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The Difference Between Counselling and Psychotherapy

Author: Anna Martin - Updated: 9 August 2010 |

Counselling and Psychotherapy are often considered to be interchangeable therapies that overlap in a number of ways. Counselling, in specific situations, is offered as part of the psychotherapy process; whereas a counsellor may work with clients in a psychotherapeutic manner.

The key difference between the two courses of therapeutic communication treatment lies in the recommended time required to see benefits. Counselling usually refers to a brief treatment that centres around behaviour patterns. Psychotherapy focuses on working with clients for a longer-term and draws from insight into emotional problems and difficulties.

Who’s Who?

A psychotherapist is a trained individual who is able to offer a form of counselling to clients. Someone with the same qualifications however, may decide to be called a counsellor instead. Generally a practitioner offering short-term treatment is known as a counsellor. An individual with two or more years of training will opt to be known as a psychotherapist.

To the public the title counsellor appears less intrusive and more easily acceptable than the name psychotherapist suggests. A psychotherapist may therefore call him/herself a counsellor, in order to attract potential clients.

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A counsellor will offer a more specialised service of communication that concentrates on providing a structure to the counselling experience. So treatment for addiction, for instance, will be offered in progressive stages over a period of time. A psychotherapist however, will focus on a deeper awareness of emotional issues, and looks at the foundation of the problem.

How to Get Your Expectations Met

Entering into any form of counselling requires a firm commitment on the part of the individual in distress, and open communication. In order to get the most out of the therapy it is best to ensure the correct form of counselling is considered. This starts by choosing to visit the type of therapist who is best skilled in the area you most need to focus on. For instance, a psychotherapist is the ideal person to help you deal with deep-seated problems and issues, whilst an addictions counsellor will help you understand dependency issues.

Psychotherapy will allow you to examine feelings, actions and thoughts and to learn how to evaluate and adjust where appropriate. Counselling however will enable you to explore personal development and to create adjustments to your life. Making a distinction between the two forms of therapy allows a better understanding of the process involved throughout the course of therapy. Both methods of counselling therapy provide people with a way of dealing with change psychologically.

Key Differences

Counselling:

Helps people identify problems and crises and encourages them to take positive steps to resolve these issues.
It is the best course of therapeutic treatment for anyone who already has an understanding of wellbeing, and who is also able to resolve problems.
Counselling is a short-term process that encourages the change of behaviour.

Psychotherapy:

Helps people with psychological problems that have built up over the course of a long period of time.
It will help you understand your feelings, thoughts and actions more clearly.
Psychotherapy is a longer-term process of treatment that identifies emotional issues and the background to problems and difficulties.

Comments...

The issue of counselling and Psycho-therapy and the differences has been a long confusing and heated arguement within the community of talking treatment. However, I believe that they are the same. Both work in long and short term therapy with client, depending on their needs. I also think that, the more integrative in terms of training, lent of training and qualification will determine which title an individual therapist can hold. I 'm a qualified counsellor with three years of clinical experience with substance mis-use client group, and at moment I'm on degree level course at Greenwich university just to enhance my professional development. I don't mind to address myself as a counsellor or psycho-therapist, what matters to me is help people in distress and to see them over come their problems.

chissy - 21 September 2011 @ 7:31 AM

The fact that this differentiates between counselling and psychotherapy is to some of us offensive.I thank 'Confused Counsellor' for their post and think they give a really good point as to why counselling and psychotherapy should be seen as one thing and not distinguished. The 'key differences' are not differences - they do not exist. I do acknowledge that many do not see the two things as the same.In fact it is a hotly debated issue but for some of us the debate is meaningless. If, psychotherapy is 'a longer-term process of treatment' and counselling is 'a short-term process' why is it that Cognitive Behaviour Therapists (who see themselves as psychotherapists and set themselves apart from counsellors) often do not engage in the long term open-ended work that that many person-centred counsellors do? Waiting for you to change your website. Congruence

Congruence - 19 June 2011 @ 1:50 PM

Having read your description of the difference between counselling and psychotherapy, I am interested in where these definitions came from. I am a qualified, accredited person-centred practitioner. I call myself a counsellor because my Postgraduate Diploma course never referred to us as psychotherapists. As a counsellor, I have had 4 years of training and see clients for both long and short term therapy, seeking always to help change perceptions, not behaviour (that follows once perception changes), and help them explore their deeper feelings. According to your description, I should be calling myself a psychotherapist - but I expect the UKCP would hotly dispute that! Personally, I do not see any difference between counselling and psychotherapy. Please could you direct me to your reference point for your definitions. Thank you.

Confused Counsellor - 13 June 2011 @ 6:23 PM

The information is so helpful.Thanks for the good work.

Mega - 9 April 2011 @ 9:41 AM

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