Evidence Based Mental Health Therapy Approaches

Many people are familiar with the term “evidence based” as it is used to refer to medical treatments. But most people aren’t aware that this term also applies to mental health treatments, in that there are certain approaches that have been studied rigorously and show strong evidence for their effectiveness in treating specific mental health conditions. This article will give an overview of the major evidence-based mental health therapy approaches, along with the most common conditions they are used to treat.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

CBT helps people modify unhelpful thinking and behavior patterns that may be keeping them stuck or exacerbating mental health conditions. It is structured, skills-based, and goal-oriented, and will often incorporate psychoeducation and worksheets in sessions as well as homework exercises between sessions. It is the most studied of all the evidence-based treatments because it can be more easily operationalized and measured than other therapy approaches.

Best Used For: Depression, anxiety disorders, OCD, PTSD, substance use disorders, eating disorders, insomnia.

Exposure Therapy

Exposures are behavioral experiments that are conducted in a safe, controlled environment. Exposures can be in vivo (in real settings), imaginal (using one’s imagination), interoceptive (using one’s bodily sensations), or with the assistance of virtual reality. With gradual repetition to feared situations, sensations, or memories, people learn to tolerate the anxiety and discomfort that occurs and learns that their fear will eventually subside. Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is a specific type of exposure that is used to prevent compulsions or rituals in OCD.

Best Used For: Anxiety and related disorders (phobias, social anxiety, panic disorder, OCD) and PTSD

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

DBT is a CBT-based approach that focuses on building mindfulness, emotion regulation, interpersonal effectiveness, and distress tolerance skills.

Best used for: Borderline Personality Disorder, as well as those who are experiencing emotion dysregulation, self-harm, or chronic suicidality. There is also some evidence supporting it’s use for substance use and eating disorders.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

ACT helps individuals change their relationship to situations, emotions, thoughts, and behaviors, rather than modifying the thoughts and behaviors themselves which is the case in CBT. It encourages values-based actions as well as acceptance and observance of difficult thoughts and emotions using techniques such as mindfulness or cognitive defusion (detachment from thoughts).

Best used for: Stress, anxiety, depression, chronic pain, substance use

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)

MBSR helps people cultivate nonjudgmental, present moment awareness and shift from reactivity towards more conscious and thoughtful responses. It incorporates techniques that trigger the body’s parasympathetic nervous system or relaxation response, such as meditation and deep breathing.

Best used for: Stress, anxiety, depression, chronic pain

Interpersonal Therapy (IPT)

IPT focuses on improving relationships, communication skills, and social dynamics. It can be especially effective for conflict resolution, role transitions, and working through periods of grief or isolation.

Best used for: Interpersonal issues, depression, grief, eating disorders

Motivational Interviewing (MI)

MI assesses an individual’s readiness for change and increases one’s motivation for change by resolving one’s ambivalence around making the change. It is highly collaborative and goal-oriented, which helps keep people accountable as they move through the various stages of change.

Best used for: Substance use, changing health or lifestyle behaviors, treatment compliance and engagement

Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

EMDR uses techniques such as eye movements, tapping, and sounds to promote bilateral stimulation in the brain. Research has shown that this enables people to process and integrate traumatic memories in a way that reduces distress and traumatic responses (e.g. reactivity, avoidance, etc.)

Best used for: PTSD, other trauma-related conditions

Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)

TF-CBT is a structured treatment designed to help children, adolescents and families overcome trauma. It combines CBT with narrative therapy, psychoeducation, and caregiver or family engagement and can be particularly helpful in the case of developmental trauma, or complex PTSD.

Best used for: PTSD among children and adolescents, complex trauma

Family-Based Treatment (FBT)

In FTB, parents are actively involved in restoring a child or adolescent’s nutrition and healthy eating patterns. As the child’s health begins to improve, they are given more control and the parents’ roles become less prominent.

Best used for: Eating disorders among children and adolescents

While this list is not exhaustive, it provides an overview of some of the most common evidence based mental health therapy approaches. Some of these approaches have more robust research than others and are even considered the “gold standard” for certain mental health conditions, such as CBT for anxiety or depression. When choosing a therapist, it can be helpful to look for someone who specializes in evidence based therapy so it increases the likelihood that your treatment will be effective for your specific concerns. If you would like to learn more about evidence based mental health therapy approaches click here or schedule a complimentary phone consultation with me here.