One question that we are frequently asked is the difference between Counselling and Psychotherapy, and whether Counselling or therapy is better…
The answer is, neither counselling or Psychological Therapy are better than the other. Although they are both ‘Talking Therapies’ they are quite different treatments that are best suited to treating different types of emotional problems.
Counselling is a Talking Therapy that provides a space for you to reflect on aspects of your life openly and safely with a counsellor. It often provides less structure, and simply allows you to verbalise and speak about issues whilst being actively listened to and heard. The idea behind this is that by talking you will reach discoveries and ideas that you might not have reached on your own.
Therapy on the other hand often tends to be much more structured and is focused on helping you understand specific mood and thinking problems better and find psychological solutions to them. The particular psychological therapy we offer, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is most often recommended above counselling and other types of psychological therapies for many mental health problems like depression or anxiety issues.
Therapists that offer CBT should be accredited by the British Association of Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP). This means they have significant qualification and experience in working using this type of therapy.
There is often a difference in fees between counselling and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. This is usually due to the levels of qualification and experience required to offer each treatment effectively, with qualified and accredited therapists often holding higher levels of clinical postgraduate qualifications. It is important to consider what treatment will be most useful to you as well as affordability, as you may find little lasting benefits from having a treatment that is not recommended for your problems – even if it costs less.
If you would like to discuss whether you need counselling or CBT, please feel free to contact us today…
