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Supportive psychotherapy

Supportive psychotherapy is a type of therapy rooted in empathy that is focused on creating a safe space and a strong connection between client and therapist. This type of therapy can be used alone or in conjunction with other therapeutic models and helps individuals build coping skills, improve their self-esteem, and address life’s challenges effectively. Through supportive therapy, your Geode provider will offer support as you work towards understanding yourself, your behavior, and how to manage difficulties in life.

How supportive psychotherapy works

The goal of supportive therapy is to create a safe environment where you can discuss your thoughts, feelings, and perspectives without fear of criticism. During supportive therapy sessions, your Geode therapist will encourage you to explore challenges in order to understand and learn from them instead of focusing on finding solutions.

Your supportive psychotherapist can provide guidance along the way and help you identify areas of your life that need attention or improvement. However, supportive psychotherapy is non-directive in nature and focuses more on providing a safe space for you to explore your feelings, rather than providing solutions to your problems for you.

Benefits of supportive psychotherapy

  • Supportive psychotherapy offers many benefits, including:

  • Improved self-esteem

  • Increased understanding of yourself

  • Improved relationships

  • Better coping skills

  • Improved communication skills

  • A stronger sense of resilience and optimism

  • Reduced symptoms of depression and anxiety

  • Increased feelings of safety and security within yourself

Supportive psychotherapy can help you build a healthier relationship with yourself and others by exploring your thoughts, feelings, needs, and goals in a safe and non-judgmental environment. It is a powerful tool for creating lasting changes in how you think, feel, and interact with the world around you.

How supportive psychotherapy differs from other types of talk therapy

Supportive psychotherapy is different from other types of talk therapy because it focuses more on self-exploration rather than providing solutions or guidance. This allows you to find the answers you need within yourself and build resilience to cope with life’s challenges. In other approaches to therapy, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, your therapist may work with you to find links between your thoughts and behaviors and then help provide strategies to modify these connections. A psychodynamic therapist, meanwhile, might focus on determining which past experiences have led to certain problematic thinking patterns so that you can unearth unknown triggers or causes of distress. Over time, the goal would be to accept your emotions without judgment and learn to manage them on your own.

Conditions supportive therapy can help treat

Supportive psychotherapy can be used to help a variety of mental health issues, including:

  • Depression
  • Anxiety

  • Trauma and PTSD

  • Grief and loss

  • Life transitions

  • Relationship issues

  • Stress

  • Low self-esteem

If you are struggling with any of these issues, supportive psychotherapy can help. To find the right therapist for your needs, search for a Geode provider near you.

Find supportive psychotherapy near you or online

If you are interested in supportive psychotherapy, our Geode providers are here to help. At Geode, we offer a range of mental health services, including supportive psychotherapy and other therapies that focus on helping individuals build resilience and cope more effectively with life’s struggles.

Our team of experienced and caring therapists is here to support you every step of the way. Contact us today to learn more about how supportive psychotherapy can help you.

If you are in crisis and in need of immediate support

Please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by dialing 988 or text the Crisis Text Line by texting HELLO to 741741