Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes. - Carl Jung
Counselling and therapy are words that are often used interchangeably. I see therapy, generally, as longer term and going into more depth.
But in both counselling and therapy, the relationship between counsellor and client is crucial. The counsellor needs to be able to offer empathy and understanding, as well as being willing to challenge the client at times.
The counsellor needs to be able to genuinely empathise with the client's experience, while at the same time maintaining objectivity. This can be a difficult balance to strike because if the counsellor is too involved in the client's experience he may lose his objectivity. If he is too objective he can appear distant and uncaring.
An important thing to understand about counselling and therapy is that it is a process, which is most effective if the counsellor and therapist can meet regularly (at least once a week). Over time, the client should start to notice positive changes in his or her life. He or she will often become more assertive, more in touch with their feelings and desires, and more accepting of themselves.
About Psychosynthesis
Psychosynthesis counselling and therapy is an approach that seeks to work in a 'soulful' way. This means that while the counsellor pays a lot of attention to the issue a client brings, he also tries to look beyond it and see the client's life in a holistic way. In many cases this can enable the client to see his life in a different perspective - one that can bring a new sense of meaning and self-acceptance.
As well as exploring how the wounds of our past may be unconsciously influencing our present, a Psychosynthesis approach works with dreams and the imagination to more deeply investigate our deeper desires.
