Counseling and Psychotherapy (also called talk therapy) are words that are often used interchangeably. However, there are differences between the terms. Counseling is often a shorter-term process, involving help with a specific difficulty or surface issue. Psychotherapy on the other hand, is often a longer-term intervention, usually exploring past issues that may be contributing to present day problems. In actual practice, however, there is a great deal of overlap between the two types of interventions.
There are many reasons why you may want to seek Counseling or Psychotherapy. You may want to strengthen your coping skills, improve your interpersonal communication skills and/or develop healthier relationships so that you can improve situations at home, school, or work. You may be seeking to enhance your mental health, by decreasing your anger, anxiety, depression and/or psychosis in an effort to improve your well-being. You may be struggling with grief following a loss or be suffering from a substance use concern and would like to recover and improve your daily functioning. You may be experiencing distress stemming from trauma you have endured and are seeking support to help you heal.
At Pioneer Valley Behavioral Health, our staff are well versed in both counseling and psychotherapy approaches. Pioneer Valley Behavioral Health professionals have been educated and trained in a wide scope of evidence-based practices to include cognitive behavioral therapies, creative and expressive therapies, family therapy, grief focused interventions, motivational interviewing, narrative approaches, solution focused approaches, and trauma-specific interventions. These interventions can be a support to children, adolescents, adults, couples and/or families as they cope with any of the aforementioned conditions. We hope to decrease your symptoms, improve your coping skills, and ultimately enhance your wellbeing so you can live a better life.
