Choosing to begin the process of Counselling and/ or Psychotherapy and the main differences between both.
Everyone will at some point in their lives, experience a struggle, face uncertainty, anxiety, sadness, despair or loneliness. We may need to seek support from a professional Counsellor/ Psychotherapist for a variety of reasons and there is no shame in asking for help. Our mental health is paramount to our well being. Sometimes we get stuck in patterns of behaviour that simply don't serve us very well any longer and we need help to become unstuck and to make changes. We may have learnt to adapt as a child to our parents needs and feel very far away from the person we truly are.
We all have something about ourselves we don't like, something that causes us to feel shame and embarrassment, as though we are not good enough. These feelings we have about ourselves may have come from our relationships with caregivers, or from a current relationships or from life's circumstances, things that were outside of our control. It is the human condition to feel not "good enough" or a failure and sometimes these feelings if prolonged, turn into a downward spiral of self criticism or self loathing and they become habitual and wear us down. Talking about our situation, our difficulties with someone who is outside of our situation, can really help and this is where my therapy services come in.
The terms Counselling and Psychotherapy are often used interchangeably. There are differences to be aware of however when looking for a professional to help. You might notice when searching for someone to work with that the person states they are a 'Counsellor' or Psychotherapeutic Counsellor' or 'Psychotherapist' . The main difference is the academic training. Psychotherapists have undergone far more education depth of training and qualification to practice than Counsellors or Psychotherapeutic Counsellors.
Psychotherapists can perform Counselling , many Counsellors or psychotherapeutic Counsellors do not hold the necessary qualifications for Psychotherapy,
Furthermore, Counselling tends to be a shorter process than psychotherapy with problems being more in the here and now whereas Psychotherapy tends to be a longer process as difficulties have often been around for longer, often originating in childhood. Psychotherapy sessions are delivered by a trained practitioner, short or long term to enhance a persons wellbeing and bring about change. If you are uncertain about what type of therapist you need, do ask the person you have sought help with as a professional will always inform you of the differences and make recommendations based on what they find out in the consultation sessions.
Often due to the depth of training, it is likely (but not always the case) that the fee for Psychotherapy sessions is more than for Counselling sessions. Again, do ask about the professionals training background including how long their training was for and what qualification they have. A Masters degree is a higher qualification to hold than a diploma or certificate for example and I recommend to check when embarking on any talking therapy.