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Psychotherapy modalities

Update: Claude v4.8 (2026) version of an attempt to list 500 psychotherapy modalities - it managed to list 229.

1. Psychodynamic Therapies

Unconscious processes, early experience, and transference.

  1. Classical (Freudian) psychoanalysis
  2. Ego psychology
  3. Object relations therapy
  4. Self psychology
  5. Relational psychoanalysis
  6. Interpersonal psychoanalysis
  7. Analytical psychology (Jungian)
  8. Individual psychology (Adlerian)
  9. Lacanian psychoanalysis
  10. Kleinian analysis
  11. Modern psychoanalysis
  12. Character analysis
  13. Psychoanalytic psychotherapy
  14. Brief psychodynamic therapy
  15. Time-limited dynamic psychotherapy
  16. Intensive short-term dynamic psychotherapy (ISTDP)
  17. Supportive-expressive therapy
  18. Transference-focused psychotherapy (TFP)
  19. Mentalization-based treatment (MBT)
  20. Dynamic interpersonal therapy (DIT)
  21. Panic-focused psychodynamic psychotherapy
  22. Control-mastery therapy
  23. Accelerated experiential dynamic psychotherapy (AEDP)
  24. Affect phobia therapy
  25. Conversational model (psychodynamic-interpersonal therapy)
  26. Object relations couple therapy
  27. Interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT)
  28. Interpersonal and social rhythm therapy

2. Cognitive and Behavioural Therapies

Modifying thoughts, behaviours, and learned responses.

  1. Behaviour therapy
  2. Cognitive therapy
  3. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)
  4. Rational emotive behaviour therapy (REBT)
  5. Rational behaviour therapy
  6. Cognitive analytic therapy (CAT)
  7. Cognitive processing therapy (CPT)
  8. Schema therapy
  9. Rumination-focused CBT
  10. Unified Protocol for transdiagnostic treatment
  11. Exposure therapy
  12. Prolonged exposure
  13. Systematic desensitisation
  14. Flooding (implosive therapy)
  15. Aversion therapy
  16. Exposure and response prevention (ERP)
  17. Behavioural activation
  18. Applied behaviour analysis (ABA)
  19. Contingency management
  20. Token economy
  21. Habit reversal training
  22. Comprehensive behavioural intervention for tics (CBIT)
  23. Stress inoculation training
  24. Problem-solving therapy
  25. Self-instructional training
  26. Cognitive bias modification
  27. CBT for insomnia (CBT-I)
  28. Trial-based cognitive therapy
  29. Cognitive remediation therapy

3. Humanistic/Existential Therapies

Growth, meaning, and self-actualisation.

  1. Person-centred therapy
  2. Client-centred therapy
  3. Nondirective therapy
  4. Gestalt therapy
  5. Existential therapy
  6. Existential-humanistic therapy
  7. Existential analysis (Längle)
  8. Logotherapy
  9. Daseinsanalysis
  10. Emotion-focused therapy (EFT)
  11. Process-experiential therapy
  12. Focusing-oriented therapy
  13. Transactional analysis
  14. Reality therapy (choice theory)
  15. Provocative therapy
  16. Morita therapy
  17. Naikan therapy

4. Systemic and Family Therapies

Interactions within family systems and relationships.

  1. Structural family therapy
  2. Strategic family therapy
  3. Milan systemic therapy
  4. Bowenian (family systems) therapy
  5. Experiential family therapy (Satir)
  6. Symbolic-experiential family therapy
  7. Contextual therapy (Boszormenyi-Nagy)
  8. Functional family therapy
  9. Multisystemic therapy
  10. Brief strategic family therapy
  11. Family-based treatment (Maudsley)
  12. Object relations family therapy
  13. Open dialogue
  14. Reflecting team approach
  15. Emotionally focused couple therapy
  16. Imago relationship therapy
  17. Gottman method couples therapy
  18. Behavioural marital therapy
  19. Relationship enhancement therapy
  20. Prevention and Relationship Enhancement Program (PREP)
  21. Internal family systems (IFS)

5. Integrative and Eclectic Therapies

Combining modalities to fit individual need.

  1. Multimodal therapy
  2. Transtheoretical (stages of change) model
  3. Pluralistic therapy
  4. Integrative psychotherapy
  5. Systematic treatment selection
  6. Assimilative integration
  7. Technical eclecticism
  8. Common factors approach

6. Experiential Therapies

Direct experience, action, and the arts as the medium.

  1. Psychodrama
  2. Sociodrama
  3. Art therapy
  4. Music therapy
  5. Drama therapy
  6. Dance/movement therapy
  7. Poetry therapy
  8. Bibliotherapy
  9. Sandplay therapy
  10. Play therapy
  11. Child-centred play therapy
  12. Expressive arts therapy
  13. Phototherapy
  14. Writing therapy
  15. Authentic movement
  16. Encounter groups

7. Trauma-Informed Therapies

Designed around the needs of trauma survivors.

  1. Eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR)
  2. Somatic experiencing
  3. Sensorimotor psychotherapy
  4. Trauma-focused CBT (TF-CBT)
  5. Narrative exposure therapy (NET)
  6. Brainspotting
  7. Accelerated resolution therapy (ART)
  8. Trauma systems therapy
  9. Skills training in affective and interpersonal regulation (STAIR)
  10. Lifespan integration
  11. Comprehensive resource model
  12. Trauma-informed stabilisation treatment
  13. NeuroAffective Relational Model (NARM)

8. Body-Centered Therapies

The body's role in psychological change.

  1. Body psychotherapy
  2. Reichian therapy
  3. Orgone therapy
  4. Bioenergetic analysis
  5. Core energetics
  6. Radix
  7. Biodynamic psychotherapy (Boyesen)
  8. Hakomi method
  9. Pesso Boyden system psychomotor
  10. Integrative body psychotherapy (IBP)
  11. Body-mind psychotherapy
  12. Tension and trauma release exercises (TRE)

9. Developmental Therapies

Resolving issues tied to developmental stages and attachment.

  1. Attachment-based psychotherapy
  2. Circle of Security
  3. Developmental Needs Meeting Strategy (DNMS)
  4. Child-parent psychotherapy (CPP)
  5. Theraplay
  6. Filial therapy
  7. Parent-child interaction therapy (PCIT)
  8. Parent management training
  9. Triple P (Positive Parenting Program)
  10. Incredible Years
  11. Collaborative and proactive solutions

10. Third-Wave Cognitive Therapies

Mindfulness, acceptance, and contextual strategies.

  1. Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)
  2. Dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT)
  3. Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT)
  4. Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR)
  5. Mindfulness-based relapse prevention
  6. Functional analytic psychotherapy (FAP)
  7. Compassion-focused therapy (CFT)
  8. Compassionate mind training
  9. Metacognitive therapy
  10. Integrative behavioural couple therapy

11. Narrative and Constructivist Therapies

The role of personal meaning and story.

  1. Narrative therapy
  2. Personal construct therapy
  3. Coherence therapy
  4. Constructivist psychotherapy
  5. Collaborative therapy
  6. Solution-focused brief therapy
  7. Solution-oriented therapy

12. Transpersonal Therapies

Spiritual and self-transcending dimensions.

  1. Transpersonal psychotherapy
  2. Psychosynthesis
  3. Integral therapy
  4. Contemplative psychotherapy
  5. Core process psychotherapy
  6. Holotropic breathwork
  7. Christian counselling
  8. Pastoral counselling
  9. Spiritually integrated psychotherapy

13. Psychosocial and Community Therapies

Social and group context of well-being.

  1. Group analysis (Foulkes)
  2. Tavistock group relations
  3. Group psychotherapy
  4. Therapeutic community
  5. Multicultural therapy
  6. Social therapy
  7. Advocacy-based counselling
  8. Nidotherapy

14. Emerging and Modern Therapies

Technology-mediated and recent formats.

  1. Virtual reality exposure therapy
  2. Teletherapy and online modalities
  3. Digital mental health interventions
  4. Neurofeedback therapy

15. Alternative and Complementary Therapies

Often used alongside psychotherapy rather than within it.

  1. Hypnotherapy
  2. Ericksonian hypnotherapy
  3. Cognitive hypnotherapy
  4. Hypnoanalysis
  5. Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP)
  6. Thought field therapy
  7. Emotional freedom techniques (tapping)
  8. Tapas acupressure technique
  9. Energy psychology
  10. Yoga therapy

16. Brief and Single-Session Therapies

Time-limited, change-focused formats.

  1. Single-session therapy
  2. MRI brief therapy
  3. Strategic therapy
  4. Possibility therapy

17. Personality-Disorder–Specific Models

Structured programmes for severe personality pathology.

  1. General psychiatric management (GPM)
  2. Good psychiatric management
  3. Systems Training for Emotional Predictability and Problem Solving (STEPPS)

18. Positive and Well-Being Therapies

Building strengths and positive functioning.

  1. Positive psychotherapy (Seligman)
  2. Positive psychotherapy (Peseschkian)
  3. Well-being therapy
  4. Quality of life therapy

19. Older-Adult and End-of-Life Therapies

Ageing, dementia, and the end of life.

  1. Reminiscence therapy
  2. Validation therapy
  3. Cognitive stimulation therapy
  4. Dignity therapy
  5. Meaning-centred psychotherapy

20. Nature and Animal-Assisted Therapies

Animals and the outdoors as the therapeutic medium.

  1. Animal-assisted therapy
  2. Equine-assisted psychotherapy
  3. Wilderness therapy
  4. Adventure therapy
  5. Ecotherapy

21. Motivational and Parts-Based Approaches

Motivation for change and work with internal "parts."

  1. Motivational interviewing
  2. Method of levels therapy
  3. Voice dialogue
  4. Inner child work
  5. Reattribution therapy