Psychotherapy

What Is Psychotherapy?

Psychotherapy is professional mental health treatment provided through a therapeutic relationship. You and your therapist work together to understand your concerns, identify goals, and choose approaches that reflect your needs, preferences, culture, identity, strengths, and circumstances.

Psychotherapy is sometimes called talk therapy or counseling. Conversation is often part of the process, but therapy does not have to consist only of talking. Depending on the client and the therapist’s training, sessions may also include skills practice, psychoeducation, play, creative activities, mindfulness, movement, body awareness, nature-based experiences, relationship exercises, or reflection between appointments.

Therapy may help with symptoms such as anxiety, low mood, irritability, difficulty concentrating, emotional overwhelm, avoidance, or disconnection. It can also address patterns involving relationships, identity, boundaries, parenting, school, work, grief, trauma, major changes, and the pressure to keep functioning when life feels unsustainable.

Is Psychotherapy the Same as Individual Therapy?

Not exactly. Psychotherapy describes the clinical treatment. Individual therapy describes one way that treatment can be delivered.

In individual therapy, one client meets with a therapist. Psychotherapy can also involve a couple, a family, or a group. A client looking for one-on-one support may therefore receive individual psychotherapy, while partners may participate in couples psychotherapy and family members may participate in family psychotherapy.

What Can Psychotherapy Help With?

People begin psychotherapy for many reasons. You do not need to be in crisis, have a formal diagnosis, or know exactly what you want to change before reaching out.

Depending on provider experience and fit, Mosaic therapists may support clients experiencing:

• Anxiety, panic, worry, overthinking, or perfectionism
• Depression, low motivation, hopelessness, or emotional numbness
• Trauma, chronic stress, or distressing past experiences
• Grief, ambiguous loss, separation, or major changes
• ADHD, autism, executive-functioning concerns, or neurodivergent burnout
• Relationship conflict, communication difficulties, or changing family roles
• Parenting stress, pregnancy, postpartum adjustment, or caregiver fatigue
• Anger, irritability, emotional overwhelm, or difficulty regulating emotions
• School, college, work, or career-related stress
• Identity, self-esteem, boundaries, or personal growth
• Substance use, recovery, or the effects of addiction within a family
• Reentry after incarceration or other major life transitions

This list is not exhaustive. The intake process helps Mosaic determine whether a clinician’s training, availability, ages served, location, and insurance participation align with what you need.

What Approaches Do Mosaic Therapists Use?

Mosaic clinicians use different evidence-informed and integrative approaches based on their education, training, and professional scope. Depending on the therapist and the client, treatment may draw from:

• Acceptance and commitment therapy
• Cognitive behavioral therapy
• Dialectical behavior therapy–informed skills
• Solution-focused brief therapy
• Narrative therapy
• Person-centered and strengths-based therapy
• Trauma-informed care
• Play-based approaches
• Mindfulness-based approaches
• Somatic or body-aware practices
• Yoga-informed therapy
• Expressive arts–informed activities
• Horticultural or nature-connected approaches

The presence of an approach on Mosaic’s website does not mean that every clinician provides it or that it will be recommended for every client. Your therapist will explain the methods they use, how those methods relate to your goals, and what choices you have.

What Does Evidence-Informed Therapy Mean?

Evidence-informed care considers relevant research while also accounting for clinical judgment and the individual client’s needs, preferences, identity, culture, values, and circumstances. Research can guide treatment, but it does not turn therapy into a rigid script.

Your therapist may recommend a structured skill or method and then adjust the pace, language, examples, or way it is practiced. If something does not make sense, does not feel useful, or does not fit your experience, you can say so. That feedback is part of collaborative treatment.

What Does Psychotherapy Look Like at Mosaic?

Mosaic’s work is grounded in the belief that people are more than a diagnosis or a list of symptoms. Therapy may include careful exploration of the problem, but it should also make room for your abilities, relationships, values, environment, identity, community, and hopes for your life.

Some clients want practical strategies and a clear plan. Others need time to understand a longstanding pattern, process a painful experience, or build enough trust to speak honestly. Many need both reflection and action. Your therapist will work with you to decide what is most useful rather than assuming that every session should look the same.

Treatment may involve:

• Understanding what is happening and why it may be happening
• Identifying patterns in thoughts, emotions, behavior, relationships, or body responses
• Learning coping, communication, or emotional-regulation skills
• Exploring how earlier experiences affect the present
• Practicing new responses during or between sessions
• Clarifying values, needs, boundaries, and priorities
• Strengthening existing abilities and sources of support
• Developing manageable next steps
• Reviewing progress and changing the plan when needed

Does Therapy Have to Take Place in an Office?

No. Mosaic provides in-person therapy at its Homewood office and virtual therapy for eligible clients located in states where the assigned clinician is authorized to practice. Online therapy can include many of the same conversations, skills, and collaborative planning used during office appointments.

Some Mosaic services may also incorporate nature, gardening, mindful movement, or creative activities. What is available depends on the clinician, setting, client’s needs, accessibility, weather, privacy, and treatment goals.

How Do I Know Which Therapist Is Right for Me?

The right therapist is not determined by a modality alone. Relevant experience matters, but so do availability, ages served, treatment format, insurance participation, communication style, and whether the therapist’s approach feels compatible with what you want from care.

Before scheduling, consider what matters most to you. You might ask:

• Does this therapist work with my primary concern?
• Do they see clients in my age group?
• Are they licensed or otherwise authorized where I will be located?
• Do they offer in-person appointments, telehealth, or both?
• Do they accept my insurance or offer another payment option?
• How do they describe their style and the role I will have in treatment?
• What approaches are they trained to use?

You do not have to find a perfect match based only on a website profile. Mosaic can help identify providers whose clinical focus and practical availability align with your needs. You can also try our Find a Therapist quiz which can help you narrow down your choices.