Therapy Options at St. Louis Mental Health

These well-established talking therapies are the backbone of most treatment plans. Delivered one-on-one, with your family, in a group, or through deeper insight-oriented work, they are supported by decades of research and give you a safe space to understand what you are facing and change it at a pace that feels manageable.

Individual Therapy

One-on-one sessions give you a private, focused space to explore what you are experiencing and work toward personal goals with a therapist who knows your story. It is where insight, trust, and steady progress take root.

In individual therapy, you can:

• Build a trusting relationship with a therapist who knows your history
• Work through sensitive topics at a pace that feels safe
• Receive feedback and guidance tailored to your situation
• Set personal goals and track your progress over time

Individual therapy is a core part of treatment for nearly every condition we support, from depression and anxiety to PTSD and personality disorders.

Family Therapy

Mental health affects the whole household, not just one person. Family sessions improve communication, repair strained relationships, and help loved ones become a stabilizing part of your recovery rather than a source of added stress.

Family therapy helps everyone involved:

• Understand how a mental health condition affects the whole family
• Build healthier, clearer patterns of communication
• Set boundaries that protect everyone’s wellbeing
• Create a stronger support system for lasting recovery

We welcome family involvement throughout treatment, and our Family Resources page offers more ways for loved ones to help.

Group Therapy

Sharing space with peers who truly understand reduces isolation and offers perspective you cannot always find on your own. Group work builds accountability, connection, and the reassuring reminder that you are not alone in this.

Group therapy gives you the chance to:

• Realize that others face many of the same struggles
• Learn from the experiences and insights of your peers
• Practice new social and coping skills in a safe setting
• Both give and receive genuine support

It is especially helpful for concerns that involve connection and confidence, such as social anxiety, depression, and personality disorders.

Psychodynamic Therapy

By exploring the underlying roots of current struggles, psychodynamic work helps you understand recurring patterns and where they began. The goal is change that lasts well beyond short-term symptom relief.

Psychodynamic therapy looks at:

• The unconscious patterns driving present-day difficulties
• How early experiences shape the way you function today
• Unresolved conflicts and old emotional wounds
• Coping habits that may no longer serve you

It is valuable for personality disorders, depression, and anyone seeking deeper self-understanding.

These structured, skills-focused approaches are among the most researched in mental health care. They turn insight into action — giving you concrete tools to reshape unhelpful thoughts, process painful memories, and steady intense emotions the moment they arise, and to keep using long after treatment ends.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

CBT helps you notice and reshape the unhelpful thought patterns that fuel anxiety, depression, and avoidance, replacing them with more balanced, workable thinking. It is one of the most widely studied and effective therapies available.

CBT helps you:

• Recognize the distorted thoughts behind difficult feelings
• Challenge and reframe those thoughts more realistically
• Build practical coping strategies you can use day to day
• Create lasting changes in behavior

CBT is highly effective for depression, anxiety disorders, OCD, and many other conditions, and its structured format makes progress easy to track.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

DBT was developed for intense emotions and unstable relationships, and it balances acceptance with practical change through four core skills. It is a cornerstone of our work with strong emotional swings.

DBT builds four core skills:

• Mindfulness — staying present and aware without judgment
• Distress tolerance — getting through crises without making them worse
• Emotion regulation — understanding and steadying intense feelings
• Interpersonal effectiveness — communicating needs and protecting relationships

DBT is especially helpful for borderline personality disorder, mood disorders, and anyone struggling with overwhelming emotions.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

EMDR helps the brain reprocess traumatic memories so they lose their grip, easing flashbacks, nightmares, and the physical weight trauma leaves behind. Many people find relief through EMDR when talk therapy alone has not been enough.

EMDR helps you:

• Process traumatic memories that still feel “stuck”
• Lower the emotional charge of painful recollections
• Develop kinder, more accurate beliefs about yourself
• Find relief from trauma-related symptoms

EMDR is a primary treatment for PTSD and complex trauma, and many people improve in fewer sessions than talk therapy alone would require.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

ACT teaches psychological flexibility — accepting difficult feelings without being ruled by them — so you can keep moving toward what matters most. It helps you build a meaningful life alongside, not after, your challenges.

ACT focuses on:

• Accepting thoughts and feelings without judging them
• Creating distance from unhelpful or intrusive thoughts
• Staying grounded in the present moment
• Clarifying your values and taking action toward them

ACT is effective for anxiety, depression, and anyone feeling stuck or disconnected from a sense of purpose.

Healing involves more than managing symptoms. Our holistic therapies care for the whole person through creativity, movement, and mindfulness, complementing clinical work by reaching places that words alone sometimes cannot.

Art Therapy

Creating gives feelings a shape and a voice, opening up expression and processing for emotions that are hard to put into words. No artistic skill is required — the focus is on what the process reveals, not the finished piece.

Art therapy supports:

• Non-verbal expression of complex emotions
• Gentle processing of trauma and difficult experiences
• Greater self-awareness and discovery
• Stress relief and a sense of calm

It is especially helpful for trauma, eating disorders, and anyone who finds feelings hard to verbalize.

Music Therapy

Listening to, creating, or moving with music can soothe the nervous system, lift mood, and unlock emotional connection in a gentle, accessible way. It reaches places that conversation sometimes cannot.

Music therapy can:

• Improve mood and ease anxiety
• Support focus, memory, and engagement
• Offer a healthy outlet for emotional expression
• Foster connection through shared experience

It benefits mood disorders, anxiety, and anyone looking for a different pathway into healing.

Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT)

Time with trained therapy animals lowers stress, builds trust, and brings comfort and motivation into the recovery process — a natural fit with our pet-friendly residential setting.

Animal-assisted therapy offers:

• Lower anxiety and a calmer nervous system
• A stronger sense of comfort and safety
• Improved mood and social engagement
• Warm, non-judgmental companionship

It is a comforting support for trauma, depression, anxiety, and social isolation.

Yoga Therapy

Gentle, mindful movement reconnects body and mind, releasing tension and supporting emotional regulation through the breath. For many people, learning to calm the body becomes a reliable first step toward calming the mind.

Yoga therapy offers:

• Relief from stress and physical tension
• Greater awareness of how emotions show up in the body
• Steadier emotional regulation
• Better, more restful sleep

It is beneficial for anxiety, PTSD, eating disorders, and anyone seeking stronger mind-body balance.

Meditation Therapy

Guided meditation and mindfulness practices cultivate calm, focus, and presence — portable skills that carry into the rest of daily life. With practice, they give you a way to steady yourself in stressful moments long after treatment ends.

Meditation practices include:

• Mindfulness meditation that observes thoughts without judgment
• Guided imagery and visualization
• Body-scan relaxation
• Simple, calming breathing exercises

Meditation supports recovery from anxiety, depression, and PTSD, and builds tools you can use for life.