Counselling & Psychotherapy
“We can choose to throw stones, to stumble on them, to climb over them, or to build with them.”
– William Arthur Ward
1.
Individual
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy involves long-term work, working on the foundations of the self. It looks at beliefs, feelings and patterns of being in the world and works towards gaining more understanding into how we do things so that we can be more choiceful.
2.
Couples
Counselling
Couples will be encouraged to have open and honest dialogues in the sessions and will have the opportunity to explore their unique ways of being in the world, how they deal with difference and how that impacts on their partner and the relationship.
3.
Individual
Counselling
Counselling is more attuned to briefer interventions targeting specific symptoms or situations and offering ways of dealing with those, such as bereavement, addictions or miscarriage although this is not always the case.
The Difference between Counselling and Psychotherapy
There seems to be no commonly agreed definition on the difference between Counselling and Psychotherapy. Counselling can be said to be more attuned to briefer interventions targeting specific symptoms or situations such as issues at work, adjusting to changes in circumstances or coping with a loss such as miscarriage. Counselling is more often offered in the voluntary sector where a specific number of sessions will be offered, commonly between 6-8.
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Psychotherapy is viewed as involving more long-term work, working on the foundations of the self. Psychotherapy will involve looking at early life experiences and how they are influencing our beliefs, feelings and patterns of being in the world now. The work will be to help gain more understanding about ourselves and support us to make choices that are less about habit but reflect more about present needs and hopes for the future.
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When considering definitions, I think it is the relationship that is core to any favourable outcome, and it will be important for you to feel comfortable with the individual offering support before you commit to an on-going therapeutic relationship. You may also wish to check on their experience and that they are affiliated to an organisation with a Code of Practice such as the B.A.C.P. or U.K.C.P.
