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Psychology vocabulary · Therapy and Counselling

Counselling

Meaning in psychology, with examples

/ˈkaʊnsəlɪŋ/nounCore term

In psychology, counselling means: Professional talking support that helps people explore problems, feelings and choices, often focused on current life difficulties and usually shorter than long-term psychotherapy.

In Turkish: psikolojik danışmanlık, danışmanlık

How it is used

Common in schools, universities, workplaces and primary care. People go to or have counselling, and a counsellor provides it. The line between counselling and psychotherapy is blurred and differs between countries.

Example sentences

  1. The university offers free counselling to all students.

  2. After her father's death she had six sessions of bereavement counselling.

Common collocations

  • have counselling
  • bereavement counselling
  • student counselling service
  • counselling psychologist
  • psychotherapyTreatment of psychological problems through a structured, confidential relationship with a trained professional, mainly using conversation rather than medication.
  • clientA person who receives psychological therapy, counselling or another professional service; in therapy this word is often used instead of patient.
  • sessionOne meeting between a therapist and a client, often lasting about 50 minutes, or one period of testing in a research study.
  • clinical psychologistA psychologist with postgraduate training in assessing and treating mental health problems through psychological methods, usually working in health services or private practice.

More terms: Therapy and Counselling

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.