The answer

The term “talking therapies” covers a whole range of interventions:

Counselling is probably the best known and involves an individual talking to a specially trained counsellor to get their thoughts in order. It is particularly useful for people who are generally healthy but are experiencing a crisis, for example, a bereavement, serious illness, relationship breakdown or infertility

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) aims to move individuals away from unhelpful behaviour patterns and into a more positive way of thinking. It is often advocated for mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder, as there is a significant amount of supporting evidence. It can be delivered in one-to-one sessions, via online courses, or there are many self help books on the topic

Family therapy involves one or more therapists working with a whole household so they better understand the problems being experienced by their loved ones – such as, substance abuse, separation, sudden or chronic illness and behavioural issues – and so are able to communicate and work through them

Relationship counselling, sometimes known as couples therapy, sees both partners talking about what has gone wrong between them, learning about what the other needs and working on changing things to improve the situation

Group therapy involves several people who have a problem in common – such as alcoholism – working with a therapist on a sessional basis to support and advise each other, and reduce the sense of isolation

Interpersonal therapy (IPT) is generally used for depression sufferers to help them identify and address problems that they are having in their close relationships

Behavioural activation encourages individuals, often those with depression, to adopt a more positive attitude and approach activities they are avoiding, for example getting into the habit of planning if this has been difficult and not doing so has held them back

Mindfulness supports people in focusing on their thoughts and feelings without becoming overwhelmed, and is helpful for a range of problems from depression and stress to anxiety and addiction. It is sometimes combined with CBT or techniques such as meditation.