Counselling and Psychotherapy
What is it?
Counselling and psychotherapy provide a safe and confidential place to talk over your problems or difficulties and to explore thoughts and feelings. A well-trained counsellor or psychotherapist will not judge you and will be concerned with trying to understand what is happening in your life, and how your difficulties have come about. This can help you gain new understanding about yourself, which in turn can bring about change. There is more detail about this in the following pages.
Who is it for?
All kinds of people seek counselling or psychotherapy for many different reasons. They may be facing difficult situations, having difficulty in a relationship, lacking confidence, feeling depressed, anxious or distressed, or feel unable to come to terms with past events and experiences. Or they may be struggling with questions about who they are, or what the point of their life is.
What is the difference between counselling and psychotherapy?
Broadly speaking, counselling usually focusses on a particular problem, whilst psychotherapy tends to work at greater depth, exploring the whole personality. Both counselling and psychotherapy are concerned with finding ways to understand the difficulties that people are experiencing in their lives, and to help them to live fuller and more satisfying lives.
However, there are many different kinds of counselling and psychotherapy, and this can often be confusing for people unfamiliar with the field. If I think my way of working is not suitable for you, or if you decide it is not for you, I can help you find another counsellor or psychotherapist who might work in a way that is more helpful for you. On the next page I will say more about the models of work that I use – psychodynamic counselling, psychoanalytic psychotherapy and Jungian psychotherapy.
What is important in deciding who to work with, is that you feel you can get on with your therapist, as the relationship that is formed will be an important aspect of the work.
