psychotherapy

American  

[sahy-koh-ther-uh-pee] / ˌsaɪ koʊˈθɛr ə pi /

noun

• psychotherapies
  plural

1. the treatment of psychological disorders or maladjustments by a professional technique, as psychoanalysis, group therapy, or behavioral therapy.

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psychotherapy British  

/ ˌsaɪkəʊˈθɛrəpɪ /

noun

1. the treatment of nervous disorders by psychological methods

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psychotherapy Cultural  

1. The use of the techniques of psychology or psychiatry or both to treat mental and emotional disorders. The term includes psychoanalysis, as well as other forms of psychological therapy.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• psychotherapist
  noun
• psychotherapeutic
  adjective
• psychotherapeutically
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• psychotherapies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of psychotherapy

First recorded in 1890–95; psycho- + therapy

Compare meaning

How does psychotherapy compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• psychoanalysis vs. psychotherapy

Explanation

Psychotherapy is a mental health treatment that usually involves talking with a trained professional. Someone who's feeling anxious or depressed might try psychotherapy. Psychotherapy is often described as "talk therapy." Talking to a counselor or therapist about difficult feelings or thoughts can help people understand their emotions better and develop healthy coping strategies. This kind of therapy is also helpful for dealing with challenging situations like the death of a loved one, a traumatic experience, or a family conflict. Psychotherapy, coined in 1892, comes from the Greek roots psykhē, "mind or soul," and therapeia, "healing."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

psychotherapy psychotherapies

"Therefore, psychotherapy sometimes has to work relationally. For example, new experiences in the relationship between therapist and patient can gradually help to change entrenched relational patterns."

From Science Daily ● Jul. 1, 2026

The inquest heard Sheffield United did not offer any psychotherapy or other support to the player and she was given a sick note for time off work by a doctor.

From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026

In reality, as Slater notes, the demographics of who accesses psychotherapy show that the issue is often a matter of access, not will.

From Salon ● May 18, 2026

Western psychotherapy also has a role to play.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 3, 2026

Saying this, I felt I had raced to the top of a big turning point in my life, a new me after just two weeks of psychotherapy.

From "The Joy Luck Club" by Amy Tan

"I have done various psychotherapies to try to remember, to try and have a glimpse of something, and it's black, I have no idea," she said of the interaction.

From BBC ● Mar. 26, 2026

To complicate matters, numerous studies over the past few decades have reached what seems a counterintuitive conclusion: that all psychotherapies have roughly equal effects.

From The Guardian ● Jan. 10, 2020

Beginning a concerted national effort to prevent depression will require using strategies that can scale up and are inexpensive, in addition to in-person forms of preventive interventions based on traditional psychotherapies.

From Scientific American ● Feb. 11, 2019

Professional associations are resistant to allowing people without formal qualifications to help out with psychotherapies, and various regulations could get in the way.

From Nature ● Oct. 9, 2016

These psychotherapies tend to include relaxation skills; incrementally increased exposure to stress triggers, like driving over a bridge or being out in the open; and challenging some of the inaccurate assumptions that fuel anxiety.

From New York Times ● Aug. 2, 2011