Alambana Details

Individual Therapy: Individual therapy allows a therapist—who might be a professionally trained psychologist, social worker, counselor, psychiatrist, or marriage and family counselo

Advantages of Individual Therapy

Individual therapy offers several advantages, including:

• Confidentiality The information shared during sessions remains completely private.
• One-on-one attention. This allows the therapist to be thorough in understanding the individual’s specific problems and develop an individualized approach to treatment.
• An intense and comprehensive level of analysis and treatment.
• Completely customized to the individual. For example, individuals who can handle more focused and intense interventions may benefit from a quicker therapy pace. On the other hand, individuals who require time to adjust may benefit from a slower-paced therapy.
• A strong therapeutic alliance, which refers to the working relationship between the individual and therapist. Research indicates that the therapeutic alliance is a key component of a successful therapy intervention.
• The development of self-awareness, which comes by discussing issues and getting feedback from the therapist.
• Flexible scheduling. The individual can arrange a time for the therapy sessions that is most conducive to their schedule.
• Quick appointments.]Thrtapy sessions can be arranged rather quickly, if needed.
• The development of better communication skills.
• An effective component in treating a broad range of mental health disorders.

Group Therapy

Dr. Joseph Hersey Pratt began group therapy sessions to instruct individuals in the care of tuberculosis.12 Pratt found that through shared experience and support, the members in the group benefitted emotionally. He began referring to his sessions as group psychotherapy. Group psychotherapy increased in popularity following World War II when therapists treated groups of combat veterans together and observed the positive effects from the group sessions.

Advantages of Group Therapy

There are a number of advantages to group therapy, including.

• The assurance that individuals aren’t alone. Other individuals share similar problems and struggles. Psychotherapist and author Dr. Irvin David Yalom, a longtime advocate of group therapy, terms this the principle of universality.
• The opportunity to receive and give support. Both of these notions are important in treatment. Receiving support from others is part of the bonding or therapeutic alliance that occurs in groups; whereas, giving support to others allows for growth and learning.
• A broader therapeutic alliance, which allows for the incorporation of different points of view.
• The development of communication and socialization skills, which allows individuals to learn how to express their issues and accept criticism from others.
• The development of self-awareness, which comes from listening to others with similar issues.
• The therapeutic nature that accompanies sharing one’s experiences with others who have similar problems.
• The feeling of having a broad safety net for individuals who may otherwise be hesitant to discuss their feelings and perceived weaknesses.
• The ability to model the successful behaviors of other individuals who have gone through similar experiences. Modeling is a form of learning where individuals learn by copying or imitating the actions of others.
• Cost. Group therapy is typically less expensive than individual therapy.