psychotherapy

psychotherapy — noun

1. A process in which a person talks regularly with a trained professional to addre

1.nounB2
Definition

A process in which a person talks regularly with a trained professional to address emotional struggles or mental health conditions, without the use of medicine or surgery.

Example

Kian has been attending weekly psychotherapy sessions since his panic attacks began.

collocation: attending...psychotherapy sessions

Mira's therapist recommended psychotherapy to help her understand the source of her anxiety.

Common collocations
  • undergo psychotherapy
  • receive psychotherapy
  • attend psychotherapy
  • psychotherapy session
  • course of psychotherapy
  • psychotherapy patient
  • in psychotherapy
Synonyms
  • talk therapy

    less formal, more descriptive term that highlights the conversational nature of the treatment

  • therapy

    broader term that can also refer to physical or occupational therapy

  • counseling

    typically refers to shorter-term support focused on specific life decisions or problems, rather than deep psychological patterns

Grammar Patterns

undergo / receive / attend / have psychotherapy

Usage Note

Uncountable noun — not used with 'a' or 'an'. Common verbs that pair with it include 'undergo', 'receive', 'have', 'attend', and 'begin'. The phrase 'go for psychotherapy' is also common in informal contexts.

Common Mistakes

I started a psychotherapy last week.
I started psychotherapy last week.
Psychotherapy is an uncountable noun and does not take the indefinite article 'a'.
She takes psychotherapy for her depression.
She is in psychotherapy for her depression.
Psychotherapy is a conversational process, not a medication one 'takes'.

Word family

  • psychotherapist
    nounB2
  • psychotherapeutic
    adjectiveC1
  • psychotherapeutically
    adverbC2
  • therapy
    nounB1
  • therapist
    nounB1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Psychotherapy, counseling, talk therapy, and psychoanalysis all involve conversation with a professional, but they differ in depth, duration, and focus. Psychotherapy is a broad term for talk-based treatment of mental health conditions, often addressing deep-rooted emotional patterns over months or years. Counseling is typically shorter-term and focuses on specific life challenges, such as career decisions or grief. Talk therapy is an informal, everyday synonym for psychotherapy that emphasizes the conversational method rather than the clinical framework. Psychoanalysis is a specific, intensive form of psychotherapy developed by Freud that involves exploring unconscious thoughts through techniques like free association. For everyday emotional support like navigating a difficult divorce, counseling may suffice; for persistent conditions like clinical depression, psychotherapy is usually the more appropriate choice.

psychotherapy ↗counselingtalk therapypsychoanalysis

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • course of psychotherapy
  • form of psychotherapy
  • response to psychotherapy
  • undergo psychotherapy

Prepositions

Etymology

GreekGermanEnglish

Psychotherapy combines 'psycho-' (from Greek 'psychē', meaning mind or soul) with 'therapy' (from Greek 'therapeia', meaning healing or treatment). The term was first used in the late 19th century as the field of psychological medicine developed, notably by German and Austrian physicians who turned from purely medical approaches to conversational methods of treating mental distress.