These therapies aim to help people understand and change repeated behaviors or interactions with others that have become outdated, ineffective or even harmful. Using concepts related to unconscious mental processes, these therapies evolved from principles developed by Sigmund Freud. Psychoanalysis, the purest form of these therapies, is used much less frequently today than 20 or 30 years ago, but psychoanalytic psychotherapies are widely used. Cognitive and behavioral therapies. J.B. Watson and B.F. Skinner.
Therapists focus on a person's conscious thoughts or behaviors.
Cognitive therapy, developed by Aaron T. Beck, M.D., examines distortions in thinking that lead to psychological problems. It is the most-studied therapy and is highly effective. A therapist may recommend individual therapy, group therapy or both. Group therapy uses interaction among group members to initiate change. The therapist may form groups on the basis of diagnosis, gender, age or other characteristics.