What is the difference between counseling and psychotherapy?
Counseling helps people deal with particular problems in day-to-day living. The counselor works with you to identify problems, to set realistic goals, and to develop skills in problem solving, coping, and interpersonal relations. Psychotherapy is a more intensive process that promotes emotional awareness and psychological development. The process can strengthen one’s sense of confidence, self-acceptance, and responsibility in daily life. It may also lead to a greater capacity for intimacy, to a more productive use of innate skills, and to the experiencing of more meaning and pleasure in life. See Counseling & Psychotherapy for a more detailed explanation.
The two terms are often used interchangeably because there are many more similarities than differences. Counseling has traditionally focused on helping people overcome obstacles to personal growth so that they achieve optimum development of their personal resources. Psychotherapy has traditionally focused on helping people recover from emotional distress or mental disorders that interfere with healthy functioning. I use techniques that are grounded in the science and theories of both counseling and psychotherapy.
