Stockport Women's Centre

What Is Counselling?

We are sometimes asked about the difference between counselling and psychotherapy.  It is not easy to give a short answer as both terms cover a wide variety of practice.

“There is considerable overlap in that much psychotherapy is about overcoming personal difficulties and facilitating change.  The methods used in psychotherapy are similar and in some instances identical to those used in counselling.  If there are differences, then they relate more to the individual psychotherapist’s or counsellor’s training and interests and to the setting in which they work, rather than to any intrinsic difference in the two activities.  (extract from BACP’s C2 Information Sheet, July 2008).