Talking therapies can help you work out how to deal with negative thoughts and feelings and make positive changes.
They can help people who are feeling distressed by difficult events in their lives as well as people with a mental health problem. This information is for anyone who wants to know more about different types of talking therapy or hear the experiences of people who have used them. It advises how to find a therapist who is right for you and suggests where to look for more information.
What are talking therapies?
We often find it helpful to talk problems through with a friend or family member, but sometimes friends and family cannot help us and we need to talk to a professional therapist.
Talking therapies involve talking to someone who is trained to help you deal with your negative feelings. They can help anyone who is experiencing distress. You do not have to be told by a doctor that you have a mental health problem to be offered or benefit from a talking therapy.
Talking therapies give people the chance to explore their thoughts and feelings and the effect they have on their behaviour and mood. Describing what’s going on in your head and how that makes you feel can help you notice any patterns which it may be helpful to change.

It can help you work out where your negative feelings and ideas come from and why they are there.
Understanding all this can help people make positive changes by thinking or acting differently. Talking therapies can help people to take greater control of their lives and improve their confidence.
Talking therapies may also be referred to as: Talking treatments Counselling Psychological therapies or treatments Psychotherapies
Talking is good for you
Talking about your thoughts and feelings can help you deal with times when you feel troubled about something. If you turn a worry over and over in your mind, the worry can grow.
But talking about it can help you work out what is really bothering you and explore what you could do about it.
Talking is an important part of our relationships. It can strengthen your ties with other people and help you stay in good mental health. And being listened to help you feel that other people care about you and what you have to say
How do I search for a counsellor or psychotherapist?
Simply type your postcode, town or county into the search box on the right of this page and counsellors and psychotherapists in your area will appear. If you click on a counsellor’s name you can find out more about them, along with their contact details and fees. You'll notice some organisations are listed below the individual counsellors too, some of which may also be able to offer you support.
You can also use the Advanced Search if you'd like to narrow down your search. The refine search allows you to filter the results by type of distress, type of therapy, type of session and by keyword.
What is counselling/psychotherapy?
Counselling and psychotherapy, although two completely different terms, are both essentially the same thing. Both counsellors and psychotherapists provide a service for people who are looking for support and treatment for a wide range of mental health and emotional issues. The possibility that there is a difference between the two is a heavily debated question in the field of mental health treatment, and one that has yet to be answered. Some experts claim that counselling tends to tackle problems at the time of the crises, whereas psychotherapy focuses on long-term, deeply embedded psychological problems. However, this is not a universally agreed contention and you are advised to contact professionals personally to find out more about how they work.

Whether you choose a counsellor or psychotherapist, the main thing is to choose the right individual. How you connect with the counsellor or psychotherapist you choose is likely to determine how successful the treatment is. It is also helpful to have a little knowledge on the