What is psychotherapy?

In essence, psychotherapy is having a useful conversation with another human being.

For some simple problems, or to help ground yourself at difficult moments, talking to a friend or relative may be just as useful as talking to a psychotherapist.

But the advantage of talking to a psychotherapist is for times when the problems are more complex; or you are seeking to look at and deal with deeper, underlying issues. It is particularly useful for when your friends or relatives have opinions about what they think you should do and express them in such a way to make it more difficult for you to discover what your own opinions on the matter are; or when for whatever reason you do not want to or cannot talk to either a friend or relative.

Here are some useful websites about psychotherapy.

www.bbc.co.uk/health/conditions/mental_health

www.bbc.co.uk/headroom

www.mind.org.uk