Psychotherapy changes slowly, and that’s mostly a good thing. Evidence takes years to accumulate, and the field is generally careful about adopting anything without real research behind it. Most of the approaches that we use today have been extensively researched, which is why the field of psychology is so widely recognized as science.
Still, that doesn’t mean that therapy and mental health are not changing. There are trends – both good and bad – that take place within the mental health world. Some of these are positive – like modalities that can now be used on other conditions. Others are problematic – like mental health issues therapists now need to address, but previously did not have to worry about.
Let’s talk about a few of them.
- EMDR Is Being Used for More Than Trauma
EMDR built its reputation treating PTSD, and that’s still its most established use. But research into EMDR for conditions that aren’t trauma-specific has grown substantially in recent years. A 2021 systematic review covering 90 studies found positive effects across a wide range of conditions beyond PTSD, including anxiety disorders, depression, phobias, OCD, and chronic pain, and Harvard Health has reported on more recent research extending into personality disorders as well.
The research for EMDR beyond trauma is still not considered fully established, since there hasn’t been enough time for the series of studies that many therapists prefer to use before integrating it into their practice. It is still described as emerging or preliminary in much of the literature, promising enough that clinicians are increasingly using it for anxiety, phobias, and mood disorders, but not yet at the same level of certainty as its original, trauma-focused use. Flourish Psychology’s EMDR work reflects that, applying it where the evidence and a client’s specific presentation supports it. Still, it is promising that this highly effective, already established approach to mental health may be able to have additional benefits.
- Measurement-Based Care Is Becoming Standard Practice
For most of psychotherapy’s history, progress got tracked through clinical judgment and conversation alone. That’s shifting toward something more structured: measurement-based care, where standardized symptom scales get collected regularly throughout treatment and used to guide clinical decisions.
The evidence behind this is substantial. The American Psychological Association points to research showing consistent use of these measures improves patient outcomes, reduces dropout, and lowers the chance a patient’s symptoms worsen during treatment, compared to relying on clinical impression alone. The APA has been developing formal practice guidelines around it, and several state licensing boards now offer continuing education credit specifically for using it. It’s a genuinely evidence-driven shift, backed by real outcome data.
- Telehealth Has Become a Permanent Part of Care, Not a Pandemic Workaround
Virtual therapy sessions started as a necessity during COVID-19 and never fully receded once in-person options returned. Mental health now leads every other medical specialty in telehealth use, and recent industry data shows mental health services made up 58% of all telehealth visits as of the most recent published figures, with states extending telehealth reimbursement well into 2026.
Research backs up why it stuck around. What actually drives change in therapy is the relationship between client and therapist and the clinician’s own skill. Flourish Psychology offers online therapy throughout New York State for exactly that reason, alongside in-person sessions at the Brooklyn Heights office.
- Clients Are Bringing AI Into the Therapy Relationship
A 2026 APA survey of more than 1,200 psychologists found that 77% now have clients using AI chatbots for mental health support, self-diagnosis, or as a kind of companion, often alongside their actual therapy. The survey also found widespread concern among clinicians about the risks this creates: dependency on a tool with no clinical training that is programmed to sycophantic and isn’t truly capable of in depth thinking. This has led to situations where distorted thinking is reinforced rather than challenged, among many other issues.
This is a trend therapists are increasingly having to navigate directly, asking clients how they’re using these tools, or helping a client understand the difference between a chatbot’s response and a trained clinician’s judgment. Expect this conversation to become a more explicit part of therapy itself, rather than something happening quietly in the background.
- Somatic and Body-Based Approaches Are Gaining Research Support
Body-based therapies, approaches that work with physical sensation and nervous system regulation rather than starting with thoughts or conversation, have existed for decades but stayed on the margins of mainstream clinical psychology for much of that time. That’s changing as more controlled research accumulates behind them, particularly for approaches like Somatic Experiencing, where reviews have found meaningful reductions in trauma symptoms that hold up over time.
Flourish Psychology’s somatic therapy work reflects that same shift, often used alongside more traditional talk-based approaches as part of an integrated treatment plan.
These are only 5 of the many shifts that we’re seeing in the mental health world. At Flourish Psychology, what we care about most is evidence based care and you. When you need help, no matter what it is, reach out to our therapists and we’ll be here for you.