Types of Eclectic Therapy
Multimodal Therapy
Developed by Aaron Lazarus, multimodal therapy is based on social and cognitive learning theory, and it draws on techniques from numerous different mental health therapies. Eclectic therapists using a multimodal approach determine their client’s needs by assessing a number of criteria in seven modalities of being, which can be remembered by the acronym BASIC ID: behavior, affect (emotions), sensations (senses), imagery (visualization and imagination), cognition (language-based thinking), interpersonal relationships, and drugs/biology (including physical bodies and health).7 This way, they can help each client in specific and personal ways.
Cognitive-Interpersonal Therapy
This helping approach combines cognitive therapies like CBT with interpersonal therapy. It’s a methodical approach to helping people become aware of and understand their distorted thoughts about themselves and their relationships that cause problems in their lives.
Brief Eclectic Therapy
Brief eclectic therapy (BET) is a specific approach to helping clients deal with and overcome a traumatic event.5 It combines elements of CBT and psychodynamic therapy.
Cyclical Psychodynamics
This therapy combines psychodynamic therapy, CBT, systemic therapy, and experiential therapy to improve a client’s emotional experiences and help them develop new interpersonal relationship skills.
Three-Stage Model
The three-stage model provides therapists a framework of three stages of the therapeutic process. Knowing what happens during each stage helps professionals select techniques that will work for an individual client during each stage of therapy. The first stage is the exploration stage and is based on Carl Rogers’ Person-Centered Therapy. The second stage is the insight phase, based on psychoanalytic therapy, and the third stage is the action phase, based on cognitive-behavioral therapy.