There are a number of differences between counselling and psychotherapy, and many similarities.

Counselling can be useful to look at an immediate problem, symptom or dilemma, often with a focussed solution in mind. Psychotherapy would be a deeper exploration of why these issues have come up in the first place. This could lessen the chance of these problems recurring, and minimise your distress if they do.

In both cases, the most important aim is to reduce suffering.

As its name suggests, psychotherapeutic counselling is a type of counselling that draws from theories and approaches used in psychotherapy. The emphasis is on the therapeutic relationship between the counsellor and the client. This differentiates it from most other types of counselling.