Counselling and psychotherapy
A skilled counsellor or psychotherapist will listen and help you understand how past experiences, worries about the future or lack of confidence may be affecting your life. Together you can reflect on how you respond to life events and explore the way you relate to yourself and others. A psychotherapist or counsellor will not give advice, but will help you make your own choices. You are free to talk, without fear of rejection, criticism or blame.
Counselling tends to focus on a specific life crisis such as bereavement, loss or change or on immediate problems in the family or workplace. It is usually short or medium term, from a few weeks to a few months.
Psychotherapy usually takes place over a longer period of time
and sessions may be more frequent than once-weekly. A person seeking
psychotherapy is not necessarily going through a crisis, although he
or she may be aware of a deep sense of dissatisfaction, or a feeling
that life is meaningless.
Some people seek psychotherapy when they are aware of serious
long-standing issues, such as those stemming from childhood. Others
may experience chronic or recurrent difficulties in maintaining
relationships or in expressing feelings. Some people embark on
psychotherapy as a form of personal development, seeking to
understand themselves and others better.
If you would like to know more, an e-publication entitled
The Talking Therapies may be downloaded free from the Department
of Health.
