COUNSELING VS PSYCHOTHERAPY-WHICH IS RIGHT FOR YOU?

I specialize in counseling—we can meet in my Austin office or online via video sessions. Counseling generally requires less time than traditional therapy for many common issues. While both approaches can help you make changes in yourself, your relationships, and your life. and share some aspects in common, there are important differences.  The following may help you determine the best fit for you:

Counseling fits best when you’ve merely hit a speed bump on the road of life or find yourself at a crossroads, facing a major decision or change. Focusing mainly on the here-and-now, the future you want to create, and your strengths, counseling can help you get back on track or help you navigate a tough transition—offering new skills, support, and resources to identify and overcome lifestyle patterns and thinking habits that are blocking your path, bogging you down, or creating needless stress.

Psychotherapy is generally the best choice when you need more than a simple “tune-up” to get back on the road—when you've hit a roadblock and are feeling significant dysfunction or distress. Through a sustained healing alliance with a therapist, you typically explore your problems, often rooted in the past, in order to gain insight into underlying causes of dysfunctional patterns—often with a focus on processing distressing feelings, memories, and thoughts—with a goal of healing your relationship with yourself or others.