There are three levels in the profession of psychological counselor: assistant psychological counselor (national vocational qualification level 3), psychological counselor (national vocational qualification level 2) and senior psychological counselor (national vocational qualification level 1).
The main targets of psychological counseling are: people who are mentally normal, but have encountered practical problems related to psychology and seek help; People who are mentally normal but have mental health problems for help; Special object, that is, clinically cured mental patients.
There is no essential difference between psychological counseling and psychotherapy, but they are similar in the nature of the relationship, in the process of change and learning, and in the theory of guidance. If there is any difference, it is artificial and not essential.
First, the tasks of work are different. The task of psychological counseling mainly lies in promoting growth, emphasizing the development mode, helping visitors to exert their greatest potential, clearing the roadblocks of normal development, and focusing on prevention. Psychotherapy is mostly to make up for the injuries that patients have formed in the past, and to solve and change the structural obstacles to development.
Second, objects and scenes are different. Psychological counseling follows the educational model, and most of the visitors are normal objects, mainly involving daily life problems, and generally work in schools, units, psychological counseling institutions and other scenes. The object of psychotherapy is patients with abnormal psychology, which plays a role in both clinical and medical situations.
Third, the working methods are different. Psychological counseling should involve visitors' living environment in more ways, such as participating in their direct environment, getting in touch with their families and relatives, making more use of daily living facilities (such as telephone consultation), designing and organizing classes and various group activities. The form of psychotherapy is more in pairs.
Fourth, the nature and content of solving problems are different. Psychological counseling is realistic-oriented, involving consciousness issues, such as career choice, training and education, life and work guidance, study counseling and so on. Therefore, cognitive and logical methods are often used. Psychotherapy involves internal personality problems, and more is to deal with the unconscious.