As mentioned before (see treatment approach), psychotherapy is different for everyone, depending on the issues that one presents with and the goals one wants to accomplish. The Methods of “Cure” are typically divided into several general elements:

For some, psychotherapy is most useful when it focuses on problem solving, coping skills, improvement of self-esteem, assertiveness, boundary issues. Some benefit from the focus on “self-actualization” and the removal of barriers to fulfilling one’s potential. Others respond best to provision of certain maturational experiences one had never gotten growing up. Still for others it is about becoming aware of inner motivations and dynamics that are outside of one’s immediate experience. This goal is often tied with the recognition of one’s interpersonal and intrapsychic patterns that get in the way of healthy, happy living.

For all of the above, to be effective, therapy must occur in a context of a safe, supportive environment where painful emotions can be accessed, processed and metabolized. The job of the therapist is to be able to move in between these different elements of treatment and provide the patient with whatever aspect of the cure is the most applicable at the moment.

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