To answer this question, I would suggest taking a small step back and considering how any particular disorder or mental issue arises in the first place. Modern psychotherapy follows what is known as the biopsychosociospiritual model of pathology development. What does this mean?
It means that the development of a particular problem is influenced by various factors. What are these factors?
The first is the biological factor – our genetics, physiology, biology, and nervous system characteristics we are born with.
On the other hand, there’s our psyche. Each of us is unique. Each person’s psyche is different, so the development of a problem is influenced by an individual’s perception, thinking style, affectivity, and emotional nature.
Another factor is society – the family we come from, the country we live in, the kindergarten and school we attended, and the people who surrounded us throughout life. One way or another, this society shapes us and also influences the development of mental pathology.
The next factor is the noetic dimension of a person. This includes personal values, which differ from person to person, and individual meanings that also contribute to the development of problems.
Therefore, we cannot single out one factor that influences the development of a disorder. There is no predominant factor. Only the combination of these factors shapes the particular problem we face.
Modern psychotherapy, therefore, operates on two fronts simultaneously.
On one hand, there’s medical support, medication therapy. The patient consults with a psychiatrist or psychotherapist who prescribes appropriate medication therapy.
For example, if a person suffers from anxiety, this medication therapy helps them manage the anxiety, reduce these symptoms, and calm their inner state. If someone is depressed, medical support helps them return to their usual, normal state.
However, medications are not a cure-all. Modern psychotherapy, therefore, offers medication support on one side.
This is very important and necessary. And, on the other hand, it offers individual psychotherapy with a psychotherapist or clinical psychologist.
Individual psychotherapy aims to identify dysfunctional thoughts and beliefs that hinder a person’s life, understand behaviors or behavioral patterns that may be rigid and obstructive, and help them manage and control their emotions. Overall, it involves learning self-regulation, self-management, and self-support.
The modern approach to treating mental disorders and issues lies precisely in the combination of these two key factors – medication therapy and individual psychotherapy.