Tokyo Counseling and Psychotherapy

Psychodynamic psychotherapy is a form of what is called ‘depth psychology,’ the primary focus of which is to reveal the unconscious content of a client’s psyche in an effort to alleviate psychic tension. In this way, it is similar in approach and technique to psychoanalysis. Central to most forms of psychotherapy are exploration of the client`s past, often early, formative, childhood years, how the client relates to people in their life in the ‘here and now,’ often interpreted through object relations theory, and the relationship that develops between therapist and client, referred to as ‘transference.’ This form of therapy can be seen as psychoanalysis adapted to a less intensive style of working, usually with therapist and client meeting once or twice per week. The principal theoretical underpinnings of psychodynamic psychotherapy rest upon the work of Freud, Klein, Winnicott, Guntrip, Bion, Jung and Lacan. Principles of psychodynamic psychotherapy has been used in individual psychotherapy, group psychotherapy and family therapy.

Cognitive Analytic Therapy (known colloquially as CAT) is a modern, time limited, brief psychological intervention that grew out of the work of Dr Anthony Ryle, a UK General Practitioner and psychoanalyst. Cognitive Analytic Therapy incorporates elements of theory from Object Relations Theory, Bowlby`s Attachment Theory, Vygotskian learning theory and Cognitive Psychology. It has a number of distinctive features including the use of questionnaires, and shared letters and diagrams created collaboratively between client and therapist to help the client make sense of their problems. Therapy usually takes place in once-weekly sessions for 16 or 24 weeks, with follow-up sessions to help clients maintain gains. It is a popular psychotherapy in UK and is used commonly in NHS settings with to help those with depression, anxiety disorders, emotional instability and who have been subject to trauma. For more information on CAT, see the Association for Cognitive Analytic Therapy website.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is a psychological intervention that grew out of the work of Professor Aaron Beck, with as the name suggests, roots in both behavioural theory and cognitive theory. CBT is now the most widely studied psychological treatment with robust scientific evidence supporting its use in a huge variety of different settings. In particular, randomized controlled trial evidence has demonstrated the effectiveness of CBT in treating a wide variety of psychological problems such as depressive disorders, anxiety disorders including panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, PTSD and OCD, psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia, body dysmorphic disorder, and many disorders of substance abuse. Many practitioners speak more broadly about `Cognitive Therapies` rather than CBT as a unitary treatment, and types of cognitive therapy have multiplied. Contemporary cognitive therapy can be divided into 3 broad ‘generations’ in terms of their evolution. What are often referred to as `third wave` cognitive therapies such as ACT and MBCT include popular techniques of mindfulness. For more information on CBT, see the Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.