Different “Kinds” of Therapy: What’s With All These Acronyms?

Hello and welcome back to my blog!

One question I get asked a lot is, “What kind of therapy do you actually do?”

If you’ve read the About Me section on my home page, you’ll see I mention a few different “kinds” of therapy: CBT, DBT, Schema Therapy, and EMDR. These are just a few of the many therapeutic modalities that exist in the therapy world. There isn’t one single “best” type of therapy. Just like every person is unique, every therapy journey needs to be unique too.

This article is a quick peek into the different kinds of therapy I most often draw from. And before we dive in, as usual, here’s an obligatory picture I took somewhere in Kalgoorlie recently.

A glorious spring sunset at the Kalgoorlie Arboretum

CBT: The Foundation of Change

CBT stands for Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. Think of it as the bedrock of modern talk therapy. At its heart, CBT is about understanding the connection between your thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. The core idea is that by changing unhelpful thinking patterns or problematic behaviours, we can change how we feel.

What it’s useful for: It’s incredibly effective for a wide range of issues, especially anxiety, depression, and managing stress. It’s very practical and skills focused.

A quick example: If you find yourself constantly thinking, “I'm going to fail this presentation,” (thought), you might feel intense anxiety (feeling) and then avoid preparing (behaviour). In CBT, we would work on identifying that thought, challenging its accuracy, and replacing it with a more balanced one, like, “I'm nervous, but I've prepared and I can handle this.”

DBT

DBT stands for Dialectical Behaviour Therapy. It’s an approach that evolved out of CBT and was originally developed to help people experiencing the deep inner tension and emotional conflict often seen in borderline personality disorder (BPD). Over time, it’s been shown to be just as helpful for many other situations of emotional distress, including Complex Trauma, PTSD, anxiety, and difficulties managing intense emotions.

The word ‘dialectical’ means bringing together two truths that seem opposite — like accepting yourself exactly as you are and working hard to change. It teaches skills across four key areas:

Say someone feels overwhelmed by anger or panic. A DBT distress tolerance skill like TIPP (Temperature, Intense Exercise, Paced Breathing, Paired Muscle Relaxation) can help calm the body’s stress response in the moment, so they can respond thoughtfully instead of reacting impulsively.

Schema Therapy

Schema Therapy is one of the most profound and transformative approaches I use, especially when we notice patterns that keep showing up in your life, like the same type of relationship, the same feeling of not being “good enough,” or recurring experiences of rejection or abandonment.

It focuses on your core emotional needs (like emotional security and autonomy) and identifies early maladaptive schemas, which are deeply ingrained, self-defeating patterns that started in childhood when those needs weren’t fully met.

What it’s useful for: Schema Therapy is particularly helpful for chronic issues, long-term low self-esteem, anxiety, depression, or recurring relational difficulties, because it aims to address the root of the problem, not just the surface symptoms.

Example: Someone who grew up feeling ignored might develop a “Defectiveness/Shame” schema. As an adult, they may constantly seek approval and sabotage close relationships, convinced others will eventually see how “flawed” they are. In Schema Therapy, we work to heal that “child part” and replace old coping patterns with healthy adult responses.

Some key tools in this work include imagery rescripting and chair work, which help make these patterns visible and actively change how they’re processed — though I will get into this stuff in a separate post down the track!

EMDR: Reprocessing Trauma

Finally, there is EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing). This is a specialised approach that I use with clients who have experienced trauma, whether it’s a single, overwhelming event or a series of difficult experiences. The theory is that traumatic memories are stored in the brain in a way that makes them feel ‘stuck’ and constantly present.

What it’s useful for: It is highly effective for treating Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and other trauma-related symptoms. It helps the brain reprocess the memory so that it is stored correctly as a memory of the past, not a threat in the present.

During an EMDR session, we focus on a distressing memory while using bilateral stimulation (often following my hand with your eyes or using hand-held buzzers). This process seems to help the brain move the memory from the emotional, fight-or-flight part of the brain to the part that can process and integrate it, leading to a significant reduction in distress.

Eye movements is just one example of bilateral stimulation, which mimics the effects of Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep.

I also wrote a separate article introducing EMDR therapy here if you’d like to read more!

Final thoughts

If all these acronyms still feel like a lot, don't worry. That’s my job! When you come to Red Earth Counselling, you don't need to choose a therapy. You just need to show up.

My commitment is to use my knowledge of these powerful, evidence-based approaches to create a plan that is as unique as you are. We’ll mix and match, we’ll adjust, and we’ll collaborate every step of the way to ensure your therapy is effective, meaningful, and helps you build the life you truly want.

If you’re ready to start the conversation, please reach out. I look forward to hearing from you. Thanks for reading!