Counselling
Counselling and psychotherapy are often used as synonyms these days. Both refer to talk therapy that is intended to help you sort out your issues and challenges. Where we are working with issues like anxiety, or trauma, techniques that are informed by psychological research are brought into play in conjunction with talking.
Generally, Counselling is seen as being inwardly focused on the issues and challenges you are facing that are making it harder for you to live your life and feel good about yourself.
In a counselling session, we typically discuss the challenges you are facing in life and how your mental health is being affected. We may talk about specific phenomena that are provoking feelings of distress, and your therapist may give you tasks to be done between now and the next time you meet. Those tasks are meant to promote greater insight into your situation and yourself so that you can deal with the feelings you are experiencing more effectively.
Coaching
Coaching is a bit different in orientation. Coaching is forward looking, with a focus on life objectives. It might revolve around your career aspirations, or sorting out how to make a major step in your life like buying a house, or moving to another part of the country. You already know you want to make some changes, and the challenge is figuring out how to get there.
In general, coaching doesn’t deal directly with mental health issues, although at times you can encounter mental health issues in the midst of working towards those bigger life goals.