Most of the time, people think a counsellor and a therapist are the same. Even though they have stark similarities, such as belonging to the same field or practising guidance, there are a lot of differences that you need to be mindful of before deciding whom to go visit.
What is counselling?
A counsellor often acts as an advisor and provides information to their client about a certain issue and helps them with the best-informed decision to take regarding it. You visit a counsellor when you have a short-term problem to solve that may not be that in-depth in nature. Your sessions with your counsellor will last about 8–12 sessions or just several weeks to deal with day-to-day life problems such as work stress, family and relationship issues, life changes, grief, etc. The main aim of the counsellor is to ensure that their well-informed advice helps the individual navigate their way to finding a solution. A counsellor could be found in various other fields apart from psychology, such as marriage, finance, spirituality, family, school/university, career etc. Counselling can take place either in a group setting or in an individual session.
What is psychotherapy?
Psychotherapy is often advised for people who are suffering from chronic mental health issues. A trained psychotherapist attempts to analyse or delve deeply into understanding why their client is feeling a certain way, as well as investigate the underlying issues that cause the same. The process of psychotherapy aims at achieving the person’s well-being and giving insight into the individual's emotional and sometimes physical well-being. Psychotherapy is predominantly psychological in nature and often prescribes therapeutic techniques to clients for their healing process. This form of therapy employs in-depth intervention, which may last up to 20–40 sessions, which is about 6 months to 2 years. People suffering from mental health disorders such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, self-esteem issues, addiction issues etc. Professionals who are trained psychotherapists include psychologists, psychoanalysts, psychiatrists, mental health counsellors, marriage and family therapists, etc. The various approaches to psychotherapy include
Cognitive behavioural therapy
Family Therapy
Psychodynamic therapy
Group Therapy
Online Therapy
Creative Art Therapy
Animal Assisted Therapy
How to choose between a counsellor and a psychotherapist
Other than the differences and similarities mentioned above, when it comes to choosing a counsellor or psychotherapist, you must also read up on their background of study or what field they specialise in. For example, a counsellor must have secured a master's degree in counselling whereas a psychotherapist must have pursued their master's in Master of Social Work (MSW), Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology, Master of Arts in Psychology and Master of Arts in Family and Marriage Therapy.
It’s best suited to visit a counsellor if you are looking for guidance to tackle a short-term problem or want to incorporate better management or coping skills to navigate through day-to-day activities, whereas you would need to consult a psychotherapist when you have a chronic mental health issue that persists over a long period of time and that tends to disrupt your overall well-being or life's progress.
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