What is the difference between counselling and psychotherapy?
"Counselling" and "psychotherapy" are terms that are often used interchangeably. Although they are quite similar, still there are some subtle differences.
Technically speaking, "counsellor" means "advisor". It involves two people working together to solve a problem. It is a term that is used in conjunction with many types of advice giving. For example, financial planning and spiritual guidance are both types of counselling. Just about anyone may claim to be a counselor if they are in the role of giving advices. The term counselling may also properly be used to refer to what occurs in a relationship with a psychologist.
"Counselling" in the context of mental health is generally used to denote a relatively brief guidance that is focused mainly on the behaviour. It often targets a particular symptom or problematic situation and offers suggestions and advices for dealing with it. Counselling gives individuals the chance to talk about their issues in a comfortable and confidential manner.
"Psychotherapy" on the other hand is generally a longer term treatment which focuses more on gaining insight into chronic emotional as well as physical problems. It's focus is on the patient's thought processes and way of being in the world rather than specific problems.
"Psyche" means mind, and "therapy" means treatment; hence, psychotherapy means treatment of mind, without any medication, for healing of various problems in life. Psychotherapy can be defined as a science which eases the pain, suffering, stress, anxiety etc. without medicines.
In actual practice there may be quite a bit of overlap between the two. A therapist may provide counselling in specific situations, and a counsellor may function in a psychotherapeutic manner. Generally speaking; however, psychotherapy requires more skill than simple counselling. It is conducted by professionals trained to practice psychotherapy. While a psychologist is qualified to provide counselling, a simple counsellor ( who is not a psychological counsellor) does not possess the necessary training and skills to provide psychotherapy.
What are the differences between psychiatrists and psychologists?
Psychiatrists are physicians (M.D.’s) who have completed at least 4 years of postgraduate training. They are the mental health specialists licensed to prescribe drugs (medicines).
Psychologists work in some 56 different specialties. Psychologists are trained in the science of psychology (study of mind and behaviour) which explores the predictable relationships between living beings and their environments in order to understand or to influence the functioning of the living beings. They can be experimenters, animal-behaviour specialists, environmental psychologists, clinical psychologist, and so forth.
Although there are many special areas of studies among psychologists, a large percentage of them conduct psychotherapy. Clinical psychology is concerned with the assessment, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mental disorders. While they often work in medical settings, they do not prescribe medications. Clinical psychology and counseling psychology are the usual specialty areas that prepare clinical psychologists and psychological counsellors to practice psychotherapy. Hence, they are also known as psychotherapists.
Psychologists/psychotherapist engage clients (or patients) in "talk therapy" such as, rational emotive therapy, cognitive therapy, behavioral therapy, etc. in order to help improve: quality of life, satisfaction in relationships, functioning in society, performance in work or play, general health, and well-being.
Psychologists who are licensed as mental health professionals are students of doctoral programs (i.e., they have degrees such as: Ph.D., Psy.D., or the equivalent) which often take 4 to 6 years of study after college. They have more training in psychological research than psychiatrists (M.D.'s). Specialty areas for them include child mental health, adult mental health, learning disabilities, emotional disturbances, relationship problems, substance abuse, geriatrics, health psychology, and psychosomatic disorders.
My therapies include, besides the traditional therapies, such as, rational emotive therapy, cognitive therapy, behavioral therapy, etc.; also other therapies, such as, hypnotherapy, NLP, dowsing, meditation, spirituality, and so forth. I use a combination of western scientific psychology and eastern spiritual philosophy to resolve various problems in life. Most psychologists, even at the world-level, are hardly aware of this approach. This approach provides excellent results.
Counselling & Psychotherapy
