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Counselling & Psychotherapy: What’s the Real Difference?

A Skilled Therapist Will Use Both Counselling and Psychotherapy.

If you have ever considered seeking mental health support, you have likely come across the terms counselling and psychotherapy. While people often use them interchangeably, they are distinct concepts on paper. Both involve talking to a trained professional to improve your emotional well-being, but they can differ in focus, depth, and duration.

Understanding The Basics

While every practitioner has their own style, the core differences come down to what you as an individual require.

Illustration depicting the concept of past and present in therapy

Counselling tends to focus on the here and now.

Psychotherapy On the other hand, is a longer-term exploration into understanding your past to gain insight into your present.

Two Parts Of The Same Journey

A skilled practitioner will blend these approaches seamlessly, using their experience to navigate the present while building a therapeutic approach to better understand what may have made situations so difficult.

Why This Matters To You

Essentially, you don’t need to know all the jargon to benefit from therapy, what matters for you is finding a qualified practitioner with whom you feel safe, heard, and supported by.