An Overview of Therapeutic Interventions Used Today

Therapy for mental health conditions, relationship issues, and other concerns has come a long way over the years. Many therapists today use evidence-based therapeutic interventions to help clients reach their goals. 

These kinds of interventions use scientific research findings to inform treatment, allowing therapists to use rigorously tested techniques that are proven to be effective. They may also adapt their approaches as new research findings come out. 

But there are many different types of therapeutic interventions that are suited to different needs. For example, solution-focused techniques tend to prioritize changing unhelpful behaviors and/or thoughts. Others offer specialized care to help you process and heal from trauma. Some focus on targeting and resolving relationship issues. 

Below, we’ll discuss several evidence-based interventions that are used for present-day therapy.

Psychotherapy-based interventions 

During psychotherapy or talk therapy, mental health professionals help their clients work on understanding and changing maladaptive thoughts, behaviors, and emotions. They may use several different types of intervention, such as:

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)

CBT is a type of talk therapy that can help you identify and change maladaptive thought patterns, such as overgeneralizing. Working on recognizing, challenging, and changing these types of thought patterns can help boost your mental well-being. 

Studies show that CBT can be an effective treatment for several mental health conditions, including eating disorders, anxiety, and depression. Individuals who struggle with stress or other emotional challenges may also benefit from this type of intervention. 

Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)

DBT is a modified type of CBT with an emphasis on learning to manage intense emotions. It also involves helping you accept yourself and the challenges you face throughout life. DBT teaches the skills needed to regulate emotions in healthy ways, such as mindfulness. 

DBT was originally developed for borderline personality disorder, and it’s shown to be effective at treating this condition. But it’s helpful for individuals affected by other conditions, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), eating disorders, depression, substance use disorder, and anxiety. 

Psychodynamic therapy 

This form of talk therapy uses the principles of psychoanalysis to help you explore your life history and unconscious mind in order to process and resolve conflicts or other issues. Therapists use different techniques, such as free association, to encourage clients to discuss what’s on their mind. 

Psychodynamic therapy is often used to treat mental health conditions like depression and social anxiety disorder. It may also be helpful for those who struggle with relationship issues, as well as individuals who are looking for meaning in their lives. 

Humanistic therapy 

This type of psychotherapy focuses on each client’s individual nature in order to help them achieve personal growth, address issues they’re struggling with, or manage mental health symptoms. Humanistic therapy tends to use a less structured approach and focuses more on the present than on past experiences. 

This therapeutic intervention is used to treat a range of mental health conditions, including anxiety, depression, and schizophrenia. It can also be helpful for those who struggle with relationship problems, have low self-esteem, or generally feel uncomfortable with themselves.  

Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)

Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is a therapeutic intervention that involves learning how to accept emotions, including strong or unpleasant ones, as part of life. It can also help you identify your values and focus on living in alignment with them. 

ACT is used to treat many mental health conditions, including anxiety disorders, mood disorders, and eating disorders. It may also be useful for grief counseling and stress management. 

Interpersonal therapy (IPT)

This type of psychotherapy focuses on interpersonal relationships in order to address mental health concerns. IPT can help you understand how your emotions impact your relationships with family, friends, partners, and others. It may also help you become more comfortable relying on others for support. 

IPT is used for treating major depressive disorder, usually as an initial treatment approach or as maintenance treatment for ongoing depression. It takes place over a limited number of sessions, typically between 12 and 16. IPT can also be useful for treating anxiety disorders, eating disorders, and PTSD.

Behavioral interventions 

These types of therapy focus on helping you change unhelpful or maladaptive behaviors. They help you build skills needed to make and maintain these changes, such as problem-solving, conflict resolution, and communication. 

Behavioral interventions can also help individuals regulate or manage their emotions better. Below, we’ll discuss a few of these evidence-based interventions. 

Exposure therapy 

This behavioral intervention involves gradually being exposed to something you’re afraid of in a safe and controlled environment under the guidance of your therapist. The goal is to help you grow more comfortable and confident in facing your fears by replacing unrealistic thoughts or beliefs with more realistic ones. 

Exposure therapy is used to treat many mental health conditions, such as panic disorder, PTSD, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and phobias. It may also be helpful for certain eating disorders. It’s sometimes used along with other interventions, such as talk therapy, as part of a holistic treatment plan. 

Applied behavior analysis (ABA)

ABA is a behavioral intervention that can help children with autism or other kinds of developmental disorders build skills and gain more independence. Some of the skills that are taught in ABA include learning, social, and communication skills. 

ABA is typically used for children with autism, especially at younger ages, and it often takes place at school or in the home. But it can also be helpful for treating other conditions, such as memory loss and age-related cognitive changes in adults. Those who need help managing lifestyle changes associated with physical or mental conditions may also benefit from ABA.

Behavior modification 

This kind of behavioral intervention focuses on helping you replace unhelpful behaviors with adaptive or helpful behaviors. While that may sound similar to CBT, behavior modification focuses only on behavior, rather than considering emotions and thoughts, too.

Behavior modification is used for treating attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), GAD, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and other disorders in adults and children. It may also be beneficial for those who are trying to stop specific behaviors, such as smoking, or achieve certain goals.

Trauma-focused interventions 

Certain therapy interventions focus specifically on helping individuals with trauma, whether it’s childhood trauma or a more recent traumatic event. They provide a safe space to explore traumatic incidents, understand how they affect mental well-being, and work on healing from them. We’ll go over a few types of trauma-focused interventions below. 

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR)

EMDR is a trauma-focused intervention that can help you process and heal from traumatic events using eye movements. You move your eyes in certain ways, often by following a light, while thinking about the traumatic incident. While that may sound a bit strange, several clinical trials show that it offers an effective way to treat trauma. 

In a nutshell, when you experience something traumatic, your brain doesn’t process the memory in the usual way. Instead of being stored like a regular memory, it stays raw and intense — almost like it’s on repeat. 

But thinking about the memory while doing eye movements seems to activate the brain's natural ability to process and file it away correctly, reducing its emotional impact.

EMDR is often used to treat PTSD, but that’s not its only use. It can also help those with acute stress disorder, anxiety disorders, depression, and personality disorders. 

Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT)

TF-CBT is a short-term trauma-focused intervention that helps children process early trauma and recover from it. This intervention typically includes parents or other caregivers as well. 

Through TF-CBT, children who have been affected by early trauma learn to challenge intrusive or unhelpful thoughts. The family therapy component teaches family members stress management and other skills to help support the child. 

TF-CBT is used to help children who have anxiety, depression, or other mental health challenges due to traumatic experiences, such as physical, sexual, or mental abuse. 

Somatic experiencing (SE)

This is a mind-body approach to treating trauma that focuses on how traumatic experiences affect the physical body. The goal is to release harmful or damaging emotions related to trauma in order to ease mental and physical symptoms, such as excessive worries, muscle pain, and sleep issues. 

SE is used to treat several mental health conditions, such as PTSD, depression, and anxiety. It may also help those who are dealing with low self-esteem, intimacy problems, or complex grief. 

Relationship-based interventions (RBIs)

Some therapeutic interventions are designed to help couples or families resolve conflicts, strengthen bonds, and address other issues. RBIs provide a way to discuss problems with a loved one in a safe, nonjudgmental setting and focus on learning how to have a healthier relationship. Below, we’ll go over several RBIs that are used today.

Attachment-based therapy

This type of RBI helps you identify, process, and heal from attachment wounds that occurred during early childhood. It’s based on attachment theory — the idea that our early experiences with caregivers affect our relationships with other people throughout life. Positive experiences lead to secure attachments, while negative experiences result in insecure attachments. 

Attachment-based therapy is used to address conflicts between children and parents or other caregivers. It’s also helpful for those who have difficulty building connections with others due to trust issues or other problems. It may also help individuals with PTSD or other mental health conditions that are associated with attachment wounds. 

Emotionally focused therapy (EFT)

This RBI is designed to help couples build emotional and physical intimacy in order to improve their relationships. It’s a short-term intervention that focuses on emotional experiences and our need for connection with others. 

EFT is used to help couples who have grown apart or are experiencing other difficulties feeling connected, but it can be helpful for parent-child conflicts as well. It can also be used in individual therapy sessions to help people who have trouble expressing their emotions.

Child-parent relationship therapy (CPRT)

This type of RBI helps young children and parents build more secure relationships and reduce unwanted behaviors through play-based exercises. Parents learn skills to help improve their relationships with their children and put these to use during play sessions. 

CPRT was originally designed for children between the ages of 3 and 8, but modified versions can also be used to help children of other ages. It may be helpful for easing family stress and reducing maladaptive behaviors in children.

Couples therapy 

This RBI is a type of talk therapy that helps couples work through issues and grow closer. Couples therapy can address a wide range of concerns, such as trust, communication, and intimacy issues. Some approaches include having a therapist meet with each partner individually before meeting with both partners together. 

Couples therapy is used to help romantic partners resolve problems, build trust, address specific issues, and learn to communicate better. It may also be helpful for couples who are experiencing issues related to one or both partners’ mental health conditions, such as depression or anxiety. 

Family systems therapy 

This type of RBI focuses on the family unit in order to resolve conflicts and improve family dynamics. It involves having each family member understand how their behaviors affect everyone else in the family — and the family unit as a whole. The family then works through issues and learns ways to support each other. 

Family systems therapy is used to help families who are struggling with conflict. It can also be used when certain mental health disorders are affecting the family unit, such as substance use disorder or bipolar disorder.  

Connect with a therapist who tailors their approach to your needs through SonderMind

With so many evidence-based therapeutic interventions available, it’s important to find a mental health professional who can determine the best therapeutic approach for your situation. Whether you need couples therapy or help processing trauma, the right therapist can provide effective care that’s backed by scientific research. 

SonderMind makes it easy to connect with a licensed therapist who fits your needs and goals.