therapy

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable or uncountable

   Treatment given to help someone recover from an illness or injury, or cope with a problem.

   Grammar: Uncountable in general (physical therapy helps) and countable for a particular type (a new therapy).

   Patterns

   • therapy for something
   • therapy to do something

   She started physical therapy after her knee surgery.

   The doctor tried a new therapy for the condition.

   Speech therapy helped the boy pronounce his r sounds.

2. 2noununcountable

   Regular talks with a trained professional to deal with emotional or mental difficulties.

   Grammar: Often used without an article: He is in therapy.

   Patterns

   • in therapy
   • go to therapy
   • see someone for therapy

   He has been in therapy since his father died.

   Therapy gave her tools to manage her anxiety.

   Many couples go to therapy before making big decisions.

3. 3noununcountableinformalfigurative

   Something that makes you feel better, relaxed, or refreshed.

   Grammar: Informal and figurative: gardening is therapy.

   Patterns

   • therapy for someone

   Walking the dog is therapy after a long day.

   For him, baking is cheaper than any therapy.

   A day at the beach was pure therapy.

Word forms

Common combinations

physical therapy

Physical therapy restored the movement in her shoulder.

undergo therapy

He had to undergo therapy for six months.

speech therapy

Speech therapy is offered at the school.

cognitive behavioral therapy

Cognitive behavioral therapy helped him manage panic.

seek therapy

She decided to seek therapy for her insomnia.

retail therapy

After the stressful week, she went in for some retail therapy.

Synonyms and how they differ

treatment

Treatment is broader and covers any medical care, not just ongoing therapy.

counseling

Counseling is usually shorter, focused on a specific problem, and less clinical than therapy.

remedy

Remedy is the thing that cures a problem and is not always medical.

rehabilitation

Rehabilitation means a long program to restore function after injury or addiction, so it is narrower than therapy.

Opposites

Word family

therapist noun

a professional who provides treatment or counseling

therapeutic adjective

helping to heal or relax

therapeutics noun

the branch of medicine about treating disease

therapeutically adverb

in a way that heals or helps

psychotherapy noun

treatment of mental problems by talking

Commonly confused: therapy or therapeutic?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “therapy”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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