Therapy

Last reviewed Saturday, October 24, 2026

Therapy, in mental health, usually means psychotherapy: regular conversations with a trained professional that help you understand and change troubling feelings, thoughts and behaviour. It’s used for conditions such as depression and anxiety, and for problems like grief, stress or a struggling relationship. You can have it alone, with a partner, as a family or in a group.

Also called: psychotherapy; talk therapy or talking therapy; counselling, which overlaps so much that people use the words interchangeably. In everyday English it can also mean physical treatments such as physiotherapy.

For the main kinds and what they cost, read Types of Counselling and The Cost of Therapy in Nigeria.

Types of therapy

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) helps you change how you think and act. Counselling helps you find your own solutions. Interpersonal therapy works on relationship problems. Psychodynamic approaches look at how earlier experiences shape your relationships now.

How it works

Early sessions cover what’s troubling you and what you want to change. Depending on the approach, you might question unhelpful thoughts, learn ways to handle stress, or talk through a loss. You can ask a therapist how they work before you commit.

What it helps with

Large studies show that evidence-based therapies reduce symptoms of depression, anxiety and other conditions. Therapy also helps with problems that aren’t a diagnosis, such as long-term stress, bereavement or family trouble. It can be used instead of medication or alongside it.

In Nigeria

Psychiatrists (doctors registered with the MDCN), clinical psychologists, counsellors and social workers all offer therapy. Counsellors have a legal register under the Counselling Practitioners Council of Nigeria Act 2022, but psychologists don’t yet have a licensing law. Most Nigerians pay for mental health care themselves. Therapy by video works about as well as in person. If your family says “pray about it”, faith and therapy can sit together.

Therapy vs counselling and psychiatry

Counselling often focuses on one problem over fewer sessions, while psychotherapy can go deeper over a longer time. A psychiatrist is a medical doctor who can diagnose and prescribe. Most therapists don’t prescribe.

When to get help

If something has weighed on you for weeks, or it’s affecting your sleep, work or relationships, that’s reason enough. You don’t need a diagnosis. Browse licensed therapists on Mytherapist.ng and book by video, voice or chat. Therapy isn’t an emergency service: if you or someone else is in danger now, call 112 (or 767 in Lagos), or Safe Place Nigeria on 0800 800 2000. The full list is on our helplines page.

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