Counselling is a plain, present-focused conversation. Therapy can be more structured and method-led. Here is what changes for you, where DBT fits, and when someone else is the better room.
Short answer. Counselling and therapy overlap, yet they feel different in the room. With me, counselling is a plain conversation about what is happening in your days and what you try next; therapy often brings a defined method and firmer structure, like CBT or DBT, and some people prefer that certainty when they want worksheets or a clear plan.
In short:
I keep it simple. In my room we speak in plain English or Hindi, sit with what is happening in your days, and map what you are doing, thinking, avoiding, and repeating, so you can see your own levers and limits without being shoved. Rafiq means the friend who walks with you, and I hold that posture. I do not diagnose or label, and I am not out to fix you.
I started in 2015. In Bengaluru I work with adults roughly 25 to 45, over video or in person, and we keep the first conversation to thirty minutes and free, booked through a short form so I can read, think, and organise our time. I am not a doctor and cannot prescribe; if medication looks worth considering, I refer. If you feel strange after a first chat, this explains what is common: Why am I anxious after my first session?.
Therapy uses named methods. Depending on the practitioner and setting, you might see a clear plan, home practice, worksheets, or a frame like CBT, psychodynamic work, DBT, or ACT, and the room can feel more structured than a plain conversation. Counselling, as I hold it, stays close to daily life, choices, and behaviour, and lets change collect in small, workable steps. I like clean experiments more than manuals.
Talk therapy is a loose phrase. Some therapists bring a method into it, others keep it broad and conversational, and the useful hinge is fit: do you feel understood here, and can you say the unsayable without worrying that the room will tighten around you. Shop around. I pay attention to that more than labels.
DBT teaches specific skills. It is a structured approach that centres on mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness, and many programmes include group skills training alongside individual sessions, with some providers being explicit about homework between meetings. Talk therapy is a broad label for sitting down to speak, reflect, and test ideas in your week without a fixed manual telling you what must happen. Both can be useful in different seasons.
Use your aim here. If you want explicit skills to try this week and you are fine with worksheets or homework, DBT is likely the better request; if you want space to untangle a work or relationship bind at your pace, start with talk therapy instead. To find providers, compare TheMindClan, DocVita, TalktoAngel, or Practo. For a broader primer first, read Which therapy is best for mental health?.
Crisis needs another room. If there is urgent risk to you or someone else, call Tele-MANAS on 14416, the government's free 24/7 helpline; if inpatient care or round-the-clock observation might matter, Mindtalk / Cadabam's have psychiatric and inpatient infrastructure in Bengaluru. Choose safety first, then plan the rest.
My work is one-to-one. The practice is for adults roughly 25 to 45, and couples work lives elsewhere; Untangle and Heart It Out focus on relationships and might be the better fit when the question is the two of you rather than the you that shows up at work. If you want sessions in languages beyond English or Hindi, YourDOST lists many Indian languages, and 1to1help often comes free through an employer.
I am not a doctor and cannot prescribe. When medication or a medical assessment might be worth considering, DocVita lists psychiatrists across cities, and Amaha runs a psychiatric hospital in Bengaluru. For cost constraints, MindPeers' RCI-credentialed tier was listed around Rs 2,100-2,400 a session, Manastha around Rs 1,112 in a bundle, and BetterLYF roughly Rs 715-999, and prices move. For couples budgets, Untangle lists from about Rs 3,000; I have no affiliation with any of these.
Make two small experiments. Book a free first conversation with two different practitioners, then notice your body after each call or meeting: breath, shoulders, appetite, sleep, the tiny stuff that does not lie when your mouth is trying to be polite. A lot of confusion comes from mixing states and labels; this piece helps sort work stress from mood: Burnout and depression look the same from the inside.
After a short run of sessions, write four lines answering the same prompts each time. Try these: what did I try, what changed in my week, what felt off, and what I want next, and keep the notes short so you can compare without turning it into another project. If your question is about energy more than sadness, try this read before booking: Am I depressed or just bored?.
Start with a form. The first conversation is thirty minutes and free, in English or Hindi, over video or in person in Bengaluru, and I work with adults roughly 25 to 45, and I read what you share before we speak so we can use the time well. Then we see whether my room makes sense for your aim.
Since 2015 I have worked with more than 140 people. The practice is called Rafiq because the name came from my podcast, running since 2020, and I also run a small gathering in a cafe in HSR, Bengaluru, where five or so people meet, the day moves week to week, and it is not counselling. If you want to test the feel, send the form tonight with three lines on what brings you.
Is counselling different from therapy?
Yes. Counselling with me is a plain, present-focused conversation about your life, choices, and behaviour. Therapy is a wider umbrella that may use named methods like CBT, psychodynamic work, DBT, or ACT, and can feel more structured. The important hinge is fit: do you feel understood, and can you say the hard thing in that room?
Do you offer DBT or CBT?
I offer counselling. DBT or CBT programmes are not what I run. If you want those methods, compare TheMindClan, DocVita, TalktoAngel, or Practo; Amaha's therapist tier requires an RCI-recognised M.Phil in Clinical Psychology, and Mindtalk / Cadabam's have 24/7 psychiatric infrastructure in Bengaluru. Choose what matches your aim and bandwidth.
When should I see a psychiatrist first?
I am not a doctor and cannot prescribe. If you are considering medication, want a medical assessment, or safety is in question, start with a psychiatrist. DocVita lists psychiatrists, and Amaha runs a psychiatric hospital in Bengaluru. If there is urgent risk, call Tele-MANAS on 14416 for the government's free 24/7 helpline.
Do you work with couples or under-25s?
I work with adults roughly 25 to 45, one-to-one. For couples, Untangle and Heart It Out focus on relationships. If the person seeking help needs many Indian languages or has an employer plan, YourDOST and 1to1help are worth checking. Choose the room that suits the problem; postcode is secondary.
Can we do sessions in Hindi?
Yes. I work in English and Hindi, over video or in person in Bengaluru. The first conversation is thirty minutes and free, booked through a short form so I can prepare. Use that to tell me what you want from the room and any constraints on time, money, or privacy.
Written by Satlaj Sachan, a counsellor in Bengaluru working Book a first conversation.