What is counselling vs therapy?

It’s great news that people are beginning to take mental health and the idea of getting support more seriously. Everyone should make space in their life to grow and heal. But, with so many different avenues available for mental health support, a lot of people find themselves asking what the differences are. What is counselling vs therapy? Are they interchangeable or should you seek out a therapist for one set of concerns and a counsellor for another? Today, we’ll help you unravel the two so you know what path might work best if you’re interested in a psychology career.

What is a counsellor?

A counsellor is a specialist who helps people deal with life events, relationship issues or addiction. They generally do not treat mental illness and they’re best suited to assisting people to recover and create meaningful change in their life around a specific goal. Counselling is generally not holistic and instead seeks to address one area of concern like addiction, abuse, divorce and the like.

What is a therapist?

Inversely, a therapist usually offers treatment for longer-term issues and mental illnesses. They will use recognised approaches like:

● Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
● Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
● Cognitive Analytic Therapy (CAT)
● Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)

They will try to identify the root cause of any issues to help you repair disordered thinking and beliefs. Their goal is to help you live the best life possible, recover from trauma and manage any long-term conditions you’re living with.

What is the difference between counselling and therapy?

According to Psychology Today, “[Counselling] tends to be shorter term, goal-oriented, and it addresses concrete, specific life challenges. By contrast, therapy tends to be longer term, more exploratory and holistic and it treats mental illness. [Counsellors] often [specialise] in a specific area, such as marriage, addiction, grief or abuse.” So, if you are dealing with a mental disorder, neurodiversity or trauma; you may find a therapist more helpful. However, if you have a life event or lifestyle issue that you need support with in the short term; a counsellor may be more suitable.

Deciding between counselling and therapy

Making the choice between counselling and therapy really comes down to your goals. If you have a one-off issue, then talking to a counsellor may be all the support you need. However, if you want a more systemic change across your whole life or you’re struggling with depression, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or another mental health issue, therapy is a better option for you.

How do you become a counsellor or a therapist?

To become a counsellor, the National Careers Service suggests you “do a diploma, degree or postgraduate course in counselling or psychotherapy [and] look for a course that includes practical skills training and supervised work placements” like the ones at the University of Bolton.

And to be a therapist, they state “you'll need to:

● study for a degree such as psychology, nursing, medicine or social work
● do an accredited postgraduate qualification
● complete 450 hours of practice”

If you’re interested in becoming a therapist or counsellor, we can help you select the right degree course from our extensive list of courses. Phone us on +44 (0)1204 900 600 or email enquiries@bolton.ac.uk to talk to someone about your future career in psychology.