Treatment of mental illnesses can take various forms. They can include medication, talk-therapy, a combination of both, and can last only one session or take many years to complete. Many different types of treatment are available, but most agree that the core components of psychotherapy remain the same. Psychotherapy consists of the following:
1. A positive, healthy relationship between a client or patient and a trained psychotherapist
2. Recognizable mental health issues, whether diagnosable or not
3. Agreement on the basic goals of treatment
4. Working together as a team to achieve these goals
With these commonalities in mind, this chapter will summarize the different types of psychotherapy, including treatment approaches and modalities and will describe the different professionals who perform psychotherapy.