Counseling & Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy, also known as therapy or counseling, can involve a variety of treatment techniques. During psychotherapy, the patient talks with a trained mental health care professional who helps him or her identify and work through the factors that may be triggering symptoms or illness.
Depending on the condition and situation, you may meet with a psychiatrist, psychologist, licensed professional counselor, or clinical social worker. Here at UCSD Medical Center, our licensed, highly experienced practitioners will work with you on an individual basis to determine your needs and which therapies will be most effective.
Types of therapy include:
- Cognitive behavioral therapy: Helps you see how your behaviors and thoughts play a role in your depression, anxiety, or other disorder. Your therapist will help you change some of these unhealthy patterns.
- Interpersonal therapy: Focuses on your relationships with other people, such as family members or co-workers, and how they affect you. Again, your therapist will help you identify and change unhealthy behaviors.
- Family therapy: Involves the entire family to deal with a stressful situation or a life-changing event, such as having a loved one with a chronic mood disorder. In family therapy, each person can express any concerns and fears about how the problem is affecting their loved one and the family dynamics. They will also receive support for the frustrations they experience when helping the person through the challenges of his or her situation.
- Problem solving therapy: Focuses on the specific problems you currently face, and on helping you find solutions to those problems.
- Group therapy: In a group setting with other individuals facing the same issues, you work with a therapist who provides education, support and tools for coping with depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive behavior, relationship issues, and other problems.
- Support groups: Like group therapy, support groups provide a setting in which to meet and interact with others. Support groups can include individuals who all share a common condition, such as depression, or can consist of friends, family members, caregivers, and others who are affected by a condition. Support groups are often led by a health professional.
To schedule an appointment with the UCSD Department of Psychiatry, please call Adult Outpatient Services:
- First-Time Appointments: (619) 497-6673
- On-Going Scheduling For Active Clients: (619) 497-6687