{"id":14489,"date":"2016-04-21T11:00:15","date_gmt":"2016-04-21T10:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/?p=14489"},"modified":"2023-03-07T16:23:53","modified_gmt":"2023-03-07T16:23:53","slug":"what-is-integrative-therapy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/what-is-integrative-therapy.htm","title":{"rendered":"What is Integrative Therapy?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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By: Steven-L-Johnson<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

by Andrea M. Darcy<\/span><\/p>\n

Want to try therapy<\/a>, but can’t seem to choose between several different types that all seem promising? Integrative therapy could be the solution.<\/p>\n

What is integrative therapy?<\/h2>\n

It is just what it sounds like, <\/strong>a form of therapy that integrates different things. In this case it’s different forms of psychotherapy being combined together.<\/p>\n

The main idea behind integrative therapy is that you are unique.\u00a0 What would work perfectly for you is not necessarily what would work for other people. An integrative therapist works to make a program of therapy that suits your personal needs and issues.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Is it easy to find an integrative therapist?<\/h2>\n

Integrative therapy is one of the most popular types of therapy in the UK. <\/em><\/p>\n

Given the wide array of therapies on offer nowadays, most therapists have<\/strong> several forms of training. Or\u00a0 they have studied at a school that has a program of integrative therapy that unifies different schools of psychotherapeutic thought.<\/p>\n

What is the aim of integrative therapy?<\/h2>\n

The aim of integrative therapy is to<\/strong> help you explore what is causing you problems in life, and to then help you begin to approach life in a more open and productive way.<\/p>\n

But it is also about helping you function at your best levels in all areas of your life. <\/strong>This includes mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual.<\/p>\n

Integrative therapy is about integrating yourself<\/i>, and all of the various parts of your personality and being, into a balanced and effective whole.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The Main Theories of Integrative Therapy<\/h2>\n

1. There is no one theory that is the magic answer.<\/h3>\n

Integrative psychotherapy believes that the human psyche can be accessed and understood in different ways.<\/p>\n

2. Contradicting theories can work together.<\/h3>\n

Even if psychological theories appear to contradict each other, they might be helpful to you if they are combined.<\/p>\n

3. The client-therapist relationship is itself an important part of therapy.<\/h3>\n

Your integrative therapist commits to being part of your journey, and sees you as their equal. They work to be supportive and non-judgemental, and they listen with an open and present mind.<\/p>\n

\"integrative<\/a>

By: aka Tman<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

4. People, too, need be integrated.<\/h3>\n

Integrative therapy is not interested in just pulling together approaches to helping you. It’s also focused on pulling together the different components that make up your wellbeing. They look at ways to access and unite not just your behaviour, thoughts, and emotions, but also your physical wellbeing, social skills, and your sense of spirituality.<\/p>\n

5. You are a whole being.<\/h3>\n

Integrative counselling is fairly holistic, taking into account your mental and emotional wellbeing as well as your physical wellbeing.<\/p>\n

How integrative therapy works<\/h2>\n

Integrative therapy draws its theories and tools from the three main schools of psychotherapeutic thought. <\/strong>These are\u00a0psychoanalytical (which includes psychodynamic<\/a><\/span>), humanistic, and cognitive behavioural therapies.<\/p>\n

Psychoanalytical psychotherapy<\/span><\/h3>\n

Psychoan<\/a>alytical<\/a> therapy<\/a><\/span> explores your unconscious. It’s aim is to discover how your past experience has informed your\u00a0 present.It can involve tools like free association and dream analysis.<\/p>\n

Humanistic psychotherapy<\/span><\/h3>\n

Humanistic therapy<\/span><\/a> is interested in the inner resources you already have. It believes you know best what works for you and that we all have potential. A humanistic approach might look to the past to explain your current patterns of behaviours and thinking. But it mostly works with your current day issues.<\/p>\n

Cognitive behavioural therapy\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)<\/a><\/span> is mostly present focused. It is interested in the cycle between thoughts, feelings, and behaviours that can lead to low moods. By helping your troubleshoot your thinking and actions, it helps you feel better and cope better.<\/p>\n

Mindfulness<\/span><\/h3>\n

Mindfulness<\/a><\/span> is a tool that is often used by integrative therapists. It helps you be more present to what you are thinking, feeling, and experiencing right here and now. The idea is that stress and upset tend to come from our judgements of the past or worries about the future.<\/p>\n

How does an integrative therapist blend approaches?<\/h2>\n

Which approaches your therapist uses, and in what order, depend on you and what your issues and challenges are<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

For example, if you have come to see your integrative therapist as you are troubled by a childhood trauma<\/a><\/span>? They might use psychodynamic tactics to help you remember what happened, and to understand interpret your past. If this trauma has led you to behave in ways you don’t like, your therapist might then use cognitive behavioural techniques to help you recognise your thoughts and troubleshoot your reactions.<\/p>\n

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photo by Tima Miroshnichen for Pexels<\/p><\/div>\n

How is integrative therapy different than other forms of therapy?<\/h2>\n

Integrative therapy can be different to other forms of therapy because:<\/p>\n