What Type of Therapy Is Right for Me?
Deciding to start therapy is a big deal. It means you're ready to take your mental health seriously, get support, and feel better. But once you've made that decision, the next question can feel overwhelming:
“What kind of therapy do I need? What kind of therapy will be most effective?”
You don't need to have all the answers before you start. This guide will walk you through:
How to determine a therapist who has sufficient training and education
The most common therapy approaches
How to identify the most effective therapy for you. Don’t worry, our therapists will help with this!
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Therapy at ParityWell
ParityWell is a private therapy practice that offers both online and in-person therapy. For in-person sessions, our main office is located in Midtown Manhattan of New York City. We also have virtual therapy sessions and fexible hours. ParityWell therapy is available throughout the states of New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
What Is Therapy?
When we talk about therapy, we’re referring to “talk therapy” or psychotherapy: structured conversations with a trained mental health professional to help you:
Understand yourself
Manage symptoms
Build a healthier, more meaningful life
Therapy can be short-term and focused, such as structured approaches like CBT targeting a specific issue, or long-term and exploratory, as in psychodynamic therapy. Sometimes therapy is eclectic and pulls from different modalities.
People go to therapy for all kinds of reasons:
Anxiety
Depression
Phobias or panic attacks
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Relationship, sex, dating or family support
Grief, loss, or major life transitions
Late diagnosed Autism, ADHD or other neurodevelopmental differences
Race or culturally based traumatic stress
Support related to gender or sexual identity
Work stress and burnout
Trauma and PTSD
Complex trauma
Addictions or compulsive behaviors
Support for autism or ADHD
Personal growth and identity exploration
General stress
Some people come to therapy when things are really challenging, but you don’t need to be in crisis or have a formal diagnosis to go to therapy. Therapy can be preventative by helping you build skills and get support early on.
Old (But Persistent!) Myths About Therapy
“You have to be in crisis to go to therapy.”
Therapy can be preventive in staving off future mental health challenges and preserving wellness. It can be part of a positive routine designed to maximize personal growth and relationship satisfaction.
“A good therapist will tell me exactly what to do.”
We believe the best therapists offer guidance and perspective while collaborating with clients, rather than being overly directive. It’s all about balance and we adapt our style based on your needs and preferences.
“I tried therapy and had a bad or ineffective experience in the past. That must mean therapy isn’t for me.”
A mismatch with one provider or approach doesn’t mean all therapy won’t work; fit and method are essential for therapy to be effective.
At ParityWell, we often work with people who haven’t found therapy helpful in the past. We see that as an important starting point and not a setback. Real progress begins with collaboration. Together, we’ll shape a treatment plan that reflects your goals and needs.
Types of Depression We Treat
Our depression therapists in NYC work with a range of depressive conditions:
Major Depressive Disorder: Significant depressive episodes affecting daily functioning
Chronic Depression/Persistent Depressive Disorder (Dysthymia): Lower-grade but long-lasting depression that has been present for two years or more. The depression is so persistent that it begins to feel “normal.”
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): Depression tied to seasonal light changes. Can be exacerbated by New York winters.
Postpartum Depression: Depression following pregnancy and childbirth.
Depression with Anxiety: Co-occurring anxiety and depression, which is extremely common.
Treatment-Resistant Depression: For clients who haven’t found relief with previous treatment approaches.
Situational Depression: Depression triggered by major life changes, loss, or difficult circumstances.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
CBT is a structured, skills-based approach that focuses on the connection between your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. The basic idea is what you think affects how you feel, which affects what you do.
CBT often includes identifying unhelpful thought patterns (like catastrophizing or "all-or-nothing" thinking), testing or challenging those thoughts, practicing new behaviors (approaching rather than avoiding), and homework and exercises between sessions.
CBT often includes:
Identifying unhelpful thought patterns
Testing or challenging those thoughts
Practicing new behaviors (e.g., approaching rather than avoiding)
Homework and exercises between sessions
CBT might be a good fit if:
You want a practical, structured, goal-oriented approach with clear tools.
You’re dealing with anxiety, depression, OCD, phobias, panic, or insomnia.
You like worksheets, homework, and tracking progress.
Learn more about CBT therapy here.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a modern behavioral therapy that focuses less on changing what you think and feel, and more on how you respond to your inner experience. Its twin pillars are acceptance and committed action.
In ACT, you will:
Learn mindfulness skills to observe thoughts and feelings without attaching or “fusing” with them, or learn how to diffuse from those distressing feelings.
Identify your core values.
Take small, concrete actions aligned with those values, even when discomfort shows up.
Instead of fighting to totally eliminate distress, ACT helps you make room for it while still building a meaningful life.
ACT might be a good fit if:
You’ve tried to control or suppress your thoughts and feelings and it isn’t working.
You want to live more in line with your values, not just reduce symptoms.
You resonate with mindfulness and acceptance ideas.
At ParityWell, we use ACT alongside EMDR for trauma-informed care. Learn more about ACT.
Harm Reduction Psychotherapy (HRP)
Harm Reduction Psychotherapy (HRP) is a person-centered approach to treating substance use and other risky behaviors that focuses on reducing harm rather than demanding immediate abstinence.
Instead of “you must stop completely,” it starts from the reality of where you are and works with the goals you’re genuinely ready to pursue. That might mean using less often, changing how or where you use, planning for safer use, or building in protections to reduce medical, emotional, social, or legal risks.
HRP can be especially useful if:
You’ve felt pushed away by abstinence-only or “all or nothing” treatment.
You’re ambivalent about change but worried about where things are heading.
Your substance use or risky behaviors are tied up with trauma, oppression, or circumstances you can’t quickly change.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a treatment that helps your brain reprocess distressing memories so they feel less vivid and overwhelming. In EMDR, you briefly recall aspects of a traumatic memory while engaging in bilateral stimulation (like guided eye movements, tapping, or sounds). Over time, the memory feels more distant and less powerful.
EMDR might be a good fit if:
You’ve experienced trauma (single events or chronic trauma) that still feels “stuck.”
You’re having flashbacks, nightmares, or strong bodily reactions to reminders.
Talking about the trauma in detail feels too overwhelming, but you want relief.
Learn more about EMDR therapy.
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is one of the most well-researched interventions and often used to treat obsessive compulsive disorder. It can also be adapted to treat anxiety disorders, phobias, and PTSD.
The core idea of ERP is straightforward but genuinely challenging: through exposure, you gradually face the thoughts, situations, or triggers that provoke anxiety, while deliberately resisting the compulsions or rituals you'd normally use to relieve it (response prevention).
Over time, your brain learns that the feared outcome doesn't materialize and that you can tolerate the discomfort without needing to neutralize it through harmful or interruptive means.
ERP therapy may be a good fit if:
You've been diagnosed with OCD, or recognize a pattern of intrusive thoughts followed by rituals or compulsions to neutralize them
Your compulsions bring only temporary relief and you're ready to try breaking that cycle even if it means temporarily sitting with discomfort
Read more about Exposure and Response Prevention and how we use it at ParityWell.
Transdiagnostic Therapy
Transdiagnostic therapy takes a different approach than most: rather than targeting a specific diagnosis like depression, anxiety or OCD, it addresses the underlying psychological processes that drive many different conditions at once.
The idea is that anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and other common struggles often share the same core mechanisms, so treating those root processes can be more effective than treating each diagnosis separately.
Transdiagnostic therapy might be a good fit if:
You've received multiple diagnoses and aren't sure which to treat first; your symptoms seem to bleed across categories (anxiety that looks like depression, or OCD that overlaps with an eating disorder); or you want a flexible, principle-based approach rather than one designed for a single condition.
Transdiagnostic therapy is also used for people with autism, where unmasking is not rushed and rapid behavior change is discouraged.
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
IFS views the mind as composed of different “parts” (inner critic, protector, wounded child, etc.).
Instead of fighting with those parts, you:
Get curious about them
Understand their protective roles
Build compassion toward yourself
IFS may be a good fit if you:
Feel internally conflicted
Have complex trauma
Like experiential, internally focused work
IFS is commonly bundled with other types of therapy such as transdiagnostic therapy. Learn more about IFS therapy and how we use it at ParityWell.
Psychodynamic Therapy
Psychoanalytic or psychodynamic therapy explores how your past experiences, early relationships, and unconscious patterns shape how you feel and behave now.
Sessions often focus on themes that recur in your life, and in the relationship with your therapist itself, which becomes a window into how you relate to others.
Psychoanalytic therapy is traditionally long-term and intensive. Psychodynamic therapy is its close cousin — grounded in the same ideas but often more focused and time-limited, making it a practical entry point for people who want depth without an open-ended commitment.
You might work on:
Repeating relationship patterns (e.g., always ending up with critical partners)
Deep-seated shame, low self-worth, or identity struggles
Longstanding anxiety or depression without a clear trigger
This approach might be a good fit if:
You're curious about the "why" behind your patterns, not just symptom relief
You want to explore how your past and your inner world shape your present
You're open to a slower, more exploratory process
At ParityWell, our therapists draw on psychodynamic principles to help clients understand the deeper roots of what they're carrying.
Neuroaffirming/Neurodiversity-Affirming Therapy
Neurodiversity- or neuroaffirming- therapy starts from a simple but important premise: neurological differences like ADHD, autism, dyslexia, and sensory processing differences are not problems to be corrected. They're variations in how a brain is wired, each with its own genuine strengths and challenges.
Rather than treating neurodivergence as a problem to fix, a neuroaffirming therapist works to understand how you experience the world and builds treatment around that.
Neuroaffirming therapy might be a good fit if:
You have a diagnosis of ADHD, autism, or AuDHD — or suspect you might and haven't had a neuropsychological assessment.
You've been in therapy before and felt like you had to mask or translate yourself to be understood
You carry shame or burnout tied to years of struggling in systems not built for your brain
You want a therapist who understands neurodivergence from the inside out, not just as a clinical category
Learn more about neurodiversity-affirming therapy and how it may help you.
Therapy Formats and Identifying the Right Fit
Another key question is how you like to work on things, not just what approach.
Individual Therapy
One-on-one sessions with a therapist are the most common starting point, and for good reason. This format gives you undivided attention, complete privacy, and maximum flexibility in terms of what you talk about, how fast you move, and what approach your therapist uses. There's no one else in the room whose needs compete with yours, which makes it easier to go deep on the things you might not say out loud anywhere else.
Individual therapy works for virtually any concern, from a specific symptom you want relief from to a vague but persistent sense that something needs to change.
At ParityWell, individual therapy is the heart of what we do. Every client works one-on-one with a therapist who takes the time to understand not just your symptoms, but how your mind works. We work with you at every step of the way.
Relationship or Couples Therapy
Relationship or couples therapy helps people understand the patterns they keep playing out together. It's not just for relationships in crisis; many couples or polycules come in to strengthen communication, navigate a major transition, or recover from a breach of trust.
Family Therapy
Families develop unspoken rules and roles that can take on a life of their own, and family therapy helps the whole system see those patterns more clearly. It's especially useful when the same conflict keeps recurring no matter what anyone tries.
Group Therapy
There are several kinds of group therapy: skills-based groups teach and practice specific tools (like CBT or ACT); topic-focused groups bring together people with shared experiences like grief, anxiety, addiction, or trauma; and process groups are less structured, focused on what's happening between members in real time.
Online vs. In-Person Therapy
Online or virtual therapy has become very common, but some people prefer true face-to-face sessions. ParityWell offers online therapy throughout New York City and the states of New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. We also offer in-person therapy at our office in Midtown Manhattan near Central Park South.
In-person therapy:
May feel more grounded and focused, with fewer digital distractions.
Can be especially helpful for some trauma work or if privacy at home is limited.
Our Manhattan office is easily reachable from neighborhoods like the East Village, Chelsea, the Financial District, the Upper West Side, and surrounding boroughs via major subway lines.
Online therapy:
More convenient
Makes it possible to work with therapists outside your immediate neighborhood
Easier to begin when you’re feeling anxious, sad, or low-energy. There’s no commute to worry about.
Online therapy at ParityWell is available throughout NYC and the states of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.
The “best” format is the one you’re most likely to use consistently. If you’re not sure, one option is to start online and visit the office later.
What Kind of Therapy Is Best for You? A Questionnaire
If you work with us at ParityWell, you won’t have to answer these questions before we meet: we will work with you to find the answer together. Every client is given a day one assessment to inform what type of therapy will work best according to their goals, preferences and needs.
The right kind of therapy:
Addresses what you're actually struggling with
Fits your personality and preferences
Is accessible
Feels safe enough that you can be honest and vulnerable
Is proven to be most effective
If you’re still wondering about what kind of therapy is best for you, here are some questions you and your therapists will consider to help narrow it down.
1. What do I want help with right now?
Try to name your top one to three priorities, for example:
"I want panic attacks to be less frequent and less intense."
"I want to stop repeating the same relationship pattern."
"I want to feel less stuck and more motivated."
"I want to process trauma and feel safer in my body."
2. How structured do I want therapy to be?
Ask yourself:
Do I like homework, worksheets, and concrete tools?
Do I like to see measurable outcomes and improvement from week to week?
Or do I prefer open-ended conversations and exploring whatever is coming up with less structure?
If you lean toward structure: CBT, ERP, and ACT may feel comfortable.
If you lean toward exploration: psychodynamic, IFS, or transdiagnostic approaches may be a better fit.
3. How comfortable am I with feeling and talking about emotions?
If emotions feel overwhelming or hard to name, you may want to look for someone who emphasizes:
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
CBT
Neuro-affirming care
If you're more comfortable starting with "thinking about things," CBT or psychodynamic work can help you ease into deeper emotional territory over time.
4. What kind of therapist do I imagine connecting with?
You might consider:
Do I prefer someone more warm and reflective, or more direct and structured?
Do I want them to share more direct feedback and psychoeducation, or mostly listen and reflect?
Does their identity (gender identity, race, culture, language, neurotype, sexuality, religion, etc) matter to me?
How do I feel after the first session or a consultation call with them? Do I feel respected and understood? Was the time together helpful?
If you're feeling unsure about which approach is right for you — contact us! We'll help you determine the right kind of therapy for your lived experience and goals during our first meeting.
Evidence-First Therapy
At ParityWell, we match treatment to what the research shows is most effective for your specific presentation. Some therapy approaches are not only ineffective for certain conditions, they can actively make things worse. Psychodynamic therapy, for example, is a powerful approach for depression, identity work, and relational patterns. For OCD, it can inadvertently reinforce the cycle by encouraging analysis of intrusive thoughts rather than interrupting them.
At ParityWell, your goals and preferences are central to the treatment plan, as is the evidence behind the therapy type.
At ParityWell:
You’re not expected to come in knowing your exact diagnosis or “the right” therapy type.
Your therapist is trained to screen for overlapping factors—like trauma, substance use, depression, anxiety, burnout, ADHD, autism, etc.,—because we know undiagnosed conditions or only seeing half the picture can lead to ineffective treatment.
If on the consult call we believe the best treatment for what you’re experiencing is something we don’t provide in-house (for example, a specific medication or highly specialized service we don’t offer), we offer a warm handoff to someone we trust outside our practice who does.
Reaching out to ParityWell is never a wasted call. If we’re not the right fit, we’ll make sure you land somewhere that is.
When we talk about finding “the right kind of therapy,” you don’t have to solve that puzzle on your own. At ParityWell, thorough assessment, integrated treatment planning, and referrals are built into the way we practice.
Curious? Contact us!
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if I have depression or if I’m just going through a hard time?
Everyone goes through difficult periods. Depression is different from ordinary sadness or stress in its duration, intensity, and the way it affects daily functioning. If low mood, loss of interest, or fatigue have been present for more than two weeks and are interfering with your life, it’s worth speaking with a therapist. You don’t need to meet a clinical threshold to seek help.
Do you treat depression and anxiety together?
Yes. Co-occurring anxiety and depression is extremely common, and we’re experienced in treating both. Our integrated approach addresses the full picture rather than focusing on one diagnosis at a time.
How Does Therapy Help in the Treatment of Depression?
Therapy works for depression by targeting the cycle that maintains it and trying to break it rather than just managing how it feels day to day. It helps you understand what's driving the low mood, identify the patterns that are keeping it in place, and build a different relationship with your thoughts, your behavior, and yourself.
At ParityWell, we tailor the approach to what's actually driving your depression, whether that's trauma, unaddressed ADHD, chronic stress, or something else entirely. That specificity is what makes treatment stick.