’t been enough—typically as part of a broader care plan.

Medical optionsTmsBrain stimulation

ECT (Electroconvulsive Therapy)

Advanced treatment

ECT is a medical treatment used for severe depression and certain acute psychiatric situations; it can be life-saving when rapid relief is needed and other treatments haven’t helped.

Medical optionsEctSevere depression

Want a quick starting point?

Take the quiz to narrow down to a few options, then compare providers.No account. No email. Retake anytime.

Prefer guidance while you choose?

Preview the Decision Toolkit — questions to ask, red flags, and a simple decision path.

PWYC = pay what you can. Same toolkit either way.

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