Addressing Counseling Versus Psychotherapy

Briefly what is your opinion on this discussion addressing counseling versus psychotherapy as well as why is this differentiation essential? Does this discussion answers the two questions ok.

Counseling vs Psychotherapy
While counseling and psychotherapy may seem similar at first glance, there are a few ways that they are different. In my own opinion, counseling is based on using services that include talking to a licensed counselor and finding ways to change behavior through methods like cognitive behavioral therapy, while psychotherapy involves a psychologist or psychiatrist and medication for a mental illness.

Counseling is a process in which an individual will see a "professionally trained counselor" to help with a problem or concern the individual is experiencing. Throughout these meetings, the counselor can help the individual find ways to cope with their concern through different behavior strategies or sessions involving groups, families, or significant others. The main goals of counseling are to help the individual learn new coping strategies, to change the unwanted behaviors and to enhance and "improve relationships." Typically, counseling involves helping the individual work through issues or a concern not related to mental illness and is used short term.

The practice of psychotherapy is a bit different. Psychotherapy involves the treatment of more complex issues, such as a mental illness or disorder. The main goals of psychotherapy focus on diagnosing mental illness and maintaining short to long term treatment for mental illness. While counseling can be used in many different areas, such as schools, offices, or churches, psychotherapy can be used in private practices, mental health clinics and hospitals. Psychotherapy also involves the use of medication during the course of treatment and beyond, if needed.

The differentiation of counseling and psychotherapy is essential because while both of them focus on helping individuals learn to cope and live with their issues or illnesses, the two require different amounts of training and expertise. Counseling can be done by friends or family if the individual is looking for outside answers. However, this is considered "informal" counseling and the individual who is giving the advice can hold a personal bias, depending on the situation. Counseling done by a professional will not have that bias, so it will allow the individual to try new ways to approach the concern or issue. Counselors also have to maintain a code of ethics that were created by the American Counseling Association and provide confidentiality for patients, unless there is the concern that he or she could harm themselves or another person. Counseling and psychotherapy also need the differentiation because in order to treat different issues or problems, there needs to be a different degree of treatment available. If someone is suffering from a serious mental disorder, they would not want to see a counselor to help them change that behavior. He or she would need to see a psychotherapist to address and analyze what is happening in their brain and what can be done to correct it.