If you are considering professional help for a personal issue, one of the first things you may want to consider is whether you need a counsellor or a psychotherapist.
The terms "counselling" and "psychotherapy" are often used interchangeably but there are important differences. Counselling is usually of a shorter duration and the focus is on a particular difficulty or situation. Psychotherapy is usually of a longer duration because the aim is emotional development and long-term personality change.
Counsellors Can Help You Learn New Ways of Coping
Take grief counseling as a way of illustrating the difference. Losing someone close can be a devastating experience. Friends and family are a great support, but not everyone has a supportive family, and some family members may be dealing with their own grief or may not be emotionally available for other reasons.
A grief counsellor can help by providing a safe and supportive space in which to articulate the deep feelings of loss, abandonment, guilt, anger and sadness, either in a family situation or individually. A counsellor will listen while you talk about the person who has died, without you feeling like you have to protect them from your sadness. Having someone listen to you with empathy and understanding can help you move through your grief until it doesn’t hurt so much.
Counsellors are there to help you help yourself and in the process you will learn new coping strategies that you can use to overcome future challenges. Depending on the counsellor’s specialization help may be sought for substance abuse, grief and loss or relationship issues, to name a few. The focus is on the here and now and helping you develop more effective strategies for dealing with an issue.
Some people may only need a few sessions with a counsellor to resolve an issue, but there is no set time limit. Counselling usually has a set goal that is discussed at the onset.
Psychotherapy and Long Term Change
Psychotherapists, on the other hand, can be helpful if you feel a lack of meaning in your life, or if there are deep seated emotional issues which prevent you from fully engaging and enjoying life. Psychotherapy is also useful during periods of upheaval or crisis, but the work is directed at supporting you as a person, rather than focusing on a particular issue. The emphasis is on developing understanding and wisdom.
This process often requires looking at some of the deeper issues of life, including death, love and spirituality. A psychotherapist will walk with you as you explore these issues in a way that helps you develop greater self-awareness.
Psychotherapy is also used to treat mental illness in part by exploring how the past plays a crucial rule in how a person experiences their life. Because the emphasis in psychotherapy is on helping people to flourish and live more authentic and meaningful lives, new ways of thinking about past events emerge through this process in a way that can be personally liberating.
What Sort of Psychotherapy is Right For Me?
Psychotherapists come from many different schools of thought. These include psychoanalytic psychotherapists, psychodynamic therapists, Jungian and existential psychotherapists, buddhist psychotherapists and person-centered therapists, to name just a few.
It is worthwhile to do some reading prior to approaching a psychotherapist so you can better understand the underlying philosophical differences in these approaches. If you disagree with the basic underlying ideas, you probably won’t get much out of it.
Helping People to Find Meaning
What these different therapists share is a common goal to help people tell the truth of their lives and in the process liberate them from unhelpful fears and anxiety. This paves the way for the client to live a more joyful and authentic life.
The most important aspect of therapy, regardless of the approach however is the relationship between the therapist and the client. Working within strict ethical guidelines, the therapy situation will eventually mirror the difficulties or inner conflicts that are repeatedly played out in lives. This provides an opportunity to understand the patterns and eventually learn do things differently.
Because the therapist is skilled at noticing these patterns, they can assist clients gain a greater insight into their issues and provide the support needed to resolve them.
Change From the Inside Out
Psychotherapy is about change from the inside out, and this can take time. Many psychotherapists have themselves gone through this, sometimes uncomfortable, process as part of their training, so they understand the pitfalls and can help you through them. They are usually very well trained and self-aware.
Psychotherapists prefer to see clients frequently, sometimes between 1 and 5 times a week, but the duration and frequency of the therapy is usually discussed prior to commencement, as is the cost which can often be negotiated depending on circumstances.
Most psychotherapists belong to a professional association and abide by a code of ethics, as do most counsellors, so it is worthwhile doing your homework before deciding on a particular therapist.
Facing your fears and anxieties can be difficulty at first, but psychotherapy is a gradual process and with each step you take the more courageous and empowered you become.
Originally published on Sep 30, 2011
