What Is Counseling Psychology?

Counseling psychology focuses on providing therapeutic treatments to clients who experience a wide variety of symptoms. It is also one of the largest specialty areas within psychology. The Society of Counseling Psychology describes the field as " a psychological specialty [that] facilitates personal and interpersonal functioning across the life span with a focus on emotional, social, vocational, educational, health-related, developmental and organizational concerns."

What Do Counseling Psychologists Do?

Many counseling psychologists provide psychotherapy services, but other career paths are also available. Research, teaching and vocational counseling are just a few of the possible alternatives to psychotherapy. No matter what the job setting, individuals who choose to enter into a career in counseling psychology utilize psychological theories to help people overcome problems and realize their full-potential.

Counseling Psychology vs Clinical Psychology:

Out of all the graduate psychology degrees awarded each year, more than half are in the subfields of clinical or counseling psychology (Mayne, Norcross, & Sayette, 2000). Counseling psychology shares many commonalities with clinical psychology, but it is also unique in several different ways.

While both clinical and counseling psychologists perform psychotherapy, those working as clinicians typically deal with clients suffering from more severe mental illnesses. Counseling psychologists often work with people who are experiencing less severe symptoms (Brems & Johnson, 1997). The treatment outlook can also differ between clinical and counseling psychology.

Clinicians often approach mental illness from a medical perspective, while counseling psychologists often take a more general approach that encompasses a range of psychotherapeutic techniques. Of course, the individual approach a therapist takes depends on a wide range of factors including his or her educational background, training and theoretical perspective.

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