What is therapy?
A plain-English guide to how therapy works, the main types, and whether it could help you.
What actually happens in therapy?
At its core, psychotherapy (or just “therapy”) is a safe, supportive space where you can talk openly with someone trained to listen, understand, and help. It’s a way to work through challenges, gain insight into your patterns, and build tools to handle life’s ups and downs.
Good therapy isn’t just about problems. It’s about helping you grow, feel more grounded, and live the kind of life you want.
If you’ve ever searched for a therapist, you’ll know that there are many types of therapy. We lay out the most common below, with examples of the issues they can be great treatments for.
Does therapy work?
Yes. The evidence is substantial. Over 50 years of psychotherapy research has consistently demonstrated that talking therapy is effective for a wide range of mental health difficulties. But the research also reveals something important about why it works.
The single strongest predictor of whether therapy will be successful is the therapeutic alliance: the quality of the relationship between you and your therapist. This finding was established by Edward Bordin’s working alliance model in 1979 and has been confirmed repeatedly since, including in Horvath and Symonds’ 1991 meta-analysis of over 20 studies and Norcross and Lambert’s comprehensive 2018 review for the American Psychological Association.
Bruce Wampold’s landmark 2001 book The Great Psychotherapy Debate went further, demonstrating that the individual therapist matters more than the specific technique used. Luborsky and colleagues reached a similar conclusion in their 2002 review, sometimes called the “Dodo bird verdict”. The finding that most well-delivered therapies produce broadly similar outcomes, because the relationship is the active ingredient.
In the UK, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommends talking therapies as a first-line treatment for mild-to-moderate depression and anxiety disorders. The NHS Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme, now called NHS Talking Therapies, has treated over 8 million people since 2008 and reports reliable recovery rates of around 50 per cent. The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) publishes ongoing research supporting the effectiveness of counselling and psychotherapy across a range of conditions.
The evidence is clear: therapy works, and finding the right therapist for you is the single most important factor in making it work well. That is exactly what Aligned is built to do.
Psychodynamic Therapy
Digs deep into past experiences to uncover patterns shaping your present. It's about understanding unconscious influences and working through them.
Great for: Relationship issues; Identity struggles
Integrative Therapy
Many therapists will use a mix of different approaches tailored to you. The therapist picks what works best, for an approach that is flexible and personalised.
Great for: Addressing multiple challenges at once
Person-Centred Therapy
You lead the conversation. Instead of giving advice or analysing you, the therapist creates a supportive space where you can find your own answers.
Great for: Self-esteem; Fulfilment; Decision-making
Eye Movement Desensitisation & Reprocessing (EMDR)
Uses guided eye movements to help your brain process trauma. It's a fast, effective way to reduce distress from painful memories.
Great for: PTSD; Childhood Trauma; Phobias
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Teaches you to accept difficult emotions instead of fighting them. It aims to help you make choices that align with what truly matters to you in life.
Great for: Burnout; Managing pain; Overthinking
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
Helps you spot negative thought patterns and swap them for healthier ones. It's structured, shorter-term, and gives you practical tools to better handle life's challenges.
Great for: Anxiety; Depression; Breaking bad habits
Schema Therapy
Focuses on deep, long-standing patterns that develop in childhood and affect how you relate to yourself and others. Sessions can involve talking, role-play, and imagery work. Usually longer-term and more emotionally intensive than standard CBT.
Great for: Repeating relationship patterns; Chronic depression; Personality difficulties
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
Combines individual therapy with structured skills training in four areas: mindfulness, coping with crisis, managing emotions, and navigating relationships. Your therapist actively teaches you strategies, and there is typically homework between sessions.
Great for: Intense emotions; Emotional instability; Self-harm
Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT)
Designed for people who struggle with self-criticism, shame, or a harsh inner voice. Sessions involve understanding why your mind works the way it does and practising exercises to develop self-compassion, including breathing, visualisation, and compassionate letter-writing.
Great for: Self-criticism; Shame; Harsh inner voice
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
Views the mind as made up of different parts. An anxious part, a critical part, an avoidant part. Your therapist helps you get to know these parts, understand what they are trying to protect you from, and develop a healthier relationship with them.
Great for: Trauma; Anxiety; Self-sabotaging patterns
Existential Therapy
Explores the big questions: meaning, freedom, isolation, and mortality. Sessions feel philosophical and reflective. Your therapist helps you examine how you are living and whether it aligns with what matters to you. No homework or structured techniques.
Great for: Meaninglessness; Major life transitions; Identity questions
Mindfulness-Based Therapy (MBSR/MBCT)
Combines meditation and mindfulness techniques with therapeutic frameworks. You learn to pay attention to the present moment without judgment. MBCT blends mindfulness with CBT and is NICE-recommended for preventing recurrent depression.
Great for: Recurrent depression; Stress; Rumination
What does therapy cost?
Private therapy in the UK typically costs between £60 and £80 per session, depending on the therapist’s experience, training, and location. Specialist modalities like EMDR or couples therapy may cost more.
Sessions usually last 50 minutes and most people start with weekly appointments. Your therapist can help you decide on frequency once you’ve started.
You can choose between in-person and online therapy. Research shows that clinical outcomes are broadly comparable for both formats, though in-person sessions tend to rate slightly higher for building the therapeutic relationship. Online therapy is a strong option if it makes therapy more accessible for you: whether that means avoiding a commute, fitting sessions around work, or accessing a therapist who is not based near you.
Aligned’s matching service is free. You pay your therapist directly. There are no platform fees or subscriptions.
Question 2: Do I need therapy?
To be blunt, only you can answer that question! We think there’s a better question to ask, which is “Could therapy help me?”
Understanding that therapy can address more than just health or medical concerns can help you decide if it’s something you need. Below, we’ve listed six common use cases when therapy can certainly be helpful. If you see yourself reflected in any of these statements or challenges, then therapy is something to consider.
I want to solve a behavioural issue
- Sleep
- Impulsive behaviour
- Management of anger
I want to achieve personal growth
- Building confidence
- Building better habits
- Gaining a better understanding of oneself
- Finding fulfilment in life
I want help with big life changes
- Divorce
- Coping with illness
- Coping with a bereavement
I want to manage a health condition
- Anxiety
- Depression
- OCD
- Trauma and PTSD
I want help managing my relationships
- In love and romance
- With family
- At work
- Developing appropriate boundaries
I want help with identity issues
- Exploring sexuality
- Existential or spiritual concerns
- Ethnically or culturally focused issues
Our Therapists work with these issues, and many more