Why I Use the Term Counselling, Not Therapy
By Isabel Prystawik – Motionally Counselling and Facilitation
Somatic Counselling in Vernon, British Columbia | Okanagan Valley
The word "therapy" comes from psychotherapy, which is rooted in a medical model focused on cure. And that’s incredibly valuable in many contexts—when something’s broken, you want it fixed.
But when it comes to being human? That model often treats suffering like a sickness—or worse, a personal failure. You’re either “well” or “unwell.” You’re a case to be treated.
I don’t see you that way.
Yes, you may be suffering. But I see your anxiety, people-pleasing, exhaustion, or shutdown not as pathology, but as intelligent responses to what you’ve been through. Your nervous system has been doing its best to keep you safe.
So I call it counselling. Because I don’t work from a fix-it model.
I bring professional training, absolutely—but also 35+ years of lived experience in reconnection and growth. And I’ve worked with clients who’ve told me they never felt comfortable with the idea of 'therapy'—that it made them feel like something was wrong with them. When I describe this work as 'counselling,' something shifts. The pressure to be fixed softens. There's more room for curiosity, for choice, and for being human in all its complexity.
How This Language Shift Impacts Clients
Over the years, I’ve had clients share that just hearing the word “therapy” made them feel like they were entering a process where something about them needed to be corrected. One client told me it made her feel like a diagnosis waiting to happen—like she had to prove she was 'sick enough' to be taken seriously, or 'resilient enough' to graduate from care.
Counselling, by contrast, felt more human. More relational. More like a partnership. That small shift in language changed the emotional tone from clinical to compassionate—and made space for a more honest conversation about what was really going on.
The Difference Between Counselling and Therapy (As I Practice It)
In mainstream culture, the word "therapy" is often associated with protocols, treatment plans, and outcome-based goals. While that works well in many settings, my approach as a Registered Therapeutic Counsellor (RTC) is rooted in presence, pacing, and permission. I don’t follow a script—I follow you.
When I use the word "counselling," I’m inviting you into a conversation. A relationship. A co-created process of exploration and reconnection that respects your autonomy and honours your lived experience.
This isn’t about becoming someone else. It’s about becoming more yourself. I’m not a healer or a guru. I’m a facilitator. I walk beside you with skill and presence as you begin to slow down, feel into your body, and re-member your resilience, creativity—and your capacity for meaningful change.
Curious if counselling might be the right fit for you?
