Psychotherapy is a psychological treatment that is designed to relieve suffering through insight, interpersonal interaction, and techniques that facilitate cognitive, emotional, and behavioral change. Psychotherapy can be a relatively brief, problem-focused intervention, a more open-ended process of inquiry, or combine both targeted and exploratory strategies within one treatment. Its broadest objective is to help individuals identify and overcome the perceptions, conflicts, patterns, and obstacles that contribute to problems in living. Core features of psychotherapy, regardless of theoretical orientation or clinical concern, are mutual respect, safety, confidentiality, and a capacity to work together in a relationship known as the therapeutic alliance.

Three psychological approaches to depression have been empirically tested and validated as effective – Short-term Dynamic Therapy, Cognitive-behavioral therapy, and Interpersonal therapy for depression.