IMPROVA vs. Therapy: Do you know the difference?

06.02.2025 | Reading time: 2 minutes

When it comes to mental health, at first, many people tend to think of mental illness or psychotherapy. IMPROVA is a newly developed program to improve the mental health of young people. So, perhaps you've wondered whether IMPROVA is only for people with mental health problems?

In short: No!

Nevertheless, let's take a brief look at what psychotherapy actually is and how IMPROVA differs from it.

Psychotherapy supports people with mental health problems such as depressed mood, bad thoughts, anxiety or stress - very similar to IMPROVA. The difference is that psychotherapy treats serious mental illnesses. Mental illnesses place a heavy burden on those affected over a longer period of time (at least several weeks), unlike, for example, stress that only occurs during a rough phase, such as after a break-up, lots of tests at once or a heated argument. In psychotherapy, you find out what you can do about the specific illness (e.g. depression or anxiety disorder) and work together to get better.

IMPROVA deals with similar topics as psychotherapy, but starts at a different point: The aim is to support young people before they become unwell, so that they can cope even better and avoid mental illness in the first place! This is called prevention. The aim is to learn how to deal with stress at an early stage and not just when the burden has already gotten too heavy. Just as you keep your body healthy and fit, for example by lifting weights in the gym or riding your bike to school, IMPROVA is a good way to strengthen yourself overall. You build up “mental muscles”, so to speak, so that you can pursue your goals better in the future and withstand greater stress.

Curious? Click here for the eSano training:

Conclusion:

IMPROVA = prevention: aiming at all young people and applicable before a problem arises. IMPROVA gives you strategies to help you deal (even) better with stress and pressure 🡪 You stay healthy and happy!

Psychotherapy = treatment of mental illness: starting when you are already under a lot of stress and feel that you can no longer cope with it on your own 🡪 You get better again.

Remember: It is perfectly okay and important to seek help if you feel you can no longer cope with stress on your own. If you feel that IMPROVA is not enough to deal with your problems, you can find places to go for professional support on our help page.