What's the most appropriate therapy?

The difference between psychotherapy and counselling is often described in terms of goals and time; the general agreement being that counselling is a short term process with a specific focus, whereas psychotherapy is more in-depth and meandering.

Here I've found the well-known psychotherapist Susie Orbach's thinking helpful. She suggests using the acquisition of a foreign language as a metaphor, recognising that it takes a good two to four years for language to become personal and a part of oneself. She goes on to say:

"in therapy the patient has to unlearn one way of being and develop another, more sustainable one. This process can easily double the time it takes to acquire a new language and its idiomatic ways, making a long period of therapy essential. " (p56, 'Bodies', 2009)

Counselling can also have a more practical quality.  John McLeod (Professor of Counselling at the University of Abertay Dundee) describes it as:

"a collaborative conversation ... exploring the nature of the person's difficulties and goals, and identifying step-by-step tasks that might contribute to the resolution of the problem...it is an opportunity to learn new ideas, skills and strategies (or remembering old ones) that the person can actively apply on an on-going basis to resolve problems in living." (p12, 'Therapy Today', July 2009)

Although many counsellors work with their clients long term, I choose to think of counselling as time-limited & goal orientated, whereas psychotherapy is more exploratory in nature and less delineated.

But inherently, they are both creative processes where the quality of the relationship between the therapist and client is at the heart of their success. 

There's a real buzz about Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) in the media at the moment because a lot of money and time has gone into proving its efficacy. This can only be a good thing for the talking therapies in general, but it does not prove that CBT is more effective than other models; it just shows that it's been researched more. 

I have been trained to work using CBT techniques which can be very useful for some people in certain situations, but I am not solely a CBT practitioner. My training is Integrative which means I don't limit myself to one theoretical practice because I don't believe therapy is 'a one size fits all' process. 

If you decide you would like to try pure CBT make sure, as with all therapists, that your chosen practitioner has completed a recognised training and has the appropriate accreditation. 

Some situations demand areas of expertise outside my range  - I am always happy to discuss this on the phone, or by email, to help you decide who might be more helpful or point you in the direction of specialised resources/services. Please take a look at the 'Useful Links and Information' page too.