Best Types of Therapy for Depression: Finding Your Best Fit

When someone is struggling with persistent worry, panic, low mood, self-doubt, or emotional exhaustion, therapy is designed to work collaboratively to understand the root causes and tailor a treatment approach that is both evidence-based and deeply individualized. There are many different types of therapy for depression, including Cognitive Behavioral (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment (ACT), psychodynamic, existential, and mindfulness methods. Selecting the best type of therapy for depression depends on each client’s unique goals, values, and strengths. This post reviews the different kinds of therapy for depression from multiple perspectives.

Different Types of Therapy for Depression

The different types of therapy for depression can be broken down into three broad Categories:

Types of Therapy for Depression: Cognitive and Behavioral

Behavioral Activation (BA)

Introduction:
Behavioral Activation is a straightforward, action-focused method that aims to increase engagement in activities that are both meaningful and rewarding. It’s based on the idea that withdrawing from life reinforces depression, and that structured activity scheduling can improve mood and functioning.

• Best for: Individuals with low motivation, fatigue, or anhedonia
• What to expect: Identifying values, setting behavioral goals, tracking activity and mood
• Can be combined with: CBT, group therapy

Cognitive Behavioral

Introduction:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is one of the most well-researched and widely used types of therapy for depression. It focuses on identifying and changing unhelpful patterns of thinking and behavior that contribute to emotional distress. CBT for depression is practical, goal-oriented, and typically time-limited, making it a top choice for many clients.

• Best for: Mild to moderate depression, negative thought patterns, goal-oriented individuals
• What to expect: Weekly sessions, structured exercises, homework, lasting 12–20 weeks
• Can be combined with: Behavioral Activation, MBCT

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT)

Introduction:
MBCT blends traditional CBT techniques with mindfulness meditation practices. It is one of the types of therapy for depression that is especially effective for individuals prone to recurrent depression, as it helps them observe thoughts and feelings without becoming entangled in them.

• Best for: Relapse prevention, residual symptoms, mindfulness-inclined clients
• What to expect: Group format, eight sessions, includes meditation, breathing exercises, and thought awareness
• Can be combined with: CBT, ACT

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

Introduction:
Originally developed for borderline personality disorder, DBT is now widely used for mood disorders that involve emotional dysregulation. It combines validation and change, teaching clients how to manage intense emotions and reduce self-destructive behaviors.

• Best for: Depression with emotional instability, self-harm, or co-occurring personality disorders
• What to expect: Weekly individual sessions, skills group, and phone coaching; long-term commitment
• Can be combined with: EMDR, trauma-informed therapy

Types of Therapy for Depression: Social

Interpersonal Therapy (IPT)

Introduction:
IPT emphasizes the role of interpersonal relationships and life events in the development and maintenance of depression. It helps clients improve communication, navigate role transitions, and resolve grief or conflicts that may underlie depressive symptoms.

• Best for: Depression linked to grief, relationship issues, or life changes
• What to expect: Focused sessions (12–16 weeks), exploring key relationship patterns
• Can be combined with: couples therapy, family therapy, group IPT

Group Therapy

Introduction:
Group therapy provides a supportive environment where individuals can share their experiences, gain insight, and learn from others who have similar struggles. It’s especially helpful for combating isolation and shame, two common features of depression.

• Best for: Clients who feel isolated or stigmatized, or benefit from peer interaction
• What to expect: Weekly sessions in a structured or process-oriented format; often topic-specific
• Can be combined with: Individual therapy, medication, psychoeducation groups

Couples or Family Therapy

Introduction:
Depression doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Relational dynamics can trigger, worsen, or maintain depressive symptoms. Couples and family treatment can uncover systemic patterns that contribute to distress and enable family members to support the individual more effectively.

• Best for: Depression impacted by relationship conflict, family stress, or caregiving dynamics
• What to expect: Collaborative sessions, communication skill-building, exploration of family roles
• Can be combined with: Individual therapy, parenting support, IPT

Different Kinds of Therapy for Depression: Combination Approaches

Psychodynamic

Introduction:
Psychodynamic therapy is a depth-oriented approach that explores unconscious conflicts, early life experiences, and internalized patterns of relationships. It helps individuals gain insight into the root causes of their depression, often making it suitable for chronic or complex presentations.

• Best for: Recurrent or long-term depression, unresolved childhood issues, self-reflective individuals
• What to expect: Exploration of past experiences and emotional patterns; duration can be short or long-term
• Can be combined with: CBT, medication

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

Introduction:
ACT focuses on helping clients develop psychological flexibility by accepting unpleasant emotions and thoughts while committing to values-based action. Rather than eliminating depressive symptoms, ACT encourages clients to live meaningfully in the presence of them.

• Best for: Depression with avoidance, chronic pain, or existential themes
• What to expect: Mindfulness, metaphor, values clarification, and experiential exercises
• Can be combined with: CBT, MBCT, exposure

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

Introduction:
EMDR is a trauma-focused method that helps clients process distressing memories that may be contributing to depressive symptoms. Through bilateral stimulation, such as guided eye movements, clients reprocess unresolved trauma in a structured and safe environment.

• Best for: Trauma-related depression, comorbid PTSD, single-incident or developmental trauma
• What to expect: Phased protocol with history-taking, target memory processing, and stabilization
• Can be combined with: Psychodynamic therapy, DBT

How These Different Types of Therapy for Depression Can Be Combined

Many different kinds of therapy for depression complement each other and can be blended to create a personalized treatment plan. Here are some common pairings:

So, What is the Best Type of Therapy for Depression?

The best type of therapy for depression depends on a variety of factors, including the client’s needs, the nature and severity of their depression, and what kind of relationship and structure they respond to best. One crucial characteristic, then, is the therapist fit. Below is a breakdown of the ideal therapist characteristics by personality, therapeutic approach, and location considerations.

Therapist Personality Traits

A therapist’s personality can significantly influence the client’s comfort, engagement, and openness. While preferences vary, clients with depression often benefit from therapists who are:

1. Warm and Compassionate

• Creates a safe, nonjudgmental space
• Validates pain without minimizing it
• Helps build trust and therapeutic alliance

2. Patient and Steady

• Understands that depression often causes slow progress and resistance
• Avoids pressuring or rushing change
• Consistently shows up as a grounding presence

3. Insightful and Reflective

• Helps clients connect present struggles to past patterns
• Offers interpretations that deepen self-understanding
• Encourages emotional exploration

4. Empowering and Strength-Based

• Focuses on the client’s resilience and capabilities
• Challenges hopelessness with achievable goals
• Instills a sense of agency

5. Flexible and Adaptable

• Adjusts approach based on client feedback and evolving needs
• Open to integrating different techniques or pacing as needed

Best Kinds of Therapy for Depression: List

As also listed above, strong candidates for the best type of therapy for depression include:

1. Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)

• Ideal for clients seeking structure and skill-building
• Focuses on changing negative thoughts and behaviors
• Often offers short-term, goal-focused work

2. Psychodynamic

• Ideal for clients who want deeper emotional insight
• Explores unconscious patterns, self-concept, and relational issues
• Often suitable for longstanding or treatment-resistant depression

3. Interpersonal (IPT)

• Ideal for depression rooted in relationships, grief, or role transitions
• Time-limited and structured
• Especially helpful for teens, new parents, and older adults

4. Integrative or Holistic

• Pull from multiple modalities to match the client’s unique needs
• May integrate somatic work, mindfulness, or spiritual practices
• Often good for clients who want to explore depression from a whole-person lens

5. Trauma-Informed

• Important if depression stems from adverse childhood experiences or PTSD
• Use EMDR, sensorimotor psychotherapy, or trauma-focused CBT
• Emphasizes safety, stabilization, and emotional regulation

Best Location/Setting

Where and how therapy occurs can significantly impact outcomes, depending on the client’s accessibility needs, comfort level, and preferences.

1. In-Person Kinds of Therapy for Depression

• Best for clients who benefit from physical presence, structure, and routine
• Office environment can provide a change of scenery from isolating home environments
• Often preferred for trauma or complex cases needing deep relational work

2. Teletherapy (Online)

• Best for those with mobility issues, transportation challenges, or rural access
• Offers flexibility, convenience, and comfort of one’s own environment
• Ideal for clients who might not attend consistently otherwise

3. Walk-and-Talk or Nature-Based

• Best for clients with somatic symptoms or restlessness
• Combines movement, nature, and therapeutic dialogue
• May reduce feelings of clinical formality and increase openness

4. Community Mental Health Clinics

• Accessible to low-income or uninsured individuals
• Often staffed by clinicians in training, supervised by licensed professionals
• Can offer consistent care for moderate to severe depression

5. Private Practice

• More flexibility in therapeutic style, frequency, and customization
• Often allows for longer sessions and deeper rapport
• Ideal for clients seeking consistency and a personalized experience

Summary: Best Type of Therapy for Depression

If you’re helping someone select a therapist, it’s helpful to explore whether they feel emotionally safe, understood, and empowered after a few sessions. Research shows that the therapeutic relationship, not just the technique, is the strongest predictor of success in treating depression.

In Session Work vs. Homework

Types of Therapy for Depression that Include Homework

These approaches emphasize skill-building and behavioral change, often assigning structured exercises or tasks between sessions to reinforce learning and create momentum.

1. Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)

• Homework Focus: Thought records, mood tracking, behavioral experiments, cognitive restructuring
• Best For: Clients who like structure and goal-setting; those motivated to apply concepts independently
• Style: Teaches practical tools; often short to medium term
• Goal: Help clients become their own therapists

2. Behavioral Activation (BA)

• Homework Focus: Scheduling and completing pleasurable or value-based activities, tracking energy and enjoyment
• Best For: Clients with low motivation, fatigue, or anhedonia
• Style: Highly action-oriented and forward-moving

3. Acceptance and Commitment (ACT)

• Homework Focus: Mindfulness exercises, values identification, committed action plans
• Best For: Clients willing to sit with discomfort and engage in experiential tasks
• Style: Encourages active application of new habits in daily life

4. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

• Homework Focus: Skills practice for emotion regulation, distress tolerance, interpersonal effectiveness, mindfulness
• Best For: Clients with emotional dysregulation or co-occurring conditions like borderline traits
• Style: Structured and skills-based, with built-in accountability

Different Kinds of Therapy for Depression that Focus on In-Session Work

These different kinds of therapy for depression emphasize insight, emotional processing, and the therapeutic relationship, with most of the work occurring within the session itself. Reflection or journaling may be encouraged outside of the session, but formal homework is minimal or optional.

1. Psychodynamic

• In-Session Focus: Exploring unconscious patterns, emotional insight, attachment history, defense mechanisms
• Best For: Clients interested in understanding deeper causes of their depression, long-standing or recurrent depression
• Style: Relational and exploratory; often longer term

2. Interpersonal (IPT)

• In-Session Focus: Addressing grief, role transitions, and interpersonal conflicts
• Best For: Clients whose depression is linked to relationship patterns or social functioning
• Style: Structured, but experiential and dialog-driven in session

3. Emotion-Focused (EFT)

• In-Session Focus: Processing difficult emotions and transforming emotional responses
• Best For: Clients stuck in self-criticism, shame, or unresolved emotional pain
• Style: Focus on emotional expression, not behavior change

4. Humanistic / Person-Centered

• In-Session Focus: Providing a nonjudgmental, empathetic environment for self-discovery and growth
• Best For: Clients needing validation, self-acceptance, and empowerment
• Style: Therapist follows client’s lead; homework rarely emphasized

Choosing among the different kinds of therapy for depression often comes down to client preference and motivation. Some feel empowered by concrete tools and action steps (homework-oriented), while others heal best through reflective conversation and emotional presence (session-focused). A skilled therapist may integrate both styles or adjust the balance as therapy progresses.

Different Types of Therapy for Depression: Conclusion

Therapy is not about achieving perfection or eliminating all discomfort; it’s about learning to face life’s challenges with greater resilience, presence, and self-compassion. With the right therapeutic relationship and approach, meaningful and lasting change is possible. If you are struggling, know that you don’t have to navigate it alone. There are many different kinds of therapy for depression available, and you don’t need to make the perfect choice. Instead, go with what you think will work and try things out. There may not actually be just one perfect choice, or you may be able to find a therapist with an integrative practice that can try different methods.

If you have questions about the different types of therapy for depression, please contact me or schedule a consultation anytime.

Dr. Alan Jacobson Founder and President

Dr. Jacobson is a licensed clinical psychologist providing individual, couples, and family therapy for over 20 years. He uses an integrative approach. choosing from a variety of proven and powerful therapeutic methods.

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