However, those individuals usually work in hospitals or clinics, or under the supervision of other licensed persons to provide their specialized services. There are many therapeutic styles that are useful to understand. Psychoanalytic, psychodynamic, psychodramatic and many other orientations of therapists may be licensed in various categories and ascribe to the ideas of dealing with unconscious processes from childhood and the effects on the present. The works of Freud, Jung, Adler, and others are the foundation for some of their work. This process has been around for a long time and is very useful in treatment, and this orientation is ascribed to by a significant number of therapists in all of the licensed fields.
Some therapists use behavior modification and conditioning techniques to effect change.
They may be social learning theorists or followers of Skinner and others, and are not particularly concerned with the person's history, but rather with modifying present behavior. Many therapists also use these techniques when necessary, though some therapists are primarily of this therapeutic style. Cognitive behavioral therapists and rational emotive therapists look at behaviors and thought processes in an attempt to provide a therapeutic intervention. Albert Ellis, Maxie Maultsby, Aaron Beck and others are leading theorists in the field, and are well respected and use techniques that are quite effective. They may look at historical processes, thought patterns, and how they effect present day functioning, and may bring about a rapid change in behavior.