What is counselling?

Talking therapies? Psychotherapy? Counselling? What does it all mean!?

People tend to use counselling, therapy and other words quite interchangeably so it can be quite confusing.

In the UK the word 'counsellor' isn't a protected term like 'doctor' so when someone suggests "try getting counselling, it helped me" they could be referring to a lot of different things! It also means you might want to do a bit of research when deciding what kind of counsellor to see (check out my post on questions to ask yourself when looking for a counsellor).

Jargon buster

These are some common words you might see popping up when looking at counselling.

Let's start with the different flavours/genres of therapy (we often call them modalities or schools)

There are a lot more I could list, but these were the common terms I saw being used by counsellors advertising around Basingstoke and wider in Hampshire. If you are feeling curious and wanted to have a deeper dive, the BACP have a list of the notable types of therapy with either brief definitions or full articles about them.

Counsellor vs Psychotherapist

Some people call themselves counsellors but others call themselves psychotherapists - which is right for you?

As I said at the start these aren't terms that the UK government keep guarded (unlike psychologist which requires specific qualifications!) so what someone calls themselves usually comes down to how they trained and the types of therapy they offer.

Several professional standard bodies who represent people working in the field (we choose to sign up to one of these bodies and be held accountable to them) have been working on agreeing a framework that makes these kinds of terms more standardised. They plan for psychotherapist to mean the highest level of experience and qualification within the profession.

So in summary, no guarantees, but a psychotherapist would work with more complex mental health concerns or higher risk people, where as a counsellor would work more on everyday life or common issues.

You are unique, so is everyone else

The main thing you need to know is that counselling is getting to talk to someone about how you are feeling. What exactly that looks like for you will depend on you, your counsellor and the topics you choose to tackle. Find a counsellor who feels right for you and what you need, if it isn't working you can discuss it with them or change to a different counsellor.

Personally I am an integrative counsellor who likes to treat each person I see as an individual, working together to decide on what they want to get from counselling and going on that journey together. That's the long professional description of what I am anyway - I don't mind if you call me your counsellor, your therapist, professional best friend or even if you decide not to call me. I just want you to get the help that is right for you.

So if you think maybe I'm right for you then book an introduction call with me to have a chat about what counselling might look like for you!