Counselling and therapy are often used interchangeably however, there is a difference between the two! What is the difference? Are there similarities? Do you have to find a counsellor or therapist who specializes in one or the other? Here’s some info to help you distinguish what you’re looking for…
What’s the Difference?
Counselling and psychotherapy are different. Counselling is used for more short-term issues. For example, if you’re experiencing a couple bumps here and there with regard to a transition, or looking for tools related to stress management, counselling would be a perfect fit.
Counselling is more short-term. The focus in counselling is very explicit. Counselling is much more solution-focused, as there is a clear issue that needs resolving. You will be able to easily identify your presenting issue, and the counsellor will be able to offer you some tools to manage the issue, or the counsellor will help you process the issue so that you can alleviate the problem all together.
Psychotherapy, on the other hand, is much less surface level. Psychotherapy, known as “therapy”, allows for you and your counsellor or therapist to go more deeply into issues that continuously show up due to learned behaviours, or past events that were significant in building your perception of your sense of self and others.
If you’re looking at working on boundaries, attachment issues, relationships, boundary establishment, understanding your behaviours, emotions, and thought processes, learning about your somatic (physical) experience, then psychotherapy would be more appropriate and beneficial for your needs. Psychotherapy will also help you work through depression, anxiety, trauma, addiction, and other mental-health struggles.
How Are They Similar?
There is overlap in counselling and psychotherapy. In both settings, you and your counsellor or therapist will establish what’s known as a “therapeutic alliance” or a “professional working relationship”. Due to the more short-term nature of counselling, you and your counsellor can create a beneficial and effective therapeutic alliance however, it will likely be less developed than a working alliance between yourself and your therapist, as the longer you and your therapist work together, the stronger the therapeutic alliance becomes.
A huge misconception regarding psychotherapy is that it’s less client-directive. This can be true depending on the approach that a therapist implements however, most psychotherapists use collaborative approaches to ensure that you are heard and your needs are met. In both counselling and psychotherapy, you are encouraged to voice your needs. Your counsellor or psychotherapist will adapt to ensure that your work together is effective and to ensure that you feel safe.
Finding The Right Fit For You:
Consider your presenting issue. Is it relatively new? Do you need to do some processing with an objective person who will help you process and offer you some tools to move forward? If so, then counselling would be a great fit for you.
If your presenting issue seems patterned, or you have noticed it showing up over the past few or several years, then your process would likely be more suited to psychotherapy, or therapy. Your therapist will help you process, offer you effective tools, and ensure that the root of the issue is identified and understood so that you gain awareness and perhaps resolve moving forward.
There are several types of psychotherapy. If you inquire with a professional about their services, feel free and open to ask about how they work. For example, some therapy is more oriented toward talking and processing out loud (talk-therapy), while others look more explicitly at thought, processes, emotions and behaviour. There are also somatic-based (body-based) therapies that include talking and exploring movement, physical responses to your history (such as posture or holding tension in the body), and nervous system regulation. Ask your potential therapist about their methods and see if it sounds like the right fit for you.
Can I Start with Counselling and Then Progress into Therapy?
Absolutely. You can always decide to go deeper if you feel this would be beneficial once you your initial issue has been resolved or alleviated.
In most cases, counsellors practice psychotherapy. That means that you don’t need to restart with someone new should you decide to go deeper into your process (from counselling to therapy). If this is something you’re thinking about, when you first contact a counsellor, make sure that you ask about how they work and that it aligns with what you’re looking for. If you’re curious about psychotherapy, ask them about their approach just in case in the future you choose to go that route!
Searching for the right fit for you can sometimes take time. Find a counsellor or therapist who you feel comfortable with and a professional who you feel understands your goals. Most counsellors also specify their specialities, for example, Sana offers EMDR therapy in Vancouver so that is something that you can look for and ask about too. Feel free to ask questions and even explain what has and hasn’t worked well for you in the past if you’re not new to counselling or therapy. Getting started is often the hardest part!
“It is the client who knows what hurts, what directions to go, what problems are crucial, what experiences have been deeply buried.”
–Carl Rogers