The Therapy Words Dictionary

91 words

Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)Therapy approaches

A therapy that helps you make room for difficult thoughts and feelings while acting on your values. Read more

Ambiguous lossGrief & change

A loss without clear closure, such as a loved one with dementia or an estranged family member. Read more

AnhedoniaMood

A reduced ability to feel pleasure or interest in things you used to enjoy. Read more

Anxious attachmentAttachment

A relationship pattern marked by fear of abandonment and a strong need for reassurance. Read more

AssertivenessCommunication

Expressing your needs and opinions clearly while respecting others. Read more

AttunementRelationships

Being emotionally in tune with someone: noticing and responding to their feelings and needs. Read more

Avoidant attachmentAttachment

A relationship pattern marked by discomfort with closeness and a strong preference for self-reliance. Read more

AvoidanceAnxiety

Staying away from situations, thoughts or feelings that cause distress. Brings short-term relief but often keeps anxiety going. Read more

Behavioral activationMood

A treatment for depression that schedules small meaningful or pleasant activities so mood can follow action. Read more

BoundaryBoundaries

A clear limit about what you will and won’t do to protect your well-being. Read more

BurnoutStress

Exhaustion, cynicism and reduced effectiveness from chronic, unmanaged stress, often at work. Read more

CatastrophizingThinking traps

Assuming the worst possible outcome will happen. Read more

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)Therapy approaches

A structured therapy that works on the links between thoughts, feelings and behaviors. Read more

Cognitive distortionThinking traps

A habitual thinking pattern that bends reality, often in a negative direction. Read more

Co-regulationNervous system

Calming down with the help of another person’s steady presence. Read more

CodependencyRelationships

An informal term for relationships where one person’s sense of self depends on caring for or controlling another. Read more

Complex PTSD (C-PTSD)Trauma

A diagnosis in the WHO’s ICD-11 combining PTSD symptoms with long-term difficulties in emotions, self-worth and relationships. Read more

Compassion fatigueStress

Emotional exhaustion from caring for people who are suffering. Read more

Core beliefTherapy concepts

A deep assumption about yourself, others or the world, often formed early, like “I’m not enough.” Read more

CountertransferenceTherapy concepts

The therapist’s own emotional reactions to a client. Read more

Defense mechanismTherapy concepts

An automatic mental strategy that protects you from uncomfortable feelings, like denial or intellectualizing.

DepersonalizationTrauma

Feeling detached from yourself, as if watching from outside. Read more

DerealizationTrauma

Feeling that the world around you is unreal, foggy or dreamlike. Read more

Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)Therapy approaches

A skills-based therapy teaching mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation and interpersonal effectiveness. Read more

DifferentiationFamily

Staying connected to others while keeping your own thoughts, feelings and choices. Read more

DissociationTrauma

A sense of disconnection from your thoughts, feelings, body or surroundings. Read more

Distress toleranceSkills

Skills for getting through intense moments without making things worse. Read more

Earned securityAttachment

Becoming securely attached as an adult despite insecure early relationships. Read more

EMDRTherapy approaches

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing: a structured trauma therapy using bilateral stimulation. Read more

Emotional dysregulationEmotions

Difficulty managing the intensity or duration of emotions. Read more

Emotional flashbackTrauma

A sudden return of old feelings, like fear or shame, without a clear memory attached. Read more

Emotional granularityEmotions

The ability to name emotions precisely, like “disappointed” instead of “bad.” Read more

Emotional neglectChildhood

When a child’s emotional needs for comfort, attention and validation go consistently unmet. Read more

Emotional regulationEmotions

The ability to notice, understand and influence your emotions. Read more

EnmeshmentFamily

Family relationships where boundaries are so blurred that individual needs disappear. Read more

ExposureAnxiety

Gradually and safely facing feared situations to reduce anxiety over time. Read more

Fawn responseTrauma

A survival response of appeasing or pleasing others to avoid conflict or harm. Read more

Fearful-avoidant attachmentAttachment

A pattern of wanting closeness while also fearing it; also called disorganized. Read more

Fight, flight, freezeNervous system

Automatic survival responses to threat: confront, escape or go still. Read more

FloodingCommunication

Physical overwhelm during conflict that makes it hard to think or listen. Read more

GaslightingRelationships

Repeatedly making someone doubt their memory or perception, often to gain control. Read more

GlimmerNervous system

A small moment of safety or joy that helps your nervous system settle; the opposite of a trigger. Read more

Good Faith EstimateTherapy logistics

A US requirement that providers tell uninsured or self-pay patients expected costs in advance. Read more

GroundingSkills

Techniques that bring your attention back to the present moment, often through the senses. Read more

Holding spaceCommunication

Being present with someone’s experience without judging or fixing it. Read more

Hyper-independenceAttachment

Extreme self-reliance that makes accepting help feel unsafe. Read more

HyperarousalNervous system

A revved-up state: racing heart, anxiety, anger, difficulty settling. Read more

HypervigilanceTrauma

Constant alertness for danger, including emotional danger. Read more

HypoarousalNervous system

A shut-down state: numbness, fog, heaviness, disconnection. Read more

Imposter phenomenonSelf-worth

Persistent self-doubt about your abilities despite evidence of success. Read more

Inner childChildhood

A metaphor for the younger feelings, needs and beliefs you still carry. Read more

Inner criticSelf-worth

The harsh internal voice that judges and criticizes you. Read more

IntakeTherapy logistics

The first therapy appointment, focused on history, concerns and goals. Read more

Internal Family Systems (IFS)Therapy approaches

A therapy that sees the mind as made of “parts” and a core Self. Read more

Intrusive thoughtsAnxiety

Unwanted, often disturbing thoughts that pop into your mind. Very common, and not a reflection of your desires. Read more

Mind readingThinking traps

Assuming you know what others think, usually something negative about you. Read more

MindfulnessSkills

Paying attention to the present moment on purpose, without judgment. Read more

Opposite actionSkills

Acting opposite to an emotion’s urge when the emotion doesn’t fit the facts. Read more

ParentificationChildhood

When a child takes on adult responsibilities or emotional caretaking in the family. Read more

Parts workTherapy approaches

An approach that explores different “parts” of yourself, like a critic or protector. Read more

People-pleasingBoundaries

Putting others’ comfort ahead of your own needs, often to avoid disapproval. Read more

Polyvagal theoryNervous system

A popular framework describing nervous system states of safety, mobilization and shutdown. Useful in therapy, though some claims are debated. Read more

ProjectionTherapy concepts

Attributing your own feelings or traits to someone else.

Protest behaviorAttachment

Indirect attempts to restore closeness, like repeated texting or testing, often seen in anxious attachment. Read more

Psychodynamic therapyTherapy approaches

Therapy exploring how past experiences and unconscious patterns shape the present. Read more

Radical acceptanceSkills

Fully accepting reality as it is, which reduces added suffering. Read more

Reassurance-seekingAnxiety

Repeatedly asking for reassurance to ease anxiety, which can keep anxiety going. Read more

ReframingSkills

Looking at a situation from a different, often more balanced, perspective. Read more

ReparentingChildhood

Giving yourself the care, structure and comfort you didn’t reliably get as a child. Read more

RepairCommunication

Reconnecting after a conflict or rupture through accountability and understanding. Read more

RuminationAnxiety

Repetitive, looping thinking about problems or the past. Read more

RuptureCommunication

A break in connection or trust, such as a misunderstanding in therapy or a fight. Read more

Safety behaviorAnxiety

An action taken to prevent a feared outcome that keeps anxiety going. Read more

Secure attachmentAttachment

Comfort with both closeness and independence, and the ability to repair. Read more

Self-compassionSelf-worth

Treating yourself with kindness, especially when you struggle or fail. Read more

Self-soothingSkills

Calming and comforting yourself when distressed. Read more

ShameSelf-worth

The painful feeling that you are bad or unworthy, not just that you did something bad. Read more

Sliding scaleTherapy logistics

Therapy fees adjusted based on income. Read more

Somatic therapyTherapy approaches

Therapy that works with body sensations and nervous system states. Read more

StonewallingCommunication

Shutting down and withdrawing from a conversation, often due to overwhelm. Read more

SuperbillTherapy logistics

An itemized receipt you can submit to insurance for out-of-network reimbursement. Read more

Therapeutic allianceTherapy concepts

The trust and collaboration between therapist and client, a strong predictor of good outcomes. Read more

Thought recordSkills

A CBT worksheet for examining a thought and finding a more balanced view. Read more

TransferenceTherapy concepts

Feelings from past relationships stirred up toward someone in the present, often the therapist. Read more

Trauma bondRelationships

A strong attachment formed in a relationship that cycles between harm and affection. Read more

Trauma responseTrauma

A reaction rooted in past threat that shows up in the present. Read more

TriggerTrauma

A cue that sets off a strong emotional or physical reaction linked to past experience. Read more

ValidationCommunication

Acknowledging that someone’s feelings make sense, without necessarily agreeing. Read more

ValuesSkills

What matters most to you and how you want to live.

Window of toleranceNervous system

The zone where you can feel emotions and still think and function. Read more

Worry timeAnxiety

A set daily time to address worries so they take up less of the day. Read more