What is Counselling and Psychotherapy and what is the difference?

Counselling and Psychotherapy are often considered to be interchangeable therapies and can overlap in many ways. Both are used to facilitate choice, change and/or reduce confusion and pain. They can help a client with developing their strengths, capabilities and confidence. It is possible to live a more fulfilling life with regards to love, work and play from psychotherapeutic work.

Counselling is often a brief, confidential treatment which focuses on a specific problem or behavioural pattern. Technically the word ‘counsellor’ means advisor and it involves two people working together to solve a problem. Derived from the ancient Greeks, psychotherapy’s literal meaning is to ‘nurse the soul’. It focuses on working with a client for a longer period of time, uncovering their thoughts, feelings and way of being in the world rather than a specific problem. Psychotherapy supports clients with loss of direction or purpose, dissatisfaction with life, difficulties and distress.

A psychotherapist is qualified to provide counselling, however a trained counsellor may not have enough training to provide psychotherapy. At Nurse The Soul we offer both crisis counselling and individual therapy by transpersonal integrative psychotherapists.

How therapy works at Nurse The Soul…

Sessions are usually once a week and last for 50 minutes. Therapeutic techniques can involve talking, mirroring, role playing, art and play therapy, mindfulness, meditation, visualisation and dreamwork. Nurse The Soul individually tailors the approaches according to the client’s needs. Techniques are only used when they suit the therapy, the client understands their use and they are willing to try them out.

Sessions at Nurse The Soul can be short term and solution focused or open ended, exploring deeper childhood issues, traumas and existential crisis. The choice of therapy can be discussed in the initial consultation.

Can I benefit from therapy?

People who benefit from counselling and psychotherapy have to be willing to look at themselves and consider the possibility that they are at least partly responsible for their problems. Therapy won’t work with people who are not motivated enough to put into practice the insights they have had for change.

Therapy can be dark before the light. Perseverance, commitment and trust are vital. During this period it can be possible to increase the amount of weekly sessions.

Therapy is not advisable for people who are having psychotic episodes and in need of hospitalisation.