Talk therapy, conversational psychotherapy or client-centered psychotherapy refers to a therapeutic method from the field of humanistic psychology.
What is talk therapy?
Basically, talk therapy is understood as a kind of tool that helps the client to appropriately process what he or she has experienced through self-exploration and to change wrong behavior through insight. In talk therapy, as the name suggests, the focus is on talking. It is also called client-centered psychotherapy, because it puts the client and his statements in the foreground, verbally as well as non-verbally. The psychologist Carl R. Rogers, who gained access to research opportunities through his teaching activities at American universities in the 1940s and 1950s, is considered the founder of this method. As part of this research, he tried to find out how a person can better process experiences and talk about them, in order to come to a new insight in the course of the conversation and thus bring about a change in behavior. He researched the conditions that are necessary for this. Like many other therapy models, talk therapy developed over the years. Basically, talk therapy is understood as a kind of instrument that helps the client to appropriately process what he has experienced through self-exploration and to change wrong behavior through insight. This method of conversation is not only found in therapies, but has also become a part of supervision, student-centered teaching, and counseling.
Function, effect, and goals
Talk therapy is used for many mental illnesses. Whether as a stand-alone method or in combination with other therapeutic methods and/or drug treatment. In talk therapy, it is assumed that every person has an urge for self-actualization and already carries the necessary resources for this within himself. Normally, a healthy person is powerful, his thinking and acting purposeful and conscious. Disturbed processes and impairments are therefore based on wrong learning processes and block the possibility of self-realization. With the help of talk therapy these blockades should be recognized and solved by the patient. At first glance, talk therapy seems to focus on what the patient has experienced. In the course of the conversation, however, the focus is primarily on how the client experienced the traumatic event, which emotions played a role, and what conclusions he or she drew from it. Through the reappraisal, the client should gain new insights on his own and thus be able to re-evaluate what he experienced. Consequently, he will also change his behavior through this gained insight. Talk therapy is not about setting a concrete goal. Through the conversation, a course automatically develops. The therapist leaves this process to the patient as far as possible and creates the framework conditions that make it possible for the client to talk about his experiences and problems, to gain insights himself and to question his actions. The talk therapist acts empathically and authentically and takes the affected person and his or her emotional life seriously without judging him or her. The core of talk therapy is based on mutual acceptance and appreciation of the client. A person who does not feel judged and does not have to worry about a possible evaluation is more willing to talk about himself and his possible mistakes. Thus, the basis for change is created.
Criticism and dangers
There is insufficient risk research in the field of talk therapy. Due to its client-centered approach and the greatest possible acceptance of the client, it largely satisfies ethical requirements. Dangers and risks therefore exist mainly through the patient and his personality structure as well as concerning the therapist. A client who is not open to further development and change will hardly be able to achieve success. A therapist who does not react empathically and authentically and dominates the course of the conversation in a negative way can not only cause the therapy to fail, but also cause further serious psychological damage, especially in the case of highly insecure clients. It is therefore advisable to choose the appropriate therapist carefully. Since there are now many different directions of talk therapy, an appropriate pre-selection should be made.In the case of severe trauma, for example, talk therapy with specialization in the field of trauma therapy is recommended. In this way, important factors for the success of talk therapy are laid from the very beginning.
