Dr. Suresh Kumar Murugesan is presenting on the topic of introduction to psychotherapy. He has extensive qualifications and experience in the field of psychology. Psychotherapy involves treating mental illnesses and disorders through psychological methods such as talk therapy. It aims to help patients manage symptoms so they can function better. There are different types of psychotherapy based on theoretical approaches, and it can be delivered in individual, group or family settings. The goals of psychotherapy are to facilitate change, enhance well-being, and improve how patients relate to themselves and others.

1. Introduction to Psychotherapy
Dr. Suresh Kumar Murugesan PhD
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2. About the Presenter
● Dr.Suresh Kumar Murugesan is a passionate Positive Mental Health
Practitioner from Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India
● He is the Head of PG Department of Psychology, The American College,
Madurai
● He is a cofounder of Tamil Nadu Counsellors and Psychotherapists Association
● His ultimate aim is to make impression in the field of Knowledge
● His area of specializations are Psychomentry, Positive Psychotherapy
● He has published 30 journal articles, 50 Conference and seminar proceedings
● Organised more than 500 webinars and acted as a resource person for 250 +
webinar sessions
● Received 8 Awards and delivered 25+ Radio Talks
● Qualified UGC NET in Psychology and Education, Central Teacher Eligibility
Test
● Published three books
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3. Disclaimer
● This presentation is prepared
for learning purpose only and
all the images and pictures
used in this presentation are
taken from google image
search.
● Due recognition was given to
all the material collected from
the various sources.
● Any name or reference is
missed kindly bring it to the
notice of the presenter for
inclusion and exclusion.
● Email -
sureshkumar800@yahoo.com
Thank you
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4. Therapy
Treatment to illness or disease
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5. Psychology
Scientific Study of Behaviour
and Mind
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6. Psychotherapy
Treatment for illnesses and
diseases in behaviour, emotion
and mind
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7. Concept
Education
Guidance
Counselling
Psychotherapy
Techniques
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8. Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy, or talk therapy, is a way to
help people with a broad variety of mental
illnesses and emotional difficulties.
Psychotherapy can help eliminate or control
troubling symptoms so a person can function
better and can increase well-being and
healing.
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9. Psychotherapy
The treatment of disorders of
the mind or personality by
psychological methods. -The
oxford English Dictionary
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10. Types of Psychotherapy
Several different types of psychotherapy are available,
including –
● Psychodynamic (Psychoanalytic) Psychotherapy
● Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
● Cognitive Analytical Therapy (CAT)
● Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT)
● Mentalization-based Therapy (MBT)
● Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
● Humanistic Therapies
● Family and Couple (systemic) Therapy
● Positive Psychotherapy (PPT)
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12. Types of Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy can take different formats depending on the style of the
therapist and the needs of the patient. A few formats that you might
encounter include:
● Individual therapy, which involves working one-on-one with a
psychotherapist.
● Couples therapy, which involves a therapist working with a
couple to help improve how the two function in their relationship.
● Family therapy, which centers on improving the dynamic within
families and can include multiple individuals within a family unit.
● Group therapy, which involves a small group of individuals who
share a common goal. (This approach allows members of the
group to offer and receive support from others, as well as practice
new behaviors within a supportive and receptive group.)
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13. Features
● It is supportive and non judgmental in nature
● It is a talking cure.
● It bring about effective change or enhance their
wellbeing
● Facilitates living more satisfying and resourcefully.
● It is an interactions between a therapist and client
● Therapists use their knowledge to help the client
● It improves the client's’ functioning.
● The therapist’s approach is to helping must be
legally and ethically approved.
● The treatment of disorders of the mind or personality
by psychological methods.
● It is the informed and intentional application of
clinical methods
● The purpose of psychotherapy is assisting people to
modify their behaviour, cognitions, emotions
● It is a healing relationship using socially authorized
methods
● It is provided by a trained professional in the field
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14. Why Psychotherapy?
Psychotherapy can be helpful in treating most mental health
problems, including:
● Anxiety disorders, such as obsessive-compulsive
disorder (OCD), phobias, panic disorder or post-
traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
● Mood disorders, such as depression or bipolar
disorder
● Addictions, such as alcoholism, drug dependence or
compulsive gambling
● Eating disorders, such as anorexia or bulimia
● Personality disorders, such as borderline personality
disorder or dependent personality disorder
● Schizophrenia or other disorders that cause
detachment from reality (psychotic disorders) etc
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15. Who Can provide
Psychotherapy?
● Psychiatrist
● Psychotherapist
● Psychologists who has training on
therapy
● Trained therapist on specific area
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16. Psychotherapists
A psychotherapist may be:
● a psychologist who trained on therapy
● a marriage and family therapist
● a licensed clinical social worker
● a licensed clinical professional
counselor
● a mental health counselor
● a psychiatric nurse practitioner
● a psychoanalyst
● a psychiatrist
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17. A good therapist
According to the American Psychological Association
(APA), the qualities of a good therapist include such
factors as:
● having a developed set of interpersonal skills
● taking time to build trust with the individual
● having a treatment plan in place and keeping it
flexible
● monitoring the person’s progress
● offering hope and realistic optimism
● relying on research evidence
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18. How to Choose a Therapist?
Before pick a therapist, ask:
● How much they charge?
● Hours for appointments
● Years of experience
● Areas of expertise
● Their treatment approach
● Whether or not they offer telehealth (virtual
appointments) etc
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19. Psychotherapy
Characteristics:
● It identifies the root cause of problem
● It provides nonjudgmental environment
● It is a talking cure/therapy
● It provides short & long term help
● It enhances mental wellbeing
● It bring out effective changes
● It provides on opportunity to explore, discover
● It is an interaction between therapist & client
● It connects theory and principles in therapy
● It explores different strategies
● It is provided by trained person
● it provides support to the client
● It is structured and systematic
● It a professional relationship
● It facilitating learning process
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20. Psychotherapy
Process:
1. Client Registration
2. Risk Assessment identification
3. Selection of intervention strategies
4. Application of intervention
5. Follow-up
6. Termination
7. Initial contact referral
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21. Psychotherapeutic
Skills
● Active Listening
● Questoning
● Rapport building
● Non judgemental
● Unconditional positive regards
● Learning forward
● Nodding the head
● Make ‘m’ sound
● Adjusting facial expressions
● Empathy
● Interpersonal relationships
● Reflecting and Paraphrasing
● Summarining
● Termination etc
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22. Phases of Therapeutic Process
1. The Initial stage:
● Transference & countertransference
● Relationship
● Interpretation (Client’s saying, feeling,
Enacting)
● Resistance
● Investigation of Childhood experiences
1. The Middle Stage:
● Confident in relationship
● Clarification
● Conducive, evolving stage
● Working through process
● Insight
1. The final stage:
● Termination
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23. Objectives of
Psychotherapy
1. PATIENT CARE
2. MEDICAL KNOWLEDGE
3. PROFESSIONALISM
4. INTERPERSONAL AND COMMUNICATION SKILLS
5. PROBLEM BASED LEARNING
6. BRIEF AND CRISIS INTERVENTION
7. PSYCHODYNAMIC PSYCHOTHERAPY
8. COMBINED PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY AND PSYCHOTHERAPY
9. COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL PSYCHOTHERAPY
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24. 1. Patient Care
● Establish and maintain a treatment frame (e.g., time,
space, outside agencies/relationships, setting schedules
and sticking to times)
● Enable the patient to actively participate in the treatment
● Establish a treatment focus. Provide a holding
environment
● Recognize and specifically describe affects
● Tolerate direct expressions of hostility, affection,
sexuality and other powerful emotions
● Identify problems in collaborating with the treatment/therapist
● Recognize obstacles to change and an understanding of possible
ways to address them
● Maintain focus in treatment when appropriate
● Confront when appropriate
● Assess readiness for and manage termination from treatment
● Assess the patient's readiness for specific interventions
● Assess the patient's response to specific interventions
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25. Medical
Knowledge
The Psychotherapist will be able to:
● Recognize defenses in clinical phenomena
● Identify aspects of an ongoing case in terms of theories of drive and
defense, internalized object relationships, and consideration of the
patient's self experience
● Link present to past as demonstrated by understanding the patient's present pattern of
thought, feeling, action and relationship in terms of his or her past personal experience
● Identify and elicit automatic thoughts and cognitive errors in thinking, and develop and
implement a treatment plan employing CBT strategies and techniques
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26. Professionalism
The Psychotherapist will be able to:
● Establish and maintain a professional relationship
● Understand and protect the patient from unnecessary
intrusions into privacy and confidentiality
● Handle financial arrangements with patient in a manner
appropriate to the treatment context.
● Recognize and tolerate one's uncertainties as a trainee in
psychotherapy
● Recognize, contain and make therapeutic use of countertransference
● Maintain a therapeutic alliance in the face of transference distortions,
using concepts of neutrality, abstinence, empathy, and support in an
appropriate manner
● Manage termination issues within the context of a psychodynamic
psychotherapy
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27. Interpersonal and
Communication Skills
The Psychotherapist will be able to:
● Establish rapport
● Understand and develop a therapeutic alliance with the
patient
● Recognize a variety of forms of therapeutic alliances
including negativistic ones
● Recognize and attempt to repair disturbances in the alliance
● Listen to nonjudgmentally and with openness
● Facilitate the patient talking openly and freely
● Empathize with the patient's feeling states
● Convey empathic understanding
● Communicate appropriately with others within the Department of
Psychiatry
● Communicate appropriately with the patient's permission with referring
physicians, and others outside the Department of Psychiatry
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28. Problem based
Learning
The Psychotherapist will be able to:
● Recognize and describe (to the supervisor) one's own
affective response to the patient
● Establish an educational alliance with the supervisor
● Incorporate material discussed in supervision into the
psychotherapy
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29. Brief and Crisis
Intervention
The Psychotherapist will be able to:
● Establish a therapeutic alliance with the patient
● Identify the precipitation event (stressor) and the patient's reactions to
● Identify a history of the patient's usual coping mechanisms facilitate the patient's
expression of emotions
● Normalize the patient's emotional reactions to the event in the setting of crisis,
when appropriate
● Focus the therapy on the precipitating crisis
● Provide support to the patient
● Actively listen to the patient to enhance understanding
● Provide psychoeducation about the crisis
● Help the patient develop adaptive coping mechanisms and identify additional
sources of support
● Identify patient strengths and to reflect these back to the patient
● Establish achievable therapeutic goals with the patient
● Rapidly obtain collateral information where appropriate
● Know community resources and be able to make timely and safe dispositions
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30. Psychodynamic Psychotherapy
The Psychotherapist will be able to:
● Identify and effectively begin treatment with a suitable
patient for psychodynamic psychotherapy
● Identify aspects of an ongoing case in terms of theories of
drive and defense, internalized object relationships, and
consideration of the patient's self experience
● Link present to past as demonstrated by understanding the patient's present pattern
of thought, feelings, action, and relationship in terms of his or her past personal
experience
● Identify and respond appropriately and flexibly to a variety of defenses in the clinical
setting
● Effectively confront, clarify and interpret previously preconscious and unconscious
material in the therapeutic setting
● Facilitate discovery of latent meaning of clinical material (e.g. dreams, associations,
transference material, etc.)
● Recognize and make therapeutic use of transference
● Recognize, contain and make therapeutic use of countertransference
● Maintain a therapeutic alliance in the face of transference distortions, using concepts
of neutrality, abstinence, empathy and support in an appropriate manner
● Manage termination issues within the context of a psychodynamic psychotherapy
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31. Combined Psychopharmacology
and Psychotherapy
The Psychotherapist will be able to:
● Integrate biological and psychological aspects of a patient's history
● Provide psychoeducation about psychiatric illness and the risks/benefits of
commonly prescribed psychotropics
● Understand how the meaning of a medication to a patient can have a
significant impact on its efficacy and learn how to explore what medications
mean to a patient
● Use the placebo effect to more successfully prescribe medications
● Demonstrate a basic understanding of diagnosis-specific psychotherapy and medication
management
● Have a basic understanding of medico-legal and psychotherapeutic issues in the context of
one person prescribing medication and another person providing psychotherapy:
confidentiality, informed consent and collaboration
● Use the concepts of transference and countertransference in prescribing medications in a
therapeutic manner
● Recognize the ways that prescribing mediation can enhance or hinder psychotherapy and
ways that psychotherapy can enhance or hinder medication management
● Identify psychological aspects of non-adherence
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32. Cognitive
Behaviour
Therapy
The Psychotherapist will be able to:
● State the cognitive model
● Socialize patient into cognitive model
● Use structured cognitive behavioral model including mood check, bridging to prior
session, agenda setting, and review of homework, capsule summaries and patient
feedback
● Identify and elicit automatic thoughts
● Use Dysfunctional Thought Records as a tool in therapy
● Use Activity Scheduling as a tool in therapy
● Identify common cognitive errors in thinking
● Use behavioral techniques as a tool in therapy
● Plan booster sessions, follow-up, and self help sessions appropriately with patients when terminating
active therapy
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33. Supportive
Psychotherapy
The Psychotherapist will be able to:
● Assess regressive and adaptive shifts in ego
functioning
● Make interventions specifically in support of a
patient's ego functions, including defensive
operations
● Deliberately take a non-interpretive stance in relation
to a defensive operation in a patient
● Recognize internal conflict and help a patient
contain it without an emphasis on interpretation
● Be directive: give advice set limits, and educate
when appropriate with a patient. Make appropriate
manipulations of the environment or take action on
behalf of a patient
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34. Benefits of
Psychotherapy
Notable benefits of psychotherapy include:
1. Improved communication skills
2. Healthier thinking patterns and greater awareness of
negative thoughts
3. Greater insights about your life
4. Ability to make healthier choices
5. Better coping strategies to manage distress
6. Stronger family bonds
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35. Tips for Effective Psychotherapy
Effective therapy depends on active participation. It requires time, effort, and regularity.
● Attend all of scheduled appointments.
● Work with the therapist to set goals at the start. Review them from time to time.
● Identify sources of stress. Try keeping a journal and note stressful as well as positive events.
● Reset priorities. Emphasize positive, effective behavior.
● Make time for recreational and pleasurable activities.
● Communicate. Explain and assert your needs to someone you trust. Write in a journal to express
your feelings.
● Focus on positive outcomes and finding methods for reducing and managing stress.
● Be open and honest. Success depends on willingness to share thoughts, feelings, and experiences
and to consider new insights, ideas, and ways of doing things.
● Stick to your treatment plan.
● Don't expect instant results. Working on emotional issues can be painful and may require hard work.
It may need to see improvement.
● Do homework between sessions.
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36. References
1. Kendra Cherry (June 12, 2021). What Is Psychotherapy?
https://www.verywellmind.com/psychotherapy-4157172
2. Jennifer Casarella (July 29, 2020). Psychotherapy. https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/mental-
health-psychotherapy
3. Yvette Brazier (September 29, 2020). What is psychotherapy?
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156433#risks-and-cautions
4. https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/psychotherapy
5. https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/psychotherapy/about/pac-20384616
6. https://www.apa.org/topics/psychotherapy/approaches
7. APA (2021). What Is Psychotherapy? https://www.apa.org/ptsd-guideline/patients-and-
families/psychotherapy
8. https://www.cadabamshospitals.com/psychotherapy/
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