Psychotherapy is an effective method of treating mental health problems. It helps people struggling with various difficulties, such as depression, anxiety, emotional or personality disorders, addictions, as well as problems with self-esteem or interpersonal relationship difficulties.

There are many myths surrounding psychotherapy that have become widespread and may discourage people who need professional help from seeking it.

What are the most common myths about therapy and to what extent does psychotherapy work and is it effective?

Myth 1: Only severely disturbed people benefit from psychotherapy

This is one of the most common myths about psychotherapy.

Psychotherapy is helpful for people struggling with many problems of varying degrees of severity.

Mental suffering, problems with emotions or lack of satisfaction are examples of areas where psychotherapy effectively helps.

Just as we are not ashamed of visiting the doctor for health problems (even those that do not cause, restrictions in our daily functioning), there is no reason to be ashamed of using psychotherapy if we are experiencing difficulties or mental suffering.

Myth 2: Psychotherapy is like talking to a friend

The similarity ends in the fact that both a conversation with a close friend and psychotherapy are meetings in an atmosphere of understanding and trust.

However, psychotherapy is a process led by a trained and experienced professional, in which goals are set and proven methods are used to achieve them.

The psychotherapist is independent and sees the client and his/her problems objectively - and has the necessary psychological knowledge. Moreover, he or she is not entangled in a relationship with another person.

Psychotherapy cannot be conducted by people who know each other privately, as this interferes with the independence and objectivity of the process.

Myth 3: In psychotherapy you focus on your childhood

Psychotherapy does not focus on your childhood but on the current state of the person.

How a person functions today was shaped in childhood and therefore information about it is collected in psychotherapy , but this is usually not a key area of work.

Myth 4: Psychotherapy takes years

The length of the psychotherapy process is an individual issue and depends on the situation, needs and goals of the client.

Most psychotherapy lasts for several dozen sessions.

The aim of psychotherapy is to make the client more independent in dealing with difficulties, rather than meeting for therapy sessions for years.

Professional psychotherapy often uses what is called a psychotherapeutic contract, which allows the process to be controlled according to the agreed guidelines.

Myth 5: Psychotherapy solves all problems

Psychotherapy does not work like a magic pill.

In therapy, goals are set and, with the help of the psychotherapist, one by one, they are achieved.

The success of therapy also depends on the patient's motivation and commitment to the therapeutic process.

For many people, psychotherapy is something groundbreaking and life-changing, but such a feeling is not a prerequisite for psychotherapy to be successful.

Effectiveness of psychotherapy

Research on the effectiveness of psychotherapy has been going on for decades and shows unequivocally that psychotherapy is effective. For more severe mental disorders, psychotherapy combined with pharmacotherapy is most effective.

The most evidence for the effectiveness of psychotherapy is provided by the scientific literature in relation to cognitive behavioural therapy, particularly for disorders of the anxiety spectrum and disorders of an emotional nature (depression).

Online psychotherapy (via online instant messaging) has also been proven to be as effective as traditional in-office psychotherapy.

Psychotherapy is a convenient and effective form of treatment for mental suffering or psychological problems, and the myths that are spread about it are damaging because they discourage people who need help from seeking therapy.