Types of Therapy — What They Are and What They're For
If a doctor, therapist, or website has thrown an acronym at you and you had no idea what it meant — this section is for you. These are the most common therapy types used in trauma recovery, explained in plain language, so you can walk into any therapeutic relationship knowing what you're getting into.
None of these is the only way. Most good therapists blend approaches. What matters most is finding someone you feel safe with — the specific modality matters less than the relationship.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
"A therapy that helps you notice the connection between your thoughts, feelings, and behaviours — and teaches you to challenge the ones that aren't serving you."
One of the most widely researched and evidence-supported therapies available. CBT works on the premise that our thoughts shape our feelings, which shape our behaviour. By identifying and challenging distorted or unhelpful thinking patterns, you can change how you feel and act. Widely used for anxiety, depression, PTSD, and trauma. Usually structured and time-limited — typically 12 to 20 sessions.
CBT is often the first therapy recommended by a family doctor or psychiatrist because of its strong evidence base. It works well for many people — though survivors of complex childhood trauma sometimes find it doesn't reach deep enough on its own, and benefit from combining it with body-based approaches.
Best for: anxiety, depression, PTSD, negative thought patterns, panic
WHAT SURVIVORS OFTEN SAY
"I'd spent years being told to 'just think positively.' CBT was different — it actually showed me how to notice a thought, question it, and replace it with something more accurate. It took practice. But it worked."
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
"A therapy that teaches you four core skills — mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotional regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness — for when emotions feel completely unmanageable."
Developed by Dr. Marsha Linehan, originally for borderline personality disorder but now widely used for trauma, self-harm, and emotional dysregulation. DBT balances acceptance and change — acknowledging that you are doing the best you can while also working toward doing better. Often involves individual therapy plus skills group work.
The four core DBT skills are: Mindfulness (staying present), Distress Tolerance (surviving a crisis without making it worse), Emotional Regulation (understanding and managing your emotions), and Interpersonal Effectiveness (communicating and maintaining relationships while respecting yourself). These are practical, learnable skills — not just concepts.
Best for: emotional dysregulation, self-harm, C-PTSD, intense emotional responses, relationship difficulties
WHAT SURVIVORS OFTEN SAY
"I used to go from zero to completely overwhelmed with no warning and no off switch. DBT gave me an actual toolkit. TIPP, the distress tolerance skills, the chain analysis — these were the first things that actually worked when I was in crisis."
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
"A therapy based on the idea that your mind is made up of different parts — and healing happens when those parts are understood and integrated rather than fought against."
Developed by Dr. Richard Schwartz, IFS understands the mind as a system of sub-personalities or 'parts' — each with its own perspective, feelings, and role. Some parts protect us, others carry the wounds of the past. The goal is to help all parts feel safe enough to unburden themselves and work together harmoniously under the guidance of what IFS calls the 'Self' — a calm, compassionate core that exists in everyone.
IFS has grown significantly in popularity in trauma therapy circles. It connects directly to the parts work in Align Your Mind — book #41 on the Still Here personal shelf — which is one of the reasons that book had such a profound impact. For survivors who experience internal conflict, self-criticism, or feel like they're 'fighting themselves,' IFS offers a radically compassionate alternative.
Best for: complex trauma, inner conflict, self-criticism, shame, parts work, recovered memories
WHAT SURVIVORS OFTEN SAY
"I always felt like there were different parts of me pulling in different directions. IFS was the first therapy that made sense of that — instead of trying to silence the angry part or the frightened part, I learned to listen to them. That changed everything."
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
"A therapy that teaches you to accept what you can't control and commit to actions that align with your values — rather than fighting your thoughts and feelings."
ACT doesn't try to eliminate painful thoughts or feelings — it helps you change your relationship to them. Through a process called 'defusion,' you learn to observe your thoughts without being controlled by them. By clarifying what truly matters to you — your values — ACT helps you move toward a meaningful life even while difficult feelings are still present.
ACT is part of what's called 'third wave' cognitive behavioural therapy and has strong research support for anxiety, depression, chronic pain, and trauma. The core message is that psychological suffering is a normal part of human experience — and that struggling against it often creates more suffering than the original pain.
Best for: anxiety, depression, chronic pain, trauma, values clarification, avoidance
WHAT SURVIVORS OFTEN SAY
"I kept trying to get rid of the anxiety before I could start living. ACT taught me I had it backwards. The anxiety might always be there — but I can move toward what matters anyway. That shift was huge."
Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)
"A structured therapy that helps you examine and reframe the beliefs about yourself and the world that trauma created."
CPT is one of the most evidence-supported treatments for PTSD. It focuses specifically on 'stuck points' — the beliefs that keep you from processing the trauma, such as 'it was my fault,' 'I should have done something,' or 'I am permanently damaged.' Through written accounts and structured exercises, CPT helps you examine and challenge these beliefs directly.
CPT was originally developed for sexual assault survivors and veterans and is widely used by trauma clinicians. It typically runs 12 sessions and involves homework between sessions. The written component can feel confronting — but for many survivors it is also deeply freeing to finally put the experience on paper and examine it from the outside.
Best for: PTSD, sexual trauma, self-blame, stuck grief, shame, distorted beliefs about yourself
WHAT SURVIVORS OFTEN SAY
"The stuck points exercise was the hardest thing I ever did in therapy. Writing down 'it was my fault' and then having to argue against it — actually look at the evidence — that was when things started to shift. I'd been carrying that belief my entire life."
Narrative Therapy
"A therapy that helps you separate your identity from your trauma — and rewrite the story of your life from a position of strength rather than damage."
Narrative therapy is built on the idea that the stories we tell about ourselves shape our identity. Trauma often creates a dominant story of damage, weakness, or shame — a story that can feel like the whole truth about who you are. Narrative therapy helps you identify the values, strengths, and moments that trauma couldn't touch — and use those to build a new, richer story of who you are.
A key technique is 'externalizing the problem' — treating the trauma, the depression, or the shame as something separate from you, rather than something that defines you. 'I am not damaged' becomes 'I have been damaged by something that happened to me.' That shift in language is more powerful than it sounds.
Best for: identity work, shame, self-narrative, reclaiming your story, meaning-making
WHAT SURVIVORS OFTEN SAY
"I had always described myself as a broken person. Narrative therapy helped me see that was a story — one I'd been given, not one I'd chosen. Learning to find the other parts of my story, the ones where I was strong, the ones where I survived — that's when I started to see myself differently."
Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE)
"A therapy that gradually helps you face memories and situations you've been avoiding — so they lose their power over time."
PE works on the principle that avoidance maintains PTSD. When we avoid trauma memories or situations that remind us of the trauma, we prevent our nervous system from learning that the memory is not the same as the danger. By gradually and safely confronting these memories and avoided situations, the distress response decreases over time.
PE typically involves two types of exposure: imaginal exposure — revisiting the trauma memory in detail in session — and in-vivo exposure — gradually facing avoided situations in real life. It requires courage and commitment, and is best done with a trained therapist who can guide the pace carefully. Not recommended as a first step if you are currently in crisis or have significant dissociation.
Best for: PTSD, avoidance patterns, phobias related to trauma, intrusive memories
WHAT SURVIVORS OFTEN SAY
"I avoided everything that reminded me of what happened. Certain streets, certain smells, certain songs. PE helped me face those one at a time, with support. It was hard every single time. But eventually, the memory stopped being a threat. It became something that happened — not something still happening."
EMDR — Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing
Plain language: "A therapy that helps your brain finally process memories it got stuck on — using eye movements to unlock what talking alone couldn't reach."
EMDR was developed by Dr. Francine Shapiro in the late 1980s and uses bilateral stimulation — most commonly guided side-to-side eye movements — while the person briefly focuses on a traumatic memory. EMDR is one of the most evidence-supported trauma treatments available. Recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). Sessions typically range from 6 to 12 or more with a trained therapist. To find an EMDR-trained therapist, search Psychology Today using the 'EMDR' filter.
Best for: Trauma memories that feel stuck or unprocessed, PTSD, C-PTSD, sexual trauma, childhood abuse, memories with intense emotional charge, flashbacks, body-based trauma responses, situations where talk therapy alone hasn't been enough
WHAT SURVIVORS OFTEN SAY
"I was skeptical — it sounded strange and almost too simple. But EMDR moved something in me that years of talking about what happened never could. It wasn't comfortable. But it worked."
Somatic Therapy
Plain language: "Therapy that works through the body — not just the mind — because trauma lives in both."
Somatic therapy encompasses approaches that recognize trauma is stored in the body, not just in memory. Examples include Somatic Experiencing, EMDR, and trauma-sensitive yoga. Particularly valuable for survivors who find that talk therapy alone doesn't reach the deepest layers of their experience.
Best for: Trauma stored in the body, dissociation, numbness, chronic tension or pain with no medical cause, freeze response, survivors who find talk therapy doesn't reach deep enough, body awareness work, nervous system regulation, later stages of trauma healing
WHAT SURVIVORS OFTEN SAY
"I'd talked about what happened for years. It was my body that finally had to catch up."