Counselling and psychotherapy both use similar methods to help clients make change. The significant difference is that counselling is often short term and focused on ‘fixing’ a behavior. Whilst I am trained in both forms of therapy, I do lean towards in-depth work in psychotherapy to facilitate long term change. The Australian Counselling Association defines psychotherapy as:

“An evolutionary process that helps a person look at long-standing attitudes, thoughts, and behaviours that have resulted in the current quality of one’s life and relationships. It goes much deeper (than counselling) to uncover root causes of problems, resulting in more dramatic changes in perspective regarding oneself, one’s life experience, and the world in general. Ultimately, psychotherapy aims to empower the individual by freeing him/her from the grip of unconscious triggers or impulses through increased self-awareness.”