Therapy & Recovery

A way of catching harsh thoughts and replacing them with more balanced, realistic ones.

A trauma therapy that helps people work through painful beliefs that formed after what happened.

Cognitive defusion is an ACT skill that teaches you to observe your thoughts as passing mental events rather than absolute truths — creating distance between you and your thinking mind.

A therapy that helps change unhelpful thought and behavior patterns.

A daily self-monitoring tool used in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) to track emotions, urges, behaviors, and skill use. Keeping this record every day is a valuable habit that helps you observe your inner state and create meaningful change.

The field of psychology focused on understanding, assessing, and treating mental health difficulties.

When a mental health condition is serious enough to make daily life difficult, inpatient treatment means staying at a hospital to receive intensive, round-the-clock care.

A theory created by Heinz Kohut that emphasizes the development of a healthy self, forming the foundation of his therapeutic approach.

A therapy that helps people respond to themselves with more warmth, especially when shame or self-criticism runs deep.

Self-help groups bring together people facing similar difficulties to share experiences, support one another, and recover together. Rather than being led by a professional, these are warm communities driven by the participants themselves.

A relapse is when mental health symptoms that had improved for a while come back again. Relapse is not a failure — it's a natural part of the recovery process.

The healing process of providing oneself (or receiving through therapy) the emotional nurturing that was missing or inadequate in childhood, fostering the growth of a healthier inner foundation.

A therapeutic writing method where you write down your thoughts and feelings to organize your mind and find healing. By putting your inner world into words, you can process emotions and gain deeper self-understanding.

A self-exploration technique developed by Carl Jung in which one consciously engages with images and emotions arising from the unconscious to explore the inner world.

A medical treatment that delivers brief, controlled electrical stimulation to the brain to restore its chemical balance, used when severe depression or other mental health conditions do not respond to medication.

A therapy that treats personality disorders by analyzing transference — the repetition of past relationship patterns — as it appears within the therapeutic relationship.

A therapeutic approach that flexibly combines techniques from various theories to best suit each individual client, rather than being bound to a single framework. It provides personalized care tailored to each person's unique needs.

A treatment method where you slowly approach feared situations step by step, gradually reducing anxiety along the way.

A therapy approach that improves relationships by strengthening emotional bonds. It is especially effective for couples therapy.

A comprehensive support process that helps people with serious mental health challenges live independent and meaningful lives in the community. It focuses not only on managing symptoms but also on restoring social functioning.

A therapy founded by Freud that explores unconscious conflicts to resolve psychological problems.

A therapy evolved from psychoanalysis that explores how unconscious patterns and past experiences shape your present life. It helps uncover the deeper roots behind recurring struggles.

Mentalization-Based Therapy (MBT) is a treatment that builds your ability to understand the mental states of yourself and others — called 'mentalization' — to improve relationships and emotional regulation. It is especially effective for treating borderline personality disorder.

Day treatment is a structured therapeutic program where you participate in treatment at a hospital or center during daytime hours without being admitted overnight. You can receive intensive mental health care while still maintaining your daily life.

Evidence-based practice means applying treatment methods whose effectiveness has been scientifically verified to clients. It integrates the best research evidence, clinical expertise, and the client's own values.

A standardized test that measures cognitive abilities. The Wechsler Intelligence Scale is the most widely used.

A therapy that helps people gradually overcome fear and avoidance by safely and repeatedly confronting trauma memories and related situations. It is one of the most evidence-based treatments for PTSD.

Mental health support provided where people actually live, study, and work, not only in hospitals.

A therapeutic approach that strengthens a client's existing strengths and helps maintain emotional stability. Rather than deep analysis, it focuses on building resilience and coping with current difficulties together.

Genuineness means the therapist meets the client as their true self, without wearing a mask or playing a role.

A treatment approach where people with similar struggles come together to support each other and grow.

A program that provides intensive treatment several times a week without requiring hospitalization, allowing you to continue daily life while participating in therapy.

The first session refers to the very first meeting between a counselor and a client. It is a precious first step where you get to know each other, set the direction of counseling together, and begin building a safe relationship.

A method of gradually reducing fear by imagining fearful stimuli while in a relaxed state, step by step.

Experiential therapy is a treatment approach that goes beyond talk alone, using activities like role-play, movement, and creative exercises to help you directly feel, express, and heal emotions.

Before starting counseling or therapy, an intake assessment is the first evaluation process conducted to understand a client's current condition and needs.

Hypnotherapy is a treatment that uses a hypnotic state to access the unconscious mind and create meaningful change.

A treatment plan is a detailed document in psychotherapy that outlines the client's goals, methods, and timeline for addressing their concerns. It serves as a recovery roadmap created collaboratively by the therapist and client.

Activities suggested by a counselor so you can practice what you learned in sessions directly in your everyday life.

Therapy goals are the specific outcomes a person wants to achieve through counseling or psychotherapy. They are set collaboratively by the therapist and client, and serve as a roadmap for guiding treatment and measuring progress.

The maintenance phase is the ongoing period of care after treatment has improved your symptoms, focused on sustaining those gains and preventing relapse.

Termination in therapy is the process of formally concluding counseling or psychotherapy. It's an important stage where you review the progress made during treatment and prepare to move forward on your own.

Post-Therapy Maintenance is the ongoing process of preserving recovery and preventing relapse even after formal therapy has ended. The key is consistently applying what you learned in therapy to your everyday life.

A therapeutic community is a communal living environment where people with similar struggles live together and help heal one another. The community itself becomes the primary tool of treatment.

The relationship of trust and collaboration between a therapist and client. It is the single most important predictor of treatment outcomes.

Eye contact in therapy refers to the therapeutic meaning and role of gaze between a counselor and client during the counseling process. Appropriate eye contact is a precious form of nonverbal communication that enhances feelings of safety and connection.

In group counseling, it means understanding and utilizing the natural flow of relationships and interactions that emerge among members.

Integration in therapy means combining the strengths of multiple psychological approaches, or the process of reconnecting separated inner experiences to find wholeness.

The special relationship that forms between a therapist and a client. It serves as the foundation of all therapy.

The therapeutic window refers to the optimal range of arousal in which a client can do the most effective therapeutic work. It's a balanced state where one is neither overwhelmed nor emotionally numb.