What's the difference between a counsellor and a psychotherapist?

[Jenny]

One day my therapist said that maybe i wasn't "robust enough" for therapy and that i should go for counselling instead... it did kinda baffle me and since then i was wondering really what the difference is. I decided that it must be that therapy is more 'challenging', i.e. the therapist challenges behaviours more? I dunno.

Anyway, i found this on BACP today and it's somewhat helped:

What is the difference between counselling and psychotherapy?

It is not possible to make a generallyaccepted distinction between counselling and psychotherapy. Any differences seem to relate most to the individual practitioner’s training and interests and the setting in which they work. It is generally perceived that psychotherapy training takes longer than counselling training.

However, BACP now uses the same criteria for counsellor and psychotherapist accreditation (see Appendix 1 – BACP Counsellor/Psychotherapist Accreditation Scheme).


Source - http://www.bacp.co.uk/members/info_sheets/pdf/T1.pdf

[Cherrypie]

I hate to be judgemental but as I am not a counsellor yet and I am human I will just say that I don't think that was a kind thing for her to say..although I am sure she meant well.. ahem...its just the way that sounded to me was 'well i only do indepth psychotherapy so if you can't hack it bog off elsewhere..'

Who the hell walks into any kind of counselling or psychotherapy therapy feeling robust for goodness sake... We wouldn't go if we were full of ourselves would we! I suppose I kind of know what she meant in that psychotherapy is very challenging and sometimes I think it should come with a health warning and maybe I should have stuck with was just getting some stuff off my chest but its almost impossible in my opinion.. Its like opening Pandoras box and just natural to start looking at patterns of behaviour and the looking at where they have come from..

Maybe.. you just needed some more time and love to really 'go there' or maybe you didn't want to.. or maybe you just didn't feel quite safe enough with her... robust.. :doh:

Gosh, sorry.. all I really meant to say was Psychotherapy in my understanding is just maybe longer term and looks in more depth at your issues, possibly going back to childhood etc.. feel free anyone to corrrect me.. I know I would like to offer long term psychotherapy as I beleive its the long term work that really effects long term change.. in my know nothing trainee opinion..

[Jenny]

I agree Cherrypie.. i was totally confused about her statement, and quite angry too.. afterall surely that why's people go to therapy in the first place! If she thought i was struggling (which i was) maybe she should have stopped being so challenging for a while, while i picked myself up! Anyway, have a few issues about my ex therapist so i may leave them for another thread lol.. could be a long one lol ;) (am sure a lot of it is my transference).

Anyway thank you for your thoughts.. i agree with you and just because you're a trainee doesn't mean your opinion isn't valid. I'm not even a trainee anymore but doesn't stop me posting my random opinions everywhere :D xx

[Old Wolf]

I work as a counsellor but that doesn't restrict the length of therapy I offer - the work is pretty much open ended with the end eventually set by the client. I think that what dictates title for some is the length of course - I could have continued for a 4th year and got a psycotherapy qualification but chose not to. In this work you never stop learning - our clients teach us - perhaps we should thank them! Of course the direction that learning continues in is often influenced by the type of supervision you have - most of mine have been psychotherapists or psychoanalysts. As to not coping - that in itself informs the therapy surely?

[Jenny]

Yes i think a lot base their titles on that 4th year of study and i totally agree that therapists learn from clients just as much as the other way round. I often thought of this and wish i had asked 'what have you learned from me' - but i know full well she would have turned it around and not answered anyway (self disclosure huh!). I saw a book called 'On learning from the client' or something - looked quite interesting. It's strange to think that therapists learn from clients too.. hey maybe they should pay us :lips:

[Jenny]

The lady i saw today said something about 'counsellors' see clients once a week normally.. whereas 'therapists' can work once, twice, three times weekly. :dunno:

[andyhp]

In terms of 'what' is done very little or quite a lot depending on your viewpoint.

Who that 'what' is done to and who is 'allowed' to do it will, certainly in the NHS, matter more and more as IAPT rolls out in more PCT's

Maybe the HPC will have some say on who does what to who as well.

In terms of career the difference is about 8-10k a year!

[andyhp]

Forgot to add, according to NICE one, or one 'part' of one is evidence based (CBT) and the other, counselling, isn't and apparently, despite what Mick Cooper thinks, is actually becoming less so!

BTW Mick Cooper is the author of 'The Facts are Friendly' the book commissioned by the BACP which seems to claim that counselling has a large evidence base. Despite this 'evidence' NICE have just 'downgraded' counselling in its guidelines for depression for having little in the way of an evidence base.

[Steve]

There are some very good points raised here. I think the general debate in the counselling community regarding the titles 'counsellor' and 'psychotherapist' will carry on until the industry (for want of a better word) is regulated. Currently there is no clear definition set in stone, only opinion. From my point of view the focus should always remain on the emotional needs of each client first and foremost, and for practitioners to ensure they act in a professional and ethical manner - whatever their title.

[shrinknightmare]

I see no difference at all, I have seen a social worker and psychiatrist, and the social worker was much better.