Guide
Types of Therapy: A Plain-Language Guide
“Therapy” isn’t one thing — it’s a family of approaches, each with a different focus. Here’s a clear look at the main types (CBT, DBT, EMDR, ACT, IPT, and more), what each helps with, and how therapy works alongside psychiatric care. You don’t need to pick the “right” one on your own — a clinician helps match the approach to you.
Clinically reviewed by the Lyte Psychiatry Clinical Team · Last reviewed June 2026
How to think about “which therapy”
Different therapies suit different problems and different people. Some are structured and skills-based (like CBT and DBT), some are trauma-focused (like EMDR), and some are more exploratory (like psychodynamic therapy). What matters most is a good fit — the right approach, with a clinician you trust. Often the strongest results come from combining therapy with the right medical care.
The main approaches
Common types of therapy
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
The most widely used, evidence-based talk therapy. Focuses on the link between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, and on changing unhelpful patterns. Goal-oriented and time-limited.
Often helps with: Depression, anxiety, OCD, PTSD, and more
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
A structured form of CBT built around skills, mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness. Especially helpful for intense emotions and self-harm urges.
Often helps with: Emotion dysregulation, self-harm, borderline personality disorder
Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (EMDR)
A trauma-focused therapy that uses guided bilateral stimulation (often eye movements) to help the brain reprocess distressing memories. One of the most-studied PTSD treatments.
Often helps with: PTSD and trauma
Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Blends mindfulness with values-based action, learning to accept difficult thoughts and feelings while committing to what matters to you, rather than fighting every uncomfortable experience.
Often helps with: Anxiety, depression, chronic stress
Interpersonal Therapy (IPT)
A brief, structured therapy that connects mood to relationships and life transitions, grief, role changes, conflicts, and works on strengthening communication and support.
Often helps with: Depression, life transitions
Psychodynamic Therapy
Explores how past experiences and unconscious patterns shape present feelings and relationships, building self-understanding over time. Often less structured and longer-term.
Often helps with: Depression, anxiety, relationship patterns
Matching approaches
Which therapy for which problem
| Problem | Common starting point |
|---|---|
| Depression | CBT or IPT, often combined with medication |
| Anxiety and panic | CBT (including exposure work) or ACT |
| PTSD and trauma | EMDR or trauma-focused CBT |
| Intense emotions, self-harm urges | DBT |
| Recurring relationship patterns | Psychodynamic therapy or IPT |
| Chronic stress and burnout | ACT or mindfulness-based approaches |
These are common starting points, not rules. Your clinician will match the approach to your full picture.
Your care team
Who provides therapy at Lyte Psychiatry
Our therapists are licensed in Texas as LPCs, LCSWs, or LMFTs. Each holds a master’s degree, state licensure, and training in the approaches above. They see adults and adolescents, in person across Dallas–Fort Worth and by telehealth everywhere in Texas, with same-week availability and no referral needed. Because therapy and medication management live under one roof, your care team coordinates directly.
Find a therapist near you: Dallas · Fort Worth
Cost & insurance
What therapy costs
Lyte is in-network with most major Texas plans and verifies benefits before your first session. Most insured patients pay $0–$30 per visit. Without insurance, therapy in Texas typically runs $100–$250 per session. See our cost guide and insurance page for details.
How therapy fits with psychiatric care
Therapy and medication aren’t either/or. For many conditions, the strongest outcomes come from combining them — therapy builds skills and insight, while medication can ease symptoms enough to make that work possible. A psychiatric evaluation can help you understand which mix fits your situation, and coordinate care so the pieces work together.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about therapy
- How do I choose the right type of therapy?
- You do not have to decide alone. A clinician matches the approach to what you are dealing with, your goals, and your preferences, and a good fit with the therapist matters as much as the modality. It is normal to adjust the approach after a few sessions.
- How long does therapy take to work?
- Many evidence-based therapies like CBT and IPT are designed as structured courses of roughly 12–20 sessions, and many people notice change in the first 4–8 weeks. Longer-term approaches like psychodynamic therapy build over months. Your therapist will review progress with you regularly.
- Does insurance cover therapy in Texas?
- Most major Texas plans cover therapy like other outpatient care. At Lyte Psychiatry most insured patients pay $0–$30 per session, and staff verify your exact benefits before your first visit. Self-pay therapy in Texas typically runs $100–$250 per session.
- Is online therapy as effective as in-person?
- For most people and most conditions, yes. Research on teletherapy shows outcomes comparable to in-person care, with fewer missed sessions. Some situations still call for in-person care, and your clinician will tell you if that applies to you.
- Do I need therapy or medication?
- It is not either/or. Therapy builds skills and insight; medication can ease symptoms enough to make that work possible. For many conditions the strongest evidence supports combining them. A psychiatric evaluation helps you decide the right mix.
- What credentials should a therapist have?
- In Texas, look for a licensed professional counselor (LPC), licensed clinical social worker (LCSW), licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT), or a licensed psychologist. Licensure means graduate training, supervised clinical hours, and state board accountability.
Sources
Explore next
This page is for general education and is not medical advice or a substitute for care from your own clinician. If you are in crisis, call or text 988 (the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline), and for a medical emergency call 911.
Not sure which approach is right? Let’s figure it out
Our Texas psychiatry team can evaluate what’s going on and help you find the right mix of therapy and care. In-person in DFW or by video statewide. Same-week appointments available.
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