Counselling methods & techniques
Psychotherapy & Counselling
Both titles cover the treatment of psychological distress with techniques that rely heavily on verbal and emotional communication.
Counselling helps the client look at problems they are currently facing; they are encouraged to discuss their feelings about themselves and their situation, and are helped by the counsellor to find ways to tackle their problems.
Psychotherapy is guided by theories about the sources of distress and the methods needed to alleviate it. Traditionally, psychotherapy describes deeper work that explores the impact of past experiences on the way we behave today.
Life Coaching
Life coaching helps people to focus on what is important to them right now and supports them in achieving it. It tends to be task and goal orientated and is very much about making immediate changes - tasks or home work may be given to the client to focus on between the sessions.
Just as in sport, where athletes regularly work with a coach, benefits can be reaped from having expert support and guidance in every aspect of our working and personal lives.
Transpersonal Therapy
This describes any form of counselling or psychotherapy which places emphasis on the transpersonal, the transcendent or spiritual aspects of the human experience. Transpersonal psychotherapy is often viewed as a companion to other schools of psychology that include psychoanalysis, behaviourism and humanistic psychology.
As in psychosynthesis, the ultimate goal of transpersonal psychotherapy is not merely the alleviation of suffering, but the integration of physical, emotional, mental and spiritual aspects of the client's well-being. It includes the exploration and focus of the client's potential, and the development of inner resources and creativity.
Cognitive Therapy
A relatively short-term form of psychotherapy based on the concept that the way we think about things affects how we feel emotionally. Cognitive therapy focuses on present thinking, behavior, and communication rather than on past experiences and is oriented toward problem solving.
Cognitive therapy has been applied to a broad range of problems including depression, anxiety, panic, fears, eating disorders, substance abuse, and personality problems.
Interpersonal Therapy
A form of psychotherapy in which the focus is on a patient's relationships with peers and family members and the way they see themselves. Interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) is based on exploring issues in relationships with other people.
The goal is to help people to identify and modify interpersonal problems, to understand and to manage relationship problems.
Behavioural Therapy
Behavioural therapy is based on the theory that learnt behaviour in response to past experiences can be unlearnt or reformulated, without focusing on the reasoning for the original behaviour.
Individuals with compulsive and obsessive disorders, fears, phobias and addictions may benefit from this type of therapy. The focus is on helping the client to achieve goals and modify extreme behavioural responses to stress, anxiety etc.
Guided Meditation
Guided meditation is when your imagination is lead on a journey with the purpose of achieving healing and realisations through contemplation and reflection. The idea is to let go of any thought you may have and allow your subconscious mind to follow the words that are spoken thus avoiding resistance and allowing insight.
Meditative disciplines encompass a wide range of spiritual and/or psychophysical practices which can emphasize development of either a high degree of mental concentration, or the apparent converse, mental quiescence.
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