What Type of Therapy Is Right for You? A Beginner’s Guide to CBT, DBT, EMDR & More
Written on Jun 5th 2025
So you’ve finally decided that you need therapy. Excellent – you’re already on the path to recovery and a happier, more fulfilling life.
But how do you choose the therapy that works best?
Although we try to keep things as simple as possible, this isn’t always an easy decision. After all, choosing a therapist and the right type of therapy is a crucial decision that will affect the outcome of your journey. Each therapist will have their own specialisms and preferred approaches, and each of these will suit different people, problems or situations.
For example, people suffering from anxiety or depression might benefit from CBT, whereas others struggling with traumatic memories might benefit more from EMDR.
Still, when you need mental health support, it’s important to keep things as simple and transparent as possible. We’ll delve into the types of therapy we provide at Dr Jo Gee Psychotherapy, and how you can decide which therapeutic approach will work best for you.
Here are a few tips and questions to ask yourself to help when choose which therapy is best for you.
There’s a reason you’ve finally decided to have therapy, so keep this reason at the forefront of your mind. Certain types of therapy are more effective in dealing with particular problems. For example, CBT is an effective therapy for anxiety, depression and OCD, DBT helps people who struggle with emotional regulation, self-harm or BPD, and EMDR is effective for treating trauma and PTSD.
So, whether it’s anxiety, trauma or relationship issues, make sure you’re aware of the struggles you want to address.
It’s not a problem if you don’t know the differences between therapeutic approaches – in fact, most people don’t! We’ll go through different therapist later on, but here are a few key differences you need to understand first.
If find a therapy you like the sound of, just check it meets some of these criteria and preferences to make sure it’s the best fit. If you’re not sure, feel free to ask the clinic. We’re always happy to talk you through your options!
Knowing what you want to get out of therapy and sharing that with the clinic at the outset will ensure you start the right type of therapy as you begin your journey.
Think about your goals for therapy. Do you want to:
Share these with your therapist, so you can work together to meet any objectives you have.
It’s also worth sharing if you want short-term or long-term relief. Is your problem is a chronic struggle you’ve experienced over a long period of time, or just a difficult period of your life that you need support with? This can also help steer you towards the most effective therapy.
Finally, decide what you want from each session. Do you want coping strategies and practical tools to help manage symptoms? If so, communicate that clearly as soon as you can. Alternatively, you might prefer your therapist to help you explore your deeper emotions to understand the root causes of your problems. The therapeutic approach you decide on will alter what you and your therapist do in each session.
If there’s a specific style of therapy that appeals to you more, you might be able to select that. For example, structured therapies follow a clear framework, often with goals, worksheets and sometimes a bit of homework. These include therapies like CBT and DBT. Alternatively, open-ended therapies are more exploratory and flexible, focusing on emotional depth. These include Compassion-Focused Therapy and trauma therapies like EMDR and DBR.
You might even have some preferences when it comes to the therapist instead of the therapy itself. If you have any cultural, religious or gender considerations or preferences, do let the clinic know when you contact them.
It’s great that you’ve decided to have therapy, but make sure you’ve thought about all the practical considerations before beginning your journey.
The important thing is not to worry. You don’t have to commit to one specific therapy or therapist forever. It’s okay to try a few sessions first to see how you get on, and then either change therapists or the type of therapy if it’s not a right fit.
Quick Tip: Don’t agonise over the right type of therapy too much. Sometimes, a good fit with your therapist is even more important – trust and connection matter!
There are hundreds of different types of therapy in the world – more than we can cover here and more than anyone can provide in one clinic. However, at Dr Jo Gee Psychotherapy, we offer some of the most popular and effective therapies for comprehensive mental support. In all likelihood, the best therapy for you will be one of the following:
CBT is an evidence-based therapy that’s widely recommended by the NHS and NICE guidelines. It focuses on the here and now rather than digging into the past, aiming to identify and change unhelpful thoughts, behaviours and patterns.
CBT sessions are structured, goal-oriented and time-limited, typically going on for six to twenty sessions. Patients are sometimes given homework tasks or tools to practice in between sessions. This helps them build a range of coping strategies, challenge negative thinking and develop healthier behaviours.
Best for: Anxiety, depression, phobias, OCD and panic attacks
DBT combines CBT with mindfulness and emotional regulation. Although originally developed to treat Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), it is now used more broadly for a range of people who have similar presentations, such as those struggling with intense emotions, relationship struggles or impulsive behaviours. This sometimes includes Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD).
It encourages accountability, emotional growth and self-compassion. DBT can also be especially helpful to anyone who finds other therapies too vague or invalidating.
DBT is a highly structured, skills-based therapy that focuses on building four core skills:
We specialise in DBT at Dr Jo Gee Psychotherapy and offer a leading, comprehensive DBT programme. This includes weekly one-on-one sessions with trained therapists and weekly group skills workshops. While the most value comes from the full programme, we still offer the group skills workshops and individual therapy separately if that’s what you would prefer.
Best for: BPD, emotional dysregulation, self-harm, ADHD and CPTSD
EMDR is a structured, evidence-based therapy designed to help the brain process traumatic or distressing memories. It uses bilateral stimulation (usually eye movements, but can also include tapping or sounds) to reduce the emotional intensity subconsciously linked to past events. This therapy helps the brain “re-file” traumatic memories so they no longer feel emotionally triggering.
Unlike talk therapies, you don’t need to describe your trauma in detail with EMDR. Instead, of retelling the events, you just focus on processing them. It can be a brief and highly targeted therapy, sometimes focusing on just one specific trauma, but can also work longer-term for complex or repeated trauma.
Although recommended by NICE to treat PTSD, increasing numbers of practitioners are using EMDR to treat phobias, anxiety and grief. It’s ideal for people who feel stuck in the past or struggle with flashbacks, nightmares or hypervigilance.
Best for: PTSD, trauma and anxiety linked to past events
DBR is a cutting-edge, body-based trauma therapy that targets deep brain systems to heal long-standing emotional wounds, early attachment trauma and chronic dysregulation. It works at a pre-verbal level, meaning it’s especially powerful for any trauma that’s hard to describe or even remember. Like EMDR, you do not need to talk about traumatic events in detail because DBR tracks physical sensations and deep emotional responses.
As it gently reprocesses early emotional pain stored in the body and brainstem, it’s a slower, more subtle approach than other therapies. In fact, sessions are often paced to avoid overwhelm and help the body’s natural healing process. DBR is ideal for people with nervous system dysregulation, freeze responses or deep-rooted emotional pain, and it’s even a great next step for anyone who hasn’t responded to cognitive approaches or feel disconnected from their emotions.
Best for: Developmental trauma, complex PTSD, attachment wounds and chronic emotional pain
Compassion-Focused Therapy blends a range of ideas, including CBT, evolutionary psychology, mindfulness and neuroscience. CFT is designed to help people who are highly self-critical, feel deep shame or struggle with self-worth, aiming to build emotional resilience and develop your “compassionate self.” It’s often useful for trauma survivors who blame themselves or feel “stuck” in shame, encouraging a kinder and more supportive inner voice.
It’s a directive and skills-based type of therapy that teaches skills, such as compassionate imagery, soothing rhythm breathing and emotional regulation techniques. These come together to manage feelings of shame, self-criticism and emotional dysregulation. Although CFT is a structured therapy with exercises and skills, it still allows you to gently explore difficult emotions if you wish.
Best for: Chronic shame, low self-esteem, self-criticism, trauma-related guilt, emotional dysregulation
It’s difficult to say which therapy is right for each individual without knowing their full situation. The best course of action is to look through the various therapies on offer and pick one that suits your needs and preferences.
So think about whether you would prefer therapy that is structured or exploratory, short or long term, symptom-focused or root-cause focused, or directive or non-directive.
If you’re still not sure, it’s a great idea to tell the clinic directly. Our Therapy Services Manager Juliet is always happy to discuss your problems and recommend the best therapy to support your journey to recovery.
| Therapy Type | Structure | Focus | Best For | Session Format | Talk-Based? | Short or Long Term? |
| CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) | Highly structured
|
Present-focused, symptoms | Anxiety, depression, OCD, phobias | 1:1 or group | Yes | Short to mid-term (6-20 sessions) |
| DBT (Dialectical Behaviour Therapy) | Very structured | Skills for emotion regulation & relationships
|
BPD, ADHD, emotional dysregulation, self-harm | 1:1 and/ or group skills workshops | Yes | Long-term programme |
| EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) | Protocol-based but adaptable | Trauma processing | PTSD, phobias, trauma, anxiety linked to the past | 1:1 | Minimal | Short or long-term depending on trauma
|
| DBR (Deep Brain Reorienting) | Gentle and paced | Pre-verbal emotional pain | Developmental trauma, attachment wounds, chronic emotional pain
|
1:1 | Minimal | Often longer-term |
| CFT (Compassion-Focused Therapy) | Semi-structured | Shame, self-criticism, self-worth | Trauma-related guilt, chronic shame, low self-esteem | 1:1 | Yes | Short or long-term |
First sessions can be scary – especially when you’re not sure what happens! But don’t worry – everyone has to start somewhere, and your therapist will be on hand to guide you through it, no matter which therapy you choose.
As it’s your first session, you and your therapist will not know each other well yet. So the majority of this session will be establishing the issue and setting objectives; it’s a chance to explain your problem and outline your goals, while the therapist guides you through the therapy and what to expect in each session.
It couldn’t be easier to access therapy at Dr Jo Gee Psychotherapy – it only takes a few clicks!
The best way forward is to contact us here and explain your issue. Our Therapy Services Manager Juliet will be in touch to guide you to the therapy that best fits you and your situation.
We have a clinician-led team of expert therapists with a range of specialisms, including DBT, CBT, EMDR, DBR and Compassion-Focused Therapy. Even better, we have much shorter waitlists compared to the NHS and other clinics, meaning we can give you the support you need when you need it.
Don’t live nearby? That’s not an issue – we offer online appointment, as well as in-person appointments at our clinic in Guildford, Surrey.
CBT is usually the first-line treatment for anxiety and depression as it’s effective in challenging unhelpful thoughts and behaviours. However, there are other effective therapies available, such as DBT and CFT, which may be even more effective depending on your emotional patterns and preferences.
It’s completely normal not to know where to start. Many people know they need therapy but aren’t sure of much else beyond that. This is precisely why our Therapy Services Manager can help you explore your options and match you with a suitable therapist and type of therapy.
Yes, absolutely! Therapy isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach, and different therapies work for different people in different situations. It’s okay to try one approach, see how it goes and change direction if needed.
Not always. With therapy, your comfort and wellbeing is a priority, so if you don’t feel sure about discussing trauma in detail, therapies like EMDR and DBR can help. These therapies let you process trauma without needing to describe events in detail as they focus more on how trauma is stored in the body and mind.
CBT and DBT can be similar, but they’re distinct therapies. Although both are structured and skills-based, CBT focuses more on changing unhelpful thoughts and behaviours, while DBT incorporates mindfulness and emotional regulation tools to manage intense feelings.
Contact us via our website here or call the clinic. Our Therapy Services Manager Juliet will listen to what your needs are and guide you towards the right therapy and therapist – often with much shorter wait times than the NHS!
The fact you’re reading this article is a good sign. It means you’re taking the all-important first step on the road to recovery. And taking the time to consider which therapy would work best for you is a strong sign that you’re open and might respond well to treatment.
At the end of the day, you don’t need to decide right away which therapy is best for you. So long as you have an idea of the sort of therapy you think would be most helpful for you, that will have a Therapy Services Manager guide you towards the type of therapy that will help you the most. Just be open and honest and let them steer you in the right direction to the right therapist.
If you’d like to explore the therapies we have available, click here. Or if you would like to contact us right away, click here. We can’t wait to hear from you!