Therapy and Counselling - Essay Example

Therapy and Counseling al affiliation Therapy and Counseling Although psychotherapy and counseling share many common areas,they have distinct differences. Psychotherapy deals with the client’s emotional problems that can promote positive personality change, alter defeating patterns of behavior, promote growth and development, and re-organize personality. It is a long-term intensive process that identifies emotional issues together with their causes. It also focuses on the development of insights about thoughts, feelings and behaviors.

People seeking psychotherapy frequently have serious mental issues than those seeking counseling (COTO, 2010).Counseling is not psychotherapy; it is typically more educative or directive than psychotherapy. It may include guidance, health education, or even advice-giving about particular issues. It emphasizes problem-solving, support, and the provision of information. It is also less formal and short-term. In addition, it carries less emotional intensity, insight and depth (COTO, 2010).In counseling, the power imbalance between the counselor and the client is often lower in the practice of counseling than in psychotherapy.

In psychotherapy, treatment normally takes place in an office setting, but occupational therapists may use other settings for some models of psychotherapy. Also, in psychotherapy, clients are helped to resolve their issues through self-exploration and personal development. However, in counseling, clients are helped to view their issues from a broader perspective that can enable them to make better decisions (COTO, 2010).Psychotherapy facilitates self-understanding and self-awareness; it includes insight about thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and interactions with others.

Counseling facilitates change in thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and experiences that may interfere with a person’s optimum or desired level of health. In psychotherapy, therapists try to understand the reasons for resistance and use them to help the clients make personality changes. However, in counseling, therapists try to reduce resistance because it opposes problem-solving (COTO, 2010).ReferenceCollege of Occupational Therapists of Ontario. (2010, August). Standards for psychotherapy. Coto.org. Retrieved September 3, 2014 from http://www.coto.org/pdf/coto_standards_psychotherapy.pdf