Do I need a Psychotherapist, Counsellor or Psychologist? (Will Someone Please Explain the Difference?!)
Have you ever tried to find support and ended up more confused than when you started? Psychotherapist. Counsellor. Psychologist.
They get used interchangeably online, but they’re not quite the same—and somehow no one explains it in a way that actually makes sense. I’ve seen people who work in the profession struggle to understand the difference!
I’ll try to simplify it, so you can at least begin to look in the right place for the support that best meets your needs.
A Counsellor is often a good place to start if something in your life feels off and you want support making sense of it. This might be stress, relationship issues, a life transition, or just a general sense that things aren’t sitting right. Counselling can be shorter term and more focused on what’s happening now, though it can also go deeper over time. A good example might be grief counselling after a bereavement or divorce, where your life feels stable otherwise but you would like extra support for a specific issue. A counsellor would listen with compassion, and might also offer some insight into how grief typically unfolds (known as “psychoeducation” in the therapy world). They might also offer some gentle tools to support you.
A Psychotherapist tends to work at more depth. This is where you might begin to look at patterns—how you relate, how you cope, what keeps repeating beneath the surface. It’s less about “fixing a problem” and more about understanding yourself in a way that creates change. In reality, the process of counselling and therapy will sometimes overlap. To use the analogy of grief again, a person who initially sought counselling to help them process a loss might choose to continue to look deeper at the impact of earlier losses or at a new identity forming on the other side of grief. Many people who study psychology may choose to complete a Masters degree in Psychotherapy, but it is not necessary to have a background in Psychology. Many Psychotherapists come from careers in social work, mental health nursing, community development, teaching, youth work, etc., and then return to university for a postgraduate qualification.
Psychologists are always university trained, and their work often focuses on assessment, diagnosis, and structured treatments for specific mental health conditions. Their work tends to sit more within a clinical, diagnostic model of care. Many will also work therapeutically, and you will find specific interventions are offered, such as CBT, EMDR, or Schema therapy. Clinical Psychologists undertake rigorous training and are qualified to work with complex mental health concerns. In Australia, seeing a psychologist may give you access to Medicare rebates if you have a mental health care plan from your GP. This might bring the cost down if you are planning to attend short term. Bear in mind, psychologists are often considerably more expensive than psychotherapists and counsellors, so beyond the ten sessions, you could end up paying more.
Regardless of which profession feels most suited to your needs, it’s just as important to ask: Is the person actually qualified? Are they registered with a professional body? Do they have training that aligns with the kind of support you’re looking for? Each profession brings its own value, and each individual will “do therapy” in their own unique way. The research shows that the relationship you have with your therapist is the most important thing. The way they work, the models they use, the tools they teach are all secondary to who they are and how you feel when you’re with them. Finding someone might be easy, but finding the right someone could take a little extra effort. And trust me, it is totally worth it when you do!
If you’re still struggling to make a decision, feel free to reach out for a chat. I’m a qualified Psychotherapist and Counsellor, currently working in Fremantle, Perth and online. I have a special interest in working with women at all stages of life.
