What is psychotherapy?

In Australia, the terms ‘psychotherapy’ and ‘counselling’ are often used interchangeably by counsellors and psychologists when promoting their services. They both refer to the process of assisting people experiencing emotional, relational, behavioural and psychological distress. Many professionals including social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists, as well as counsellors and psychotherapists, can provide counselling and psychotherapy.

I choose the term psychotherapist because I believe it best reflects who I am as a mental health professional, and what I aim for in my work with people. That is, I focus on:

• forming a strong therapeutic alliance or relationship with clear goals and consistent session times to maximise the benefit of therapy,

• providing strategies for symptom reduction in our initial sessions,

• working on meaningful and sustainable change in how you experience yourself, others and the world around you,

• and making use of thoughtful and evidence informed interventions which are outlined in my ‘about me’ page.

You can find out more about psychotherapy on the Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia website.