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Counselling Vs Therapy

What is the difference between Counselling and Therapy?

People often use the words counselling and CBT as if they mean the same thing. They don’t.

Yes, they’re both talking therapies but they work in very different ways, and that difference really matters if you’re hoping therapy will change how you feel day to day. 

A lot of people who contact us say they’ve had counselling before. Quite often they add, “It helped at the time, but nothing really changed.” That’s not a criticism of counselling, but it does highlight a limitation of it for some people.

Counselling tends to focus on giving you space to talk and explore how you’re feeling. For some situations, that’s exactly what’s needed. If you’ve never spoken openly about something before, being heard can feel like a relief in itself. 

But counselling is usually quite open-ended. Sessions don’t always have a clear plan, and progress can be hard to measure. You might gain insight, understand yourself better, or feel supported — but you’re often left to work out how to translate that into actual change on your own.

CBT Is Different

CBT is different. CBT is more focused on how problems and difficult emotions are maintained in the present. Instead of just talking about feelings, it looks at the patterns between thoughts, emotions, physical sensations and behaviour. The aim is to understand what’s happening now, and what can realistically be done differently. Sessions offer structure and there’s a reason for that.

Most people don’t come to therapy just to talk — they come because anxiety, low mood, stress or overthinking is interfering with their life and they want to stop it running the show.

In CBT, goals are agreed early on and progress is reviewed regularly. You’ll be encouraged to try things out between sessions, not because you’re being tested, but because real change happens outside the therapy room. This practical focus is one of the reasons CBT has such a strong evidence base. It’s been extensively researched and is recommended by the NHS for difficulties such as anxiety, depression, OCD, PTSD and phobias. That doesn’t happen by accident.

Therapy Options

People sometimes ask whether CBT is “better” than counselling. There isn’t a therapy that suits absolutely everyone, but in practice, CBT tends to suit people who want direction, structure, and tools they can use when things get difficult.

If you want therapy to feel purposeful rather than open-ended, CBT often makes more sense. Another important difference — and one that’s easy to miss — is training.

CBT is not something you can deliver well after a short course. Proper CBT requires extensive postgraduate training, supervised clinical experience, and ongoing development. 

All of our therapists are trained to postgraduate level in CBT and are accredited with the BABCP. That means they meet recognised professional standards and work in line with current evidence-based practice.

It also means you’re getting genuine CBT, not a loose mix of techniques labelled as CBT. Choosing therapy can feel overwhelming, especially if you’ve tried something before and it didn’t help as much as you hoped.

Understanding the difference between counselling and CBT can make that decision a bit clearer. If you’re looking for a structured, practical approach that focuses on helping you make real changes — not just talk things through — CBT is often a good place to start.

And if you’re unsure, a conversation is usually the best first step.

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