Which TYPE of Therapy is Right? 

I have agoraphobia, depression and anxiety since I was a kid. When I got 18, I lock myself in my house and for 2 years I have not been able to go out or having friends home. Just the idea of going out gave me nausea/panic attack (My panic attack is related to my Emetophobia). I started to see a social worker ( Free in Québec, Canada - but you will have to be on a waiting list for 6month to 2 years ). I do a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) since 5 months. I had a diner at the restaurant with my family, saw friends and even go to the cinema with my mom today! It’s better week after week. It really helped me with my anxiety/agoraphobia. Things get better.

I dont know if you'll see this but I want to say for the record therapist who start off most sessions, especially early, with the question "why do you think you're here" or "what do you want out of therapy" can put a whole lot of pressure on those with certain mental health issues. Stop asking these questions. We don't know how to answer them!!

EMDR all the way. I disconnected too much from CBT/DBT/even talk therapy at times. EMDR is what is putting me back into my body.

I like how informative and detailed you are. :)

If anyone here suffers from OCD I seriously urge you to try CBT. It quite literally turned my life around when I was younger

Ugh I need trauma therapy but I'm kinda stuck with talk therapy for now, and it's really just making me feel invalidated.

"Healthy thoughts equal healthy actions". Thanks Kati for the Talk Therapy!

Could you talk about psychodynamic therapy?

When my therapist was doing cbt all she did was say “this is because you’re bipolar. This is because you’re bipolar.” Like she wouldn’t help me all she did was say I am manic, or depressed. Okay. So she said she was doing cbt with me? But there was no participation on my part... so I switched..

CBT and DBT has helped tremendously for me. I think it's a great starting point to get some techniques to have before you try and deal with other things going on. I recommend it to really everyone to help them learn how to rethink their thought patterns.

23M. diagnosed with ADHD and Depression when I was 11. Have done years of talk therapy and for the last five years have done CBT. It's helped me some but I recently got to a breaking point where I was no longer consistently showing up to work. Currently trying compassionate inquiry. Hopefully that will be the catalyst for change

Honestly, thank you. This made me feel really comfortable about this topic

Ive had CBT before but currently waiting for more intensive CBT (26sessions). I found it effective in the short term last time but talking therapy which ive had 52 sessions of has really broke through so many emotional layers. I learned a lot about myself and believe this new awareness has now brought about a foundation for further healing :-) DBT isnt around in the UK as far as I know...x I hope this helps someone considering therapy

Wow Kati I thought I was permanently messed up from S.A, I'm losing my mind thinking my health is deteriorating some times, I avoid doing things only because I hate talking to people feels so awkward and many other things, your very smart and I think your amazing. I'm seeking therapy because of you I wish you were my therapist.

Kati, your are adorable! Plus you give great information. Thanks for helping me navigate through the overwhelming process of starting therapy.

great video! Thanks for your dedication making these videos!

I was abused by a church for years, and I have lots of issues from that. I have been in therapy with a therapist who practices CBT as well as Brainspotting. Been seeing her for nearly two years.

Loved this video! Personally I have found that CBT wasn't that helpful, I have benefited more from talk therapy and and a mix of Interpersonal and Experiential therapy. The relationship between me and my therapist really has so much impact on my process. Also I love to thinking about 'the meaning of life' and discuss things in detail, so talking about my own experiences in relation to my core values has really helped me :)

This video was definitely helpful thanks!:)

I personally do group experiential therapy and it has worked extremely well for me though it is HARD and gets really deep

thank God for this video. I'm right now undecided which therapy is the best for me. I really had been diagnosed with mental disorders and took medication but sometimes I need someone to talk when I needed the most

I am here because I am in my early 40’s and just feel I’ve lost so much time with how much felt so out of place or just a terrible person inside and out I am so confused and hope I can find some peace and make my relationships better

DBT, after studying it, is really similar to transpersonal therapy. I would love to see you do a video on this subject and the similarity and differences.

I don't want to go to therapy because the only therapist available in my town is the same one who told me when I was getting help for anxiety that my problems aren't real and if I think of it like that enough then I won't still think I have anxiety

Thanks for all this info! I would love to hear more about DBT and if theres an connection to humanistic perspective?

Thank you this helped me a lot today

My thing that I don’t understand , is if we have to have a specific kind of therapist , for past trauma. And also I want to have faith in the telephone assessment, that I have but I’m wondering if it’s best to have a face to face meeting with the therapist for an assessment , I guess I need to just have a little faith in it. I really wonder if I’m the only person that struggles to talk to an unknown person I’ve never seen in person about personal things ? But I’m greatfull for these videos that help answer our questions & help us know these feelings are normal . Im happy there are these self help videos to guide us ,& validate our feelings xx thanks kati ❤️

You video was great... I am going to post this video for many to see. Thanks

I wish to God I could just have you as my therapist. I'm putting every ounce of my energy into finding the right therapist and I feel like I'm not going to survive this search. Throughout all of the money hours of research I do I have watched so many of your videos that I already feel like I trust you and it's so hard to be searching for a therapist and fighting for your life and then watching videos of someone that you know you would succeed with 😔. Not sure what the purpose of this comment was supposed to be other than venting lol

CBT claim about efficacy is bogus according to APA task force investigating the efficacy of EBTs. There are also meta analysis by Wampold, Norcross, Shedler and others that argue that there is no real difference between models. Original study on DBT was done on a sample size of 17 and follow-up of 9. I'm sure that you know that to generate a normal curve the sample size has to be at least 29. Furthermore findings are measured in standard deviation which requires a normal curve. Plus there is a study "The Empirical Basis of Dialectical Behavior Therapy: Summary, Critique, and Implications Karen R. Scheel, University of Oklahoma, looks at the fallacies in Linehan's findings. How's that for evidence?

I'm about to start 'fixed-role therapy' - never heard of it before

Thanks for the run-down. Therapy can be perplexing :) :) My trust is helped by this vid. Generally, therapy has wanted to make me scratch my head and go "aaaagghhhh!!!". I'm so happy I found your channel. I had around 6 weeks of talk therapy several years ago. I wasn't straight-up with my therapist because of what I was there for. She ended up saying I may be paranoid, which I don't think was true. Actually, I was a victim of nasty cyber bullying and stalking and was terrified she would condone that, because it was widely known in our small community, and leave my self-esteem in tatters. I don't know if I created extra problems for myself there. :) Since then I haven't been able to get on any programs where I live. I've found online modules that deal in CBT. I'm seriously considering the intensive sessions of those. We have "books on prescription" services here the library does, where the GP recommends helpful workbooks for depression and anxiety...another option. Lastly, I've been offered Spiritual Guidance. This is where you have a spiritual counselor to help identify a personalised pathway in your religious life to move through. I think this may help me because it was a religious context in which the bullying started in the first place. My social coping skills were affected by the trauma of what would now be criminal acts under a UK Stalking Act. I ended up becoming isolated and the difficulty of actually telling the story in words when it was mainly visual and dramatic was like a communication wall and a huge block. Therefore, my reasoning goes it may be helpful to come at the problem from another angle and affirm at least one aspect of my identity that has been neglected. Some things that have played out where I live I can't control or change, and my medical treatment appears to be one of these things, after years spent trying. You can hear I'm at my wits end and doubly, triply grateful for your friendliness and insights!!!!! (For anyone struggling with bullying, it's often wrapped up as a youth issue but I'm nearly 33 and since I was 25 it has been decimating me!!!! Many of my would be systems of resilience have been inveigled. My heart goes out to you if you are young and struggling with this!!) Sorry for the massive comment by way of introduction. I'lll try and be shorter next time!!! Thanks again

Hey kati, thanks for this video extremely helpful. I still don't know what therapy I am in right now!! But first session was ok looking forward to finally sorting my issues out!! Thank you for all the videos you do every one of them informative and more importantly understandable. You are truly awesome and I can't thank you enough for through your videos I am learning not to be so hard on myself, recovery is a process after all stay awesome!!! #KatiFAQ so with therapy starting up again my fear is going back to my old bad coping skills of sh, how can I deal with the stresses in therapy and not let it get to the point where I feel sh is the only option to realise the built up tension because of therapy? Thanks Jess xx

Thanks for mentioning that because I have MDD and PMDD and it is pretty bad. I've only been hospitalized once and my counselors have talked me out of self harm and suicide but I'm not feeling happy.

Very Interesting topic! What would you say is the best form of therapy for someone who is not aware of what they are actually feeling and needs to be taught beyond the most common feelings/emotions? How could something like CBT or DBT be helpful for someone not aware of what they are feeling or have the clear knowledge of what those emotions/feelings are called? Thank you so much for all your Help & Videos! Many Blessings to you always

This really helps, thnx Katie ☺

Am learning a lot from your videos , living in south africa and am beginning to follow psychology as career

Kati,, I've had many many psychology courses in University. I have a DSM5. I am trying to figure out an approach to an issue with someone else, and how to deal with their mental health issues. I am elderly. I've lived a very full and very busy life. I raised my family, and have the active grandkids. I've been very social, especially in my University days. But now I want to live a quiet life where I can work on all the things I put off my entire life. Painting, Knitting, Sewing/quilting, Reading, Genealogy, etc. I am exceptionally busy during all my days. 10-12 hours a day worth of busy, and still not enough time to accomplish all that is still desired. I literally have no time for total nonsense. SO, I stick to myself except for very important friends, and of course my huge family. I'm simply too busy with my personal things in life to be fussed with outsiders. SO because I will not socially interact with my neighbors, especially a very despicable busybody, he makes up lies about me. Verbally assaults my exceptional character, and it has gotten to the point I am ready to get an " Injection Against Harassment" against him for it. He is a never ending gossip who loves spreading everyone else's business around to anyone willing to give him the time of day. I know he has many mental health issues, but what specifically can you see in someone who has to be so vicious about others. Especially those who avoid him [like me]. There are over a dozen neighbors who dislike this guy, but he literally has singled me out because I refuse to interact with him. I don't have the time in my life to be around people of that caliber! I do all I can to avoid him, not speak to him, he is just despicable towards me [I am his enemy], because of my refusal to interact with this wretched man. What makes a person act like that? What personality disorder can describe a person with such venom against others. Especially those they do not even know. I refuse to allow personal details out to any of neighbors, but for my chosen few. I go in for quality, not quantity, when picking friends. SO this guy MAKES UP his own lies against me. Pathological lying type issues. What do I need to research to teach me to deal with such a horrific neighbor? Even with COVID-19 going wild, he still finds an ear to rampage about me, to. What can I read to further my knowledge on dealing with this kind of a person. I've recommended him seeing a mental health professional, but he thinks he is in total denial that he has issues. I've even slipped a referral to NAMI [National Alliance on Mental Illness] 800-950-NAMI, into his mailbox... hoping he will take the hint.

DBT helped me considerably. Group and one on one. Perfect fit. :)

I live in the uk. I’ve being doing what my cpn calls structured clinically management with my cpn for about 3 years or maybe more. Have you heard of this kati? 3 years ago I done what is called the decider skills course. & before that I started something called the therapeutic community. I was only able to do about 2 to 3 months of this due to it finishing due to lack of government funs, this was originally a 18 month programe

thank you for all of these awesomely ha bisky vids i love this so much

Thank you for this educational video. 🙂

EMDR & schema therapy has helped me a lot so far. i’m learning about DBT skills & principles on the side too.

kati, I absolutely love your videos. I only recently came across them. However, they have enlightened me a little bit about my illness and the type of therapy I'm getting, and I'm just not sure things are going well. I see my therapist once a week for Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Major Depressive Disorder. Almost all of each therapy session consists of basically talking about what happened the previous week with my symptoms and how I was able to cope. This doesn't sound as deep as what I might need. I've been going for five years. I have admittedly gotten BETTER but not better enough. I know I can't pour out all the details here, but what are your thoughts on this situation? Thanks!

Very informative thank you so much. 😊

Thank you for helping

Since you first published this video, have you had any experience with EMDR? It is the type of therapy my LPC used to treat my PTSD. Just wondering if it is something that you would now include as one of the types of therapies, or if it is still not very common. For the record, it has been very effective for me. I also have enjoyed your videos; thanks for sharing!

Done CBT and Talk. Want to do DBT since I sometimes think my bipolar was misdiagnosed and is actually Borderline. (Even though I operated on an average of an hour of sleep for several weeks while inpatient and being pumped full of drugs to help me sleep... and I wonder why they diagnosed me with bipolar....) Absolutely hated CBT when I did it but years later I still draw on some of the things we talked about. Especially the thinking errors. "Mindreading" has always been a big one for me. Want to get my butt back in and take care of some things but not quite ready to.

I've been in therapy for almost 19 years. I've tried talk, CBT and EMDR. I've looked in DBT, life coaching and spent years on medication. I'm connecting with people finally who might be able to recommend something that can really help.

I am in MBT-treatment at the moment, and was diagnosed with BPD earlier this year. I am seriously considering changing therapy, because all we ever do is analyse and I need more than that. I need tools from DBT-therapy to help me with difficult emotions/criticism voices/intrusive thoughts throughout the day. Don’t know how to tell my therapist tho

I think Talk therapy mixed with DBT is best for me I tried CBT I hated it it felt Stressed but I believe it can be good

In the uk we have counsellors using Psychodynamic, CBT, Humanistic & Integrative Counselling aproaches.

Great info and support!!!!

What would it take for DBT to be certified? I thought DBT was evidence based and proven as well? Just curious! Thank you for your incredible content

It's not the type of therapy that is helpful, it's the therapist.

Hello, Kati! How are you? Will you please make a video about attunement? Is there any kind of psychotherapy which utilizes attunement as its "primary ingredient"? Thank you in advance

Great video. Thanks

In the last session I had , out of a series, my counselor used all three. Helped for a little while. Last sessions I had were with a Psychologist specializing in PTSD with the nice little light bar. That actually did more good than all of the other therapy I've had in my life! Also, what do you recommend for some one all of the professionals describe as ADHD, OCD, two learning disabilities, "probable PTSD and very probable ASD?" Who is in his upper 60s [USA]. PS, I've had enough of the three in the video to do myself... but that is a barely get by method. So far, it does get by, at some level. [Insert smily face emoji!] VERY GOOD JOB of explaining you did!

i live in the uk and have bipolar disorder, at first i was given CBT the only treatment available at my local camhs but i didn't get on with it and i don't think i was ready to engage with the work and talk therapy wasn't enough support. After being inpatient x2 and turning 18 (moving services) I'm finally now doing intensive DBT and finding it a lot more helpful especially the physical skills i've learnt (physical can be easier than mental exercises for me especially when my thoughts are racing) It is a lot of work though with filling out diary cards everyday, 2 hour group and individual sessions every week plus homework x

Why do my therapists use reflective listening with me, and why does it annoy me so much?

Kati, can you add and discuss psychodynamic therapy and best therapies for people with attachment issues..

Hey Kati, so I've just started therapy and I was diagnosed with anxiety disorder, my therapist wants to start treating it with medication without trying CBT first. I just want to know is this normal? I don't like to take meds, and I am scared that it may lead to addiction or that I will be too dependent on them in the future. Any thoughts?

Thank you for the video

Kati, can mindfulness help overcome anxiety ? Has it shown to be effective scientifically ?

Any views on ISTDP therapy? (Intensive short-term dynamic psychotherapy) I'm having sessions at the moment but it's a very strange approach to to have an argumentative therapist so any reviews or advice greatly appreciated! Thanks x

Hi Kati, I’ve been recommended a specialist for intensive short term dynamic psychotherapy (istdp) I’m struggling to find resources on it that are free to read, id love more information on it and what to expect in session.

What is best for ADHD, PTSD, depressed feelings and anxiety

The part where you mentioned full treatment team confused me. How do you know when that is necessary?

I believe that many of these therapies that you mention will only correct the outer shell of your emotions or thought proceses. To correct and understand feelings on a more profound level you also need to do Therapy with elements from psychoanalysis( not the typical Freudian but more modern approaches) , because human beings act on patterns that were formed during different stages of development, and we tend to replicate what our caregivers did on many ways. The closest type of therapy related to psychoanalysis you mention is talk therapy, but I don´t believe it is as casual as you mention it or as light hearted. Deep Mind archeology is so much more...

I did 1 year of IFS therapy. Helped me a lot. Read 10 books on it and can easily practice it by myself without a therapist. I was able to work on a very deep level (you normally have your eyes closed when during most of the session).

Oh and I've got one question. Last autumn I was going to talk therapy and then she checked me into a outpatient youth clinic and I had to go to both. At the outpatient clinic I didn't understand anything...they like did a thousand weird tests like I had to click on a button every time I saw two shapes come on the computer screen after each other...? I'm not doing any kind of therapy now and I've been clean for a long time and doing great :)

I'm not exactly sure what therapy will work for me, mainly due to my reluctance to say anything about myself. I have been in therapy for about seven months now after leaving a psychiatrist who only upped my medicine. From your explaination, Ms. Kati, I might need all three. I currently am in ACT type of therapy, but I'm not sure it is really helping. My current diagnosis is depression with psychosis and OCD. Ms. Kati, how do you get past the stigma and reluctance with therapists to improve anything?

I was in a psych ward for 2 months and wasn’t offered ANY therapy afterwards 🙃 only medication. Gotta love an overburdened health system

Can you talk about psychoanalytic or modern psychoanalytic therapies? My therapist says he does this. I lie on a couch and face away because I was getting affirmed I was reading emotional states of others well (empath he says) in group but then felt gaslighted during individual with my therapist, which he was probably doing to protect himself and me from discounting him based on his personal reactions? Not sure. He doesn't do a lot of what I think is DBT. I'm a Nutrition counselor (RD) but think I use a hodgepodge of motivational interviewing, CBT, DBT, emotion checking. But I've picked up everything I've got from being with my therapist 2x/wk for 7 yrs for group and individual. Dietitian training was like 2 two week rotations in private practice eating disorders and one horrible class taught by an absent professor on counseling and education. Wouldn't be able to do my job without having been in therapy and continuing to go

Hello Kati and thank you sooo much!!. My girlfriend has bipolar disorder with psychotic episodes... What kind of therapy would you recomend!!???. Kisses from Greece... 😘

i used to have CBT but it was too expensive for my parents :/

What is best for depression and suicidal toughts? :/

Two types of therapy I would add, depth psychology and psychoanalysis.

Kati I really hope you can help me.. i finally after all these years decided I needed to make myself a priority and go to therapy.. I found a LISW in my area and all she did was listen.. she said i needed that.. she didn't talk until i'd ask a question.. nice enough but she didn't help me.. I googled the top phycologist in my area and found one I really liked and have been going to him ever since. My question is I know I have BPD and need a diagnoses but my therapist doesn't do that.. he said everything is rooted in Anger.. anxiety and PTSD and all the tings I suffer from is rooted in Anger.. Ok I can understand that but I need a formal diagnosis.. how do i get it?

Hi kati can you tell me what best therapy for people with bipolar 2 and hyper mania thanks for all you do donna lilley

CBT: 1. anxiety 2. ocd 3. substance use attacks negative thoughts and turn them into happy thoughts DBT: 1. bpd 2. eating disorders 3. substance use 4. schizophrenia CBT + emotion regulation talk therapy: 1. mood disorders 2. for mild issues 3. life transitions borrows from other therapies, unbiased

I've tried so many different kinds of therapy and so far nothing has helped me at all.. I don't know if it's just the therapists I've had or maybe the lack of help and support I have at home or what... But I don't know what to do at this point, I'm feeling very alone in my recovery and so overwhelmed. I've tried talking to my parents about how I feel and they just brush it off like I'm overreacting or BSing them. I need help but I don't know what help I need and how to get it anymore.

Hi Kati. What type of therapy would be best for depression/suicidal thoughts and gender identity and sexuality questioning? Talk therapy?

You mention at one point about having severe mental illness, and about having a 'full therapy treatment team'. Is there a term for this? I'm trying to look into more information about how to get this type of therapy, because I've had such long standing, undiagnosed, untreated issues, there are so many things that need to be dealt with, and everyone keeps pushing CBT but I know myself and know I need a longer-term more variable approach. Not to mention I was already rejected by the free program in Ontario, as they said they think another approach to therapy would be right for me. But looking up information about more intensive therapies is a bit harder to find information on, especially for those financially struggling. I'm in Ontario, Canada if that changes anything...

I’m scared I need a Inpatient treatment because my life is kind of gone to shit I’m kind of losing it I’ve been to a few talk therapist been on some medications nothing really worked I have PTSD bipolar and anxiety and depression I’m not really sure what I should do

My therapy experience has left me feeling very despondent. My local area has only given me CBT, and every time I've found it to have not helped they've 'upgraded me' to 'high intensity' CBT, which hasn't seemed to be any different to me. By the sounds of this video, it seems that CBT should be best for me, yet it hasn't really helped. I'm currently on the waiting list to get assessed for ADHD, but the waiting list is about 12 months, and until then I have to sit and wait and make do with CBT (though I'm currently on the waiting list for some.... again). The wait is so long that I get creeping doubts of 'well maybe I don't have ADHD and it's that I'm just depressed/anxious'. But I don't *feel* depressed, not any more. But what if I am and I just don't know it? Anxiety is still an issue but I think it's caused by my untreated issues of ADHD, but when I go to a CBT therapist they say they have to assume I don't have it and it's just anxiety because they aren't experienced with ADHD so can't do anything about it. I'm feeling let down by my local area in mental health care tbh =/ Not sure what to do for the next 10 months...

What about trauma(complex) ?

I've been trying to get into some therapy. I have regular work related insurance all I can find is medicaid or Medicare providers. It's frustrating...

I have been to therapy.

Kati I can't find your workbooks on Amazon :( link please

Watching this cuz it wasn’t disclosed to me what approach which approach my two previous counsellors used cuz they both were unnnnhelpppful

I’m not sure if you will see this, but my question is whether or not a patient with mdd is necessarily aware of all the other issues that come with depression. Depression may be the disease but the symptoms are crippling. Are these symptoms treatable by themselves?

My psychologist told me to think of 5 things to talk about at therapy next week and I am going to write them all down in a book to bring there. I hope that is what he wants caus that is what I am doing with it. There is no way I can just keep these things in my mind. I hope that is a good route.... I mean I think it is... and it is only my second session. Anyway that is what I'm gonna do and I'd like any input if anyone has anything. tysm.

What about dissociative identity disorder, could you please guide me any way?

I used to do cbt and now I'm doing dynamic therapy

Question. How do I make myself go to a therapist when thinking about going to a therapist feels like it would be a trigger for my anxiety

I'm loving psychoanalysis 😁😁😁

so, how does CBT work if your thoughts are actually correct?

"Talk theraphy" is that Psychodynamic theraphy, as practiced by Freud and Jung?

Is it possible to be in therapy too long? Like, what if you've been in therapy a long time, but you're still struggling all the time. Is there a point where you just give up and live with your issues?