What are Psychological Services and Who Benefits from Them?

Finding psychological services in Bryn Mawr, Montgomery County and the greater Philadelphia area can be a confusing endeavor. Many psychologists offer their services making it can be difficult to know who is the best fit for you. Below are some helpful hints for choosing the best psychologist and psychological services available.

Who are Psychological Services Appropriate for?

The short answer is that psychological services are appropriate for anyone experiencing mental health symptoms or looking to improve their sense of wellbeing. Whether experiencing stress, anxiety, depression, trauma or life transition concerns, psychological services can bring a new level of comfort and self-compassion to your life.

What Does a Psychologist Do?

Only licensed psychologists are legally able to offer psychological services. Psychologists typically have earned a doctoral degree in psychology (PsyD or PhD) and have passed a state licensure exam. On occasion, a psychologist may have a master’s degree (MA) instead of a traditional doctorate. When seeking psychological services, you will likely meet with a “clinical psychologist” who has received special training in comprehensive mental health care. Your clinical psychologist will work with you to improve your mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing.

What Sort of Therapy Does a Psychologist Provide?

Many different types of therapy are used by psychologists. Psychologists may practice psychodynamic therapy, use a humanistic approach, provide cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) or practice acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT).

What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Evidence-Based Therapy?

Psychologists offer various types of psychotherapy; however, the most empirically supported and evidence-based treatments originate from cognitive behavioral therapy. Cognitive behavioral therapy or CBT is an umbrella term encapsulating a host of psychological protocols aimed at altering maladaptive behavioral patterns. CBT psychologists help patients understand the connection between thoughts, emotions, behaviors and maladaptive decision making. Depending on the psychological difficulties presented by the patient, psychologists choose specific interventions demonstrated as effective for the condition.

Psychological Treatments Offered By CBT Psychologists Include:

1. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
2. Cognitive Therapy (CT)
3. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
4. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
5. Prolonged Exposure (PE) Therapy
6. Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)
7. Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT)
8. Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC)
9. Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT)
10. Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders (UP)
11. Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)
12. Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP)
13. Process-Based Therapy
14. Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT)
15. Motivational Interviewing (MI)
16. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I)
17. Emotional Processing Therapy (EPT)
18. Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention (MBRP)
19. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)
20. Behavioral Activation (BA)
21. Schema Therapy

Each of the aforementioned psychotherapies include psychological interventions the psychologist and patient work on together in therapy.

Psychological Interventions Include:

1. Cognitive Restructuring
2. Thought Records
3. Reframing
4. Acceptance
5. Cognitive Defusion Techniques
6. Cognitive Flexibility Techniques
7. The ACT Matrix
8. Mindfulness Exercises
9. Five Senses Experiencing
10. Interpersonal Effectiveness Skills
11. Distress Tolerance Skills
12. TIP Skills
13. Wise Mind
14. Wise Choices
15. Choice Point
16. Self-Kindness
17. Self-Care
18. Self-Compassion
19. Mindful Awareness
20. Experiential Acceptance
21. Diaphragmatic Breathing
22. Cue Controlled Relaxation
23. Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR)
24. Stimulus Control
25. Sleep Restriction
26. Sleep Hygiene
27. Metaphors
28. Activity Scheduling
29. Chair Dialogue
30. Guided Imagery
31. Behavioral Experiments
32. Exposure Hierarchy
33. Imaginal Exposures
34. In Vivo Exposures
35. Interoceptive Exposures
36. Imagery Rescripting
37. Cognitive Distortions
38. Clinically Relevant Behaviors (CRBs)
39. Hexaflex
40. Functional Analysis
41. Harm Reduction

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BC’s blog is for educational purposes only. It is not to be used as personal advice or to take the place of seeing a licensed professional