How much does psychotherapy help?

It is usually very helpful, depending on the severity and type of problem, and the type and length of treatment.

Studies show that, on average, people with emotional or interpersonal problems who use psychotherapy do better than those who don’t.

The amount of improvement depends on the person, the type of therapy, the length of therapy, the type of problem, and the skill of the therapist. Some people are able to completely resolve the specific issues they came to therapy to address.

In other instances, psychotherapy helps a person learn to cope with issues that cannot be completely resolved. In many of these situations, it does not make sense to think of the person as "sick" when they start psychotherapy or as "cured" when they finish. It is more useful to think of therapy as having helped the individual grow, improve, gain insight or solve specific problems.