Cognitive Behavioural Therapy assumes that there is an important relationship between thoughts/beliefs, feelings and behaviours. Thoughts or beliefs that people have about themselves or a situation can affect how they feel, and therefore how they behave. For example, if someone thinks that people at a party will be judgemental, then they will likely feel anxious about the party. This worry may lead them to avoid the party or behave in a way that reduces their anxiety (e.g., not talking much). CBT helps people to evaluate whether their thoughts are realistic and/or leading toward a life worth living, and to gradually test their anxieties through a graded hierarchy of experiments. This treatment is recommended by the World Health Organisation for a wide range of issues, including anxiety disorders, PTSD, mood disorders and psychotic disorders.

Internal Family Systems (IFS) is a therapy that assumes that we all have different parts. Think about a time where you’ve had mixed thoughts and feelings toward a situation: where part of you feels one way, and part of you feels another. This illustrates the concept of parts. IFS assumes that these parts can be subdivided into their functions: vulnerable parts that hold painful past experiences, and other parts that are designed to protect us from the pain that these vulnerable parts hold. Protector parts either try to keep our vulnerable parts out of awareness (e.g., aiming for perfection, workaholism), or try to reduce pain when it inevitably arises (e.g., by overeating, drinking, numbing). Because IFS assumes that all parts are trying to help us (even if the end result is not helpful), all parts are welcomed. This avoids parts becoming more extreme because they are being suppressed, pushed away or ignored, and allows for non-judgmental exploration, with an eventual aim to have all parts working in harmony.  

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) is a skills-based therapy that focuses on helping people to be present to their lives, regulate their emotions, find ways to manage their distress without engaging in behaviours that make situations worse, and to improve their relationships with other people. It is primarily designed to assist those who struggle with emotional dysregulation, and is a recommended treatment for borderline personality disorder.