According to some estimates, there exist at least 500 specific types of psychotherapy (Arkowitz & Lilienfeld, 2012). Many approaches to therapy share common features, and it can be helpful to use these broad dimensions as a means of organizing our discussion. However, keep in mind that divisions between therapeutic approaches are much less rigid than it may appear in this diagram. As many as half of therapists today combine approaches, either in terms of specific techniques associated with theoretical perspectives, or in terms of the perspectives themselves (Norcross & Beutler, 2014). But for every approach the goal remains the same: to reduce symptoms and increase the quality of life.