Psychotherapy is a way of helping people to overcome stress, emotional problems, relationship problems or troublesome habits. Treatment can be provided in a range of settings or formats including on an individual, group, marital or family basis to:
- Understand and address the client’s thought processes, feelings and behaviour
- Understand their inner conflicts
- Find ways to deal with, and alleviate, the client’s distress
At this point, it is probably important to understand the basic differences and similarities between the 3 main psychological professions
Psychiatrists are qualified medical doctors, specialising in the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness. They can prescribe psychiatric medication
Psychologists are social scientists who study behaviour and mental processes. Some work in research, education and commercial fields. Psychologists provide, administer and interpret psychological tests and assessments. Clinical psychologists undergo specialist postgraduate training to qualify in psychological – or ‘talking’ – therapies. They are not medical doctors and do not prescribe drugs. Clinical psychologists work in similar ways to psychotherapists, although they may use a variety of methods including psychometric tests, interviews and direct observation of behaviour to assess clients and decide on therapy options.
Psychotherapists (UKCP registered members) undergo a four-year, postgraduate, in-depth and experiential training in how to work with a variety of people with a wide range of emotional distress, mental health issues and difficulties. Psychotherapists are trained in one or more of the psychotherapy modalities. Further information on modalities is described below. Typical daily work activities include:
- Leading a number of one to one sessions with a client. These sessions, typically 30 – 60 minutes, once or twice a week, a few months or several years, are used to assess need, explore issues and build a trusting relationship
- Encouraging the client to talk about and explore their feelings and behaviour
- Conducting group sessions with people undergoing therapy in a clinical setting
- Conducting group sessions in a training capacity for other professionals, such as social workers, nurses and teachers, who are interested in learning more about how groups work and how they function within them
- Continuous Professional Development (CPD)
- Networking within the healthcare professional community, and other potential business areas, to maintain continuity of work and client base
- Analysing therapy outcomes and writing reports
- Working to targets especially within the NHS in order to meet service expectations and performance criteria
- Undergoing personal supervision and therapy to offload the client’s toxic emotions
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