Psychotherapy & Counseling

Counseling and Psychotherapy are used interchangeably, however, while it can be used as one and the same there is a distinct difference. Counseling is an interaction utilized to deal with issues on a day to day basis between one or more parties. It is a skill-building process aimed at reducing conflict and improving the quality of life in the here and now.

Psychotherapy is a more intricate and deeper personal process. It is aimed at identifying and changing dysfunctional patterns to a more functional set of adaptive processes. It is like opening up an onion one layer at a time where more of the self is revealed to the patient for the purpose of rewriting the program for long-lasting and permanent change.

People like to think that issues can be resolved easily and quickly. That is part of the “fast food” mentality we carry in society. However, it takes often years to develop poor patterns of self-defeating thinking, negativity, and an inability to meet one’s needs. Thus, it takes time to overturn this thinking and developing better ways to meet one’s needs. Otherwise, the patient sees positive change only temporarily– slipping back into the old pattern of dysfunctional thinking.