What is Counselling Psychology?

Counselling psychologists apply psychology to working collaboratively with people across a diverse range of human problems.  These include helping people manage difficult life events such as bereavement, past and present relationships and working with mental health issues and disorders.  Counselling psychologists are concerned with the integration of psychological theory and research with therapeutic practice.  Counselling Psychology therefore adopts evidence-based practice.   
 
Counselling psychologists accept subjective experience as valid for each person, explore underlying issues and use an active collaborative relationship to empower people to consider change.  Counselling psychologists utilise a holistic stance, which involves examining the issues brought, within the wider context of what has given rise to them.

Counselling psychologists work within the National Health Service (NHS) both in general and psychiatric hospitals and GP surgeries.  They may also work within private hospitals, independent practice, industry, education in schools and universities, and in public and private corporate institutions.

Within these settings counselling psychologists may work directly with individuals, couples, families, groups or act as consultants.