Counsellor, Therapist, or Psychologist? How to Choose the Right Professional
You know you need help, your anxiety has been out of control and you’re finally ready to take that step of starting therapy. But what do you google? Therapist? Counsellor? Psychologist? It’s all SO confusing, and who knows the difference anyway? Your search results come back with a sea of different names, job titles, qualifications, and mysterious letters after the names that make no sense to you. To add to the confusion, the prices for sessions are wildly different! Why is a counsellor charging £50 per session, a psychotherapist charging £70, and a clinical psychologist charging double that? If finding the right therapist feels like an overwhelming task, keep reading to find out how you can choose the right professional to help you with your anxiety or trauma.
Counsellor, Psychotherapist, Psychologist: What is the Difference?
There can be some overlap between the training and issues that each mental health professional provides. However, there are important differences as well that can inform your choice of who is best placed to work with you.
- Counsellors: may or may not have a psychology degree, have completed a 9 month diploma course and will usually be regulated by the British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists (BACP). They deal with mild issues and life transitions by using counselling, which is geared toward active listening, empathy, and validation. People who attend counselling usually describe it as a great space for venting and airing out issues, however active coping tools and deeper themes are not usually addressed.
- Psychotherapists: may or may not have a psychology degree, and have completed a 3 year course in psychotherapy. They are regulated by UKCP (United Kingdom Council of Psychotherapy) and use long term therapy that focuses on how past experiences are impacting on current problems. People who attend psychotherapy will usually be in therapy for at least 20 sessions and will spend much of the time focusing on gaining insight into the past.
- Clinical psychogists: have a bachelors, master’s, and doctoral degrees in psychology and have the title of “Dr.” to reflect their advanced education and training in assessing, diagnosing, and providing talking therapy for various mental health conditions. Clinical psychologists are also trained to conduct research and use existing research to inform their clinical practice. They are regulated by the HCPC (Health and Care Professions Council), and are trained to use various different therapy models. Their work often encompasses therapy, clinical supervision, training for other health professionals, and are usually placed in leadership roles when working in the NHS.
When to Choose a Psychologist
- When your issues are complex
With so many options out there, it’s easy to get confused about who to choose. While Clinical Psychologists are the most expensive option, they are equipped to provide the right level of care for more complex issues due to their doctoral level training and experience.
If you are dealing with anxiety or trauma, a clinical psychologist has the ability to differentiate between different mental health conditions in the initial assessment, use testing to monitor progress, and utilise the most well researched therapy models that are best suited to your problems.
- When you want an evidence based and personalised approach
As regulated health professionals, clinical psychologists are aduty bound to adhere to ethical standards, only use evidence based therapies, and are trained to provide therapy in personalised and flexible ways, drawing on various different talking therapy approaches.
- When you want time limited and active therapy
Clinical psychologists practice therapy that is active and focused on the present concerns, as well as the past. While this varies from one psychologist to another, therapy tends to involve a combination of listening, insight, and teaching of coping strategies to help bring about positive change.
Whoever you choose to work with, ensure the person is accountable to a regulatory body suitable for their profession. There are many individuals who refer to themselves as counsellors, therapists, and psychologists who lack the appropriate qualifications, simply because these titles are not legally protected.
Your mental health is important, invest in high quality therapy to give yourself the best chance of achieving the results you want to see in yourself!
If you are ready to take the next step, I’d love to hear from you. Simply fill in the contact form on the website to start the process today.
