What makes Jungian therapy different from other forms of psychotherapy
Difference between Counselling and Psychotherapy
Counselling and Psychotherapy are often considered to overlap in a number of ways. Counselling, in specific situations, is offered as part of the psychotherapy process; whereas a counsellor may work with clients in a psychotherapeutic manner.
The key difference between counselling and psychotherapy is in the level of qualification:
Psychotherapy training is a minimum of five years of academic study combined with client work and compulsory personal therapy. When a psychotherapist qualifies he or she will have been trained to Masters level, will have been in weekly personal therapy for five to six years and logged at least 450 hours of supervised client work.
Counsellors begin with a Counselling Certificate and the most common award is a Diploma which takes two to three years. Many counselling courses require only minimum levels of personal therapy to be undertaken, or none at all in some cases.
Psychotherapy is a more in-depth form of therapy than counselling, and it can be used to address a wider range of issues. A psychotherapist can help you explore your thoughts, feelings and beliefs, which may involve discussing past events, such as those from your childhood. They will help you consider how your personality and life experiences influence your current thoughts, feelings, relationships and behaviour. This understanding should enable you to deal with difficult situations more effectively.
Difference between Depth Psychotherapies (Psychoanalytic or Analytical) and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
The most common talking therapy offered by the NHS is CBT counselling. CBT is brief and time limited - an applicant will commonly be offered six sessions once they reach the top of the waiting list. It focuses entirely on present problems with little interest in how these problems might have arisen. It is used in the NHS because it offers a rapid and therefore cost-effective method for helping people to get 'back on their feet' and to move on with their lives.
CBT is highly structured and aims to challenge negative thoughts to try and bring about immediate behavioural change. This can be effective for specific behavioural problems such as phobias, but it doesn’t suit everyone and may only bring short term results. Problems and issues which have developed and entrenched over decades and that are rooted in past experience can be difficult to deal with in six one hour sessions. CBT can certainly alleviate symptoms, but sometimes only temporarily.
Psychotherapists often have clients who have had multiple attempts at CBT only to discover that positive change in the longer term requires a more thorough treatment that works to a greater depth. Depth psychotherapies include Psychoanalytic (Freudian) and Analytical (Jungian) therapies. Both these therapies work with the unconscious to enable deeper transformation of the personality to be possible.
What are the key differences between a Jungian approach and other psychological therapies?
Jungian psychology is a depth psychology. This means that it works with the unconscious in order provide psychological healing and growth. This is as opposed to cognitive behavioural therapies which concentrate on the workings of the conscious mind.
The goal of Jungian analysis is to build a healthy relationship between the conscious and unconscious mind. Jungian analysis is different to other forms of depth psychology in that it views the unconscious as a source of energy and healing rather than merely the repository of repressed memories. Jungian analysis not only recognises the significance of how trauma and personal history influences us, but it also focuses on future personality development. It recognizes the important roles of instinctual energies such as aggression but also recognises our needs for creative expression, inner peace and of finding meaning in our lives.
Undertaking therapy allows us to work on releasing ourselves from old patterns and on integrating our creative potential. By working with the unconscious, it addresses the deeper underlying causes of our problems rather than focusing on symptom relief.
What is the difference between a Jungian-based psychotherapist and a Jungian Analyst?
The ideas advanced by Jung have become very popular in recent years. Many general psychological therapists have undertaken their own Jungian analyses and then incorporated their own experiences and learning into their practice of psychotherapy. They often promote themselves as psychotherapists with a Jungian orientation or Jungian psychotherapists. However they are often not formally trained in the school of Jungian analysis and may only have a relatively limited appreciation of Jungian theories and practice.
Only someone who has undergone the rigorous training program in Jungian Analysis and holds a post-graduate Diploma in Analytical Psychology from a recognized Jungian Institute can call themselves a ’Jungian Analyst’. There are many Jungian Institutes in the world; these training institutes are accredited by the International Association for Analytical Psychology (IAAP).
Psychiatry
A psychiatrist is a medical doctor who has specialised in mental health. They can diagnose mental health conditions and prescribe medication. If mental health problems are serious enough to perhaps need medical attention then a referral is made to a psychiatrist via the GP.
