Collaborative Therapy 2024: Definition, Benefits & How It Works

Not everyone feels comfortable talking to a therapist. You might feel like you’re being judged, or you might not want to be “diagnosed.” Many people may be looking for something more like a supportive friend—somebody you can talk to or vent to. They might give you advice, but only if you want it, and they’ll also ask you what you want before they suggest how to get there.

Collaborative therapy is like that supportive friend. Therapists who practice this philosophy believe in letting you tell them what you want. They try not to assume anything about you or your goals. You can even find therapists online. Collaborative therapy is all about what you need!

Types of Collaborative Therapy

Client-led Collaborative Therapy

With this form, the client is entirely in charge. First, they decide on the most critical issues in their life and prioritize which they want to focus on first. Then, they usually set goals and figure out where they want their life to go.

Therapist-led Collaborative Therapy

In this type, the therapist is more active and often suggests theories to test. These could be thought experiments to help understand how a particular situation would make the client react or exposure to new stimuli to narrow down what the client’s triggers are.

How Does It Work?

In a collaborative therapy session, the therapist and the client work together to find and understand the problem, or possibly multiple issues, in the client’s life. The goal is to avoid standard diagnostic methods, such as the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5^th edition).

A significant part of the philosophy is “not-knowing,” which means that the therapists don’t know (or don’t act as they know) more than the clients; you’re finding the answers together. This, along with the rejection of standard diagnostic practices, means they push past the easy answer of just slapping a label on the problem and lean into finding out what’s actually causing the problem in your life, not just what often happens to the statistical average of people.

All these ideas work out in practice because you don’t ask them what’s wrong with you; they ask you what’s wrong with you. Instead of focusing on finding a diagnosis, the focus is on helping you function in “everyday ordinary life.” Instead of looking for what’s technically “wrong” with you, you can just worry about what will help you live your best life.

That’s great, not just because the same diagnosis can require different treatment (and therefore, a diagnosis alone isn’t enough to find the treatment that works for you), but also because of the current stigma against mental health issues. So instead of saying you have attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), for a mild example, you can just say that you focus best with frequent but short breaks, light background noise while working, or a standing desk.

Who Should Take Collaborative Therapy?

Collaborative therapy was mainly developed for people with problems that are often stigmatized. In the early 2000s, that was often the case with people from the LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and others) community.

However, it wasn’t widely accepted at the time, and many people refused to acknowledge their true feelings even to themselves. These people would often firmly reject a therapist’s conclusion that they were homosexual, but if they helped someone to reach that conclusion, they were more likely to accept it.

The LGBTQ+ community has gained more widespread acceptance, but it’s still not perfect. There’s also a lot of discrimination surrounding mental health, especially severe illnesses like schizophrenia. People who are afraid of being stigmatized for any of these problems should try collaborative therapy—not only will they learn to understand and accept who they are, but also how to explain who they are to the people around them.

The collaborative approach is also effective for family therapy. Harlene Anderson, the founder, used it mostly in family therapy and marriage counseling. Collaboration can help people accept themselves outside societal norms, but it can also help family members accept them.

It’s also excellent for those reluctant to go to therapy. Collaborative therapy interventions let them open up because they’re a part of the process, and their input is just as crucial as the counselors.

Benefits of Collaborative Therapy

Therapeutic Relationship

Instead of an authority figure, the therapist in collaborative practice is more like a supportive friend. The two of you are seeking the truth together; the counselor doesn’t already know it. This collaborative relationship gives you control over your own treatment. If you have problems trusting authority, this can help you be open much sooner.

More Reliable Results

Therapists approach their practice from a collaborative perspective and understand that nobody knows your life better than you do, so your view is more important and reliable than anyone else’s. 

Because they consider your viewpoint, they can get answers that others would miss. They see things that, with all their training, they could never have known on their own. More data can only make the answer more accurate, and those better results can keep you from going down dead ends and save you time.

Feeling Respected

The feeling of respect clients get from being involved will make them want to keep going and follow through. In an industry high on diagnoses and low on results, care and involvement is a great way to see real improvements in people who attend therapy.

Greater Trust

When you’re involved in deciding what you need to do to improve your life, you’re more likely actually to do it. You believe in what you learn about yourself more if you’re the one who discovered it, rather than having it told to you secondhand.

Let’s use ADHD as an example again. If your therapist tells you to take Ritalin because you have ADHD, you might decide not to, especially if you don’t like the side effects. But, on the other hand, if you notice that you often have difficulty focusing, and you look into Ritalin, and you decide that the benefits are worth the side effects, you’re more likely to take it regularly.

More Impact

This is related to the previous point. Many therapists offer their services to contribute to a community for social reasons. Collaborative therapy is a better option for these therapists as well as for their clients. As I said, patients are much more likely to listen if they’re part of the decision-making process.

If more people in a community follow through on their sessions—making sure to take medication if necessary, for example, or eliminate triggers—the community improves. (It’s also good for business when clients’ lives noticeably improve because then they tell others.)

How Much Does Therapy Cost?

The cost of therapy can vary greatly depending on external factors, like location and insurance. However, even without insurance, collaborative therapy can be reasonably affordable. It often ranges between $20-$50 with insurance and $0-$250 without. The cheapest you can find is in a direct social work practice, founded as a charity to improve a community.

Summary

Collaborative therapy is a relatively recent philosophy of practice designed for those who would normally be exposed to stigma. It’s beneficial for families and marriages and anyone reluctant to see a therapist or unwilling to trust someone else with their personal life.

For those afraid of giving others power or those who feel they might be discriminated against, a collaborative type of therapist can help you feel safe.

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