Understanding the difference between Counselling and Psychotherapy

Many clients ask me, “What’s the difference between counselling and psychotherapy?” I always explain to my clients it’s all about the needs of the client. Some clients need to talk about their everyday issues and brainstorm potential solutions, while other clients require a more robust plan for mental health intervention, and cognitive restructuring through unhelpful beliefs formed (usually) in childhood following a traumatic event.

Counselling vs Psychotherapy

There are different definitions of counselling that can be found online. Counselling as a term is described as a process that helps individuals change their mental perspectives as they approach a situation or a problem. Many individuals may often need counselling sessions, usually in the form of talk therapy whenever they are facing significant mental and emotional challenges or are failing to adjust to significant changes in their life.

Counsellors may use interventions like person-centred, cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) or solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT). Teenagers often find counselling helpful as they navigate adolescence with complications through online bullying, substance abuse, peer pressure, HSC stress and complications arising from living in a modern blended family. These issues can become complex if the individual is also diagnosed with depression, anxiety, Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or Autism Spectrum-Disorder (ASD).

Benefits of Counselling

With the help of a trained counsellor, clients can develop self-awareness as they acknowledge their problems, identify their challenges or where they need to focus their attention, and help them address those issues in different aspects of their life. Our counsellors help our clients in a safe, confidential environment through an unbiased lens as they discuss and confront their problems while setting achievable and realistic goals.

Benefits of Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy is a long-term commitment to making lasting and long-term changes through cognitive restructuring during psychotherapy. Psychotherapists gently guide and support clients to lean into their childhood trauma and allow fragments of memory to gently resurface. The psychotherapist will support the client to safely talk about their memories and perceptions of the event in a controlled and confidential manner. Over time, and using different counselling techniques, clients will be invited to reauthor their stories using an alternative lens that is free from pain as they accept the events that caused such grief.