Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the difference between counselling and psychotherapy?
Counselling and psychotherapy are similar in that they have a common goal; which is to help clients, often troubled by some form of distress, to make changes in their lives and find greater freedom of choice in the way they live.
Understandably, the method of the psychotherapist and counsellor overlap. They both entail a trusting one-to-one relationship with a client with meetings at regular intervals.
Nevertheless, there are differences.
For example, the counsellor tends to focus on current problems, sometimes on one problem alone. The psychotherapist tends to look at more deep-seated issues such as long standing symptoms or patterns of behaviour that may have their roots in a person's past. Another area of difference may well be in the training. The psychotherapist will have trained more extensively, often having initially trained as a counsellor. Psychotherapists are required to undergo personal therapy to deepen their knowledge and understanding of themselves and of the process of therapy itself. Counsellors may have undergone therapy but are not always obliged to do so. - How long will therapy take:
Psychotherapy or counselling may be, by agreement, for a limited period or open-ended. Also the frequency of sessions can be worked out in keeping with the client’s needs, their personal situation and availability of sessions in my practice. I meet with the client for an initial consultation in order that I can acquaint myself with the client and feed back what kind of help I am able to offer. - Will therapy make me better?
Whilst not eliminating the external pressures we all live with, therapy can help you to better understand your feelings and reactions to situations and can provide strategies for coping with difficulties. Therapy aims to help you to feel calmer and more confident in yourself, whilst managing the everyday pressures of your life more effectively.
Richmond