Is there a difference?
Strictly speaking the difference between counselling and psychotherapy can be narrowed down to three key areas:
. length of sessions – short term counselling or long term psychotherapy.
. focus of issue – a present one or one that’s been around for a while (from childhood or adolescence).
. solution or in depth understanding of the issue and self.
Of the terms counselling and psychotherapy, the BACP say they are interchangeable. I would agree and add that in my almost twenty years in the counselling and psychotherapy world, both those who are clients and those who are counsellors and psychotherapists when using those words tend to be referring to more or less the same thing.
However there are the distinctions as mentioned above. Take for example in my Kingston Upon Thames counselling practice, clients contact me because of something that took place recently and they want to focus on that. What can end up happening in sessions is, when talking about the recent event, clients realise and reveal something of familiarity, for example something to with do with a general anxiety disorder (GAD), in this recent situation. Even so some clients want to keep their counselling short term, which we do. Whereas other clients decide they’ve been needing to work on the familiar issue for years, but for one reason and another it didn’t happen. Following this counselling can transition into psychotherapy and we meet longer term.
Short and Long term.
In my years as a counsellor and psychotherapist, I have been meeting with clients for online counselling and online psychotherapy for over a decade. In my experience there are times when clients know and are clear that what they are looking for is short term online counselling, which typically ranges from six weeks to six months. To be suited to this, the counselling has to be focused on the present or specific issue the client brought to counselling. If however other issues continually present themselves, or there are areas in the client’s life from childhood or adolescence that has led to unwanted patterns of behaviour or relating, then after discussion client can decide whether to keep with short term counselling or move into psychotherapy.
Therapy online or therapy in person being longer term gives clients the time to address present issues but also go into the foundations of what could be underlying these issues. Here we have more time to strengthen, repair and heal early foundations that caused the client to have low self esteem for example. Or for the client to be drawn to relationships that take and don’t reciprocate. Or with an issue like addiction, long term therapy in person or long term therapy online allows time to both work to reduce or stop addictive behaviours, alongside helping the client to understand why they are vulnerable to this issue. In addition finding healthier coping as well as learning to care for the self and life better. When clients feel they need this kind of therapy, they tend to prefer not putting a time frame on their work which often goes on for more than six months.
In Counselling and Psychotherapy.
If we were not so strictly speaking, then online counselling and therapy, would be hard to distinguish in practice. Whether it was online counselling or in person therapy in Kingston, clients would know they have a safe and confidential space for however long they need. I often find clients in counselling and psychotherapy are more concerned that they can talk about and work through their issues knowing they won’t be judged and that they’re working with a qualified and experienced therapist who is interested in helping them make better sense of life. That whether it is called counselling or psychotherapy, they become more self aware of self and choices, and even why they make this, instead of that choice.
These terms and the topic I have been discussing also applies to couples counselling and couples therapy. Whether individual client or couple client, the client leads on what they need and want to work on. The online couples therapy client or in person counselling client also decides how long they want and need. When ready to end, client and therapist work together to end your counselling and psychotherapy work in supportive and mindful ways.
Speaking of ending, I will conclude this blog by saying thank you for stopping by and bye for now.
Find out more about counselling and psychotherapy.
If you would like to discuss whether counselling or psychotherapy is what would work for you, you are welcome to contact me either via jessica@rightinsightcounselling.co.uk or 07795 253 457.