Counseling and therapy are often used interchangeably, but there are some key differences between them. Counseling is usually focused on a specific issue for a limited amount of time while therapy helps you understand yourself and your patterns of thought, feelings, and behaviors.

Counseling involves working with a clinical mental health counselor/therapist on a specific issue for a limited amount of time. Usually, counseling focuses on a specific issue for a limited amount of time. Many clinicians may be trained in both therapy and counseling.

Therapy can be more long-term and focuses on you as an individual — how you see yourself and the world, your thoughts, and your behaviors, as well as the underlying patterns of why you do the things you do. You usually go to therapy sessions on a more long-term basis. Therapy can include counseling on specific issues that arise during your conversations with your therapist. On the other hand, if a counselor sees underlying patterns and concerns that affect the issues at hand, they may recommend that you start therapy. 

Reference:

https://mentalhealthmatch.com/articles/about-therapy-and-mental-health/what-is-the-difference-between-therapy-and-counseling#:~:text=Usually%2C%20counseling%20focuses%20on%20a,do%20the%20things%20you%20do.

Counseling /Therapy Services

  • Our goal in child and teen counseling/therapy is to address the unique emotional, behavioral, and psychological needs of young people. It provides a safe and supportive space for children and teenagers to explore their feelings, develop coping skills, and navigate life's challenges. This therapy is tailored to the developmental stage of the child or adolescent, utilizing age-appropriate techniques to help them process emotions and manage stress. Child and adolescent counseling/therapy recognizes that children and teenagers have unique developmental needs. The primary goal is to create a comfortable and supportive environment where young people can freely express themselves without judgment. Counseling/therapy can help with various challenges, including anxiety, depression, trauma, grief, behavioral problems, family conflicts, and social difficulties. It  equips young people with tools to manage their emotions, build resilience, and develop healthy coping mechanisms for navigating stress and difficult situations, and can also focus on improving communication and relationships with family members, peers, and other important figures in their lives. In many cases, family therapy or including parents and other family members in the therapeutic process is a crucial part of helping the child or adolescent. Ultimately, child and adolescent counseling aims to promote the overall well-being and mental health of young individuals, helping them develop into healthy and well-adjusted adults. 

  • Our goal is to provide couples with evidence-based, appropriate, and individualized guidance and support in their relationship to improve communication, resolve conflicts, and make their relationship stronger. Sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, and relationship identification are not relevant to the effectiveness of this process. All couples can benefit and are welcome.  This counseling/therapy will help improve conversations around the struggles and connections being experienced. It allows each partner in the relationship to safely and effectively share what they are feeling and thinking. We also work on the core issues and address any negative communication patterns that are identified during this process. Couples counseling/therapy focuses on making significant changes to the harmful patterns, negative beliefs about each other, and improving communication between the couple.  

  • Our goal in family counseling/therapy is to work to improve communication between the family members, resolve conflicts within the family unit, and strengthen the relationship between the family members. Family counseling/therapy addresses all of the issues that affect the family system as a unit, assisting the family members to better understand one another so that they can support each other in a healthy way that promotes healthier dynamics within the family unit. We do this by encouraging honest, open, and safe communication. Work from a position of empathy. This allows each family member to safely discuss their feelings and thoughts. The foundation for conflict resolution is based on honest and safe communication, which helps build strong connections with each other. The sessions can be with the entire family unit, or they can consist of only specific members who are the most negatively affected by the current relationships and dynamics. We welcome all families, traditional and non-traditional, and all definitions of what their family unit is

  • Our goal in group counseling/therapy is to work with several participants during sessions who share the same experience and goals in counseling/therapy. There are usually between 5 - 15 group participants who share similar challenges. We create a space where they can benefit from shared experiences, mutual support, and diverse perspectives. The group counseling/therapy sessions usually last about one to two hours a week and can be a standalone treatment used to supplement individual counseling/therapy.  Participants gain support and learn from others' experiences, potentially finding new perspectives on their own challenges. Groups may focus on specific issues like anxiety, depression, or substance abuse, or they may focus on developing social skills. Some groups are open, allowing new members to join at any time, while others are closed, with a fixed set of participants. Group therapy utilizes specific therapeutic factors like universality (feeling less alone), imparting information, altruism, corrective recapitulation of the primary family group, development of socializing techniques, imitative behavior, interpersonal learning, group cohesiveness, catharsis, and existential factors.  Group counseling/therapy is as effective as, and sometimes more effective than, individual therapy in addressing mental health concerns. 

  • Our goal is to provide clients with culturally competent services in a comfortable art studio environment where they can safely and privately achieve their mental health goals. We take time to understand their experience in the world to help them live happy, balanced, and fulfilling lives. Whether they are facing life’s challenges, seeking to heal emotional pain, or seeking better ways of thinking, we can help them discover a new path.