Psychotherapy has come a long way since the Freudian days of lying on a couch. It’s now much less formal and a lot more personalized. New technology and a greater openness towards mental health are thought to transform psychotherapy even further. Here are just several predictions as to what the future of psychotherapy may hold.

VR therapy

Virtual reality (VR) therapy is already starting to gain traction. It’s commonly used to treat PTSD in the military by simulating traumatic situations and getting patients to reduce their anxiety when faced with certain visuals. There’s also a gradual support for its use in treating phobias – VR can be used to beat everything from a fear of spiders to a fear of heights to a fear of public speaking. By helping to simulate environments in a controlled setting, it can be much easier to get people to confront their demons without exposing them to real threats. Many of the traditional treatments available at a PTSD treatment center are still likely to be used in the future and may still have benefits over VR. However, once VR becomes more cost-efficient, it is certain to become more mainstream.

AI counselling

There’s also a possibility that AI counselling may become a popular option in the future. As demand for mental health treatment rises and there are fewer human professionals to provide it, AI may become the only way to deal with the demand. Already there are chatbots that use cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) techniques to help people. These chatbots have produced mixed results so far with some people finding them useful, while others simply find them frustrating. As they are fine-tuned, they may become more reliable – although they’ll almost certainly never be a total replacement for human counsellors.

Integrated therapy

Therapy may evolve to become more integrated with other activities in the future such as exercise, cooking or learning instruments. Such therapy has been found to help people open up – such activities can get people interacting more naturally and can reduce the need for eye contact, which some people can find intimidating. It could also lead to a more personalized form of care in which people can pursue activities they enjoy as a way of helping them to feel more comfortable.   

Less stigma

One of the biggest improvements in the future is likely to be the growing lack of stigma surrounding psychotherapy. It may begin to no longer be viewed as an emergency option – people will seek help for more minor mental health concerns, which could help to prevent them from turning into major issues. Much like check-up at the doctor or dentist, a mental health check-up could become the norm. Of course, this would require greater funding and resources being poured into mental health to meet the demand, which governments may not be willing to provide.