About Psychotherapy

The idea of helping people through conversation and understanding is certainly not new. The roots of therapeutic approaches can be traced back centuries, but modern psychotherapy began to take shape during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

One of the most influential figures was Sigmund Freud, whose work with Josef Breuer helped develop the idea of the “talking cure”. Freud believed that exploring thoughts, memories and unconscious processes could help people understand difficulties that were affecting them. His work became the foundation for psychoanalysis and influenced many of the therapies that followed.

Psychotherapy continued to evolve throughout the 20th century. Carl Rogers developed the person-centred approach during the 1940s, Rogers believed that people have an innate tendency towards growth, development and becoming more fully themselves. He called this the actualising tendency. Given the right therapeutic conditions the individual can begin to grow and move towards their full potential.

Later, behavioural and cognitive approaches developed, eventually contributing to Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and many other approaches used today.

Today, psychotherapy encompasses many different approaches, but at its heart remains something wonderfully human: being heard, understood and supported in exploring the thoughts, feelings and experiences that can influence the way we live our lives.

Perhaps one of the most important developments over the years is the recognition that there isn't one approach that suits everyone. Modern therapy can draw upon different ideas and techniques, allowing the therapeutic process to be tailored to the individual.