Psychotherapy, often called talk therapy, is structured treatment that works through conversation, skills practice and guided reflection with a trained clinician. It is not simply venting. Each evidence-based approach has a model of what maintains the problem and a set of techniques for changing it. Cognitive behavioral therapy targets unhelpful thinking patterns and avoidance. Dialectical behavior therapy teaches emotion regulation and distress tolerance. Exposure and response prevention treats OCD by facing feared situations without rituals. Interpersonal therapy focuses on relationships and role transitions. Psychodynamic therapy explores longstanding patterns rooted in earlier experience.
For mild to moderate depression and most anxiety disorders, psychotherapy is as effective as medication, and the combination of the two outperforms either alone for moderate to severe depression. Therapy also has effects that last after treatment ends, because you keep the skills. A typical course of CBT runs 12 to 20 weekly sessions of about 50 minutes, though some problems need less and some need longer. Telehealth therapy is well supported by research and is covered by most insurance plans in Florida and South Carolina. Psychiatric providers at Stedfast Psychiatry provide supportive and focused therapy within medication visits, and we coordinate with psychologists and licensed therapists in the community for weekly structured therapy. When medication, therapy or both have not been enough, our psychiatrists can discuss Deep TMS or Spravato as additions rather than replacements.