Counsellor is the person; therapy is the work. I explain the difference in plain words, when a medical opinion may help, how to choose today, and what a first chat is for.
Short answer. Counsellor is a person; therapy is the work you do together. If you want someone to sit with you, listen closely, and talk things through in plain words, you are asking for counselling. That is the room I offer.
In short:
Counsellor is a person. Therapy is the work you do with that person to make sense of thoughts, feelings, habits, and the choices sitting right in front of you, and counselling is the plain, talk-first corner of that bigger word. When someone messages me from a lift lobby or the back of a cab, this is what I type back.
Writing to a practitioner, try this line: 'I am looking for counselling to talk about X this month.' Name the month and keep it current. I see shoulders drop when the ask is small and concrete, like 'sleep since the promotion' or 'fights about chores in the kitchen.'
Some problems are habits. Others come with severe swings, hearing or seeing things others do not, or such heavy shifts in sleep and appetite that getting through a workday feels like dragging a wet quilt across a long corridor. When biology or safety looks like it is leading, a medical opinion can be a sensible next step.
A first conversation is thirty minutes and free. We keep it simple. That time is for sensing whether the room feels workable, naming one or two live concerns for this month, and setting expectations about pace and money with clear words and no pressure. I like plain talk and cups of water on the table.
We might sketch your week like a short map on scrap paper. Sleep, food, the relationship most on your mind, and the fight you keep replaying all count as data. I leave space for short silences. Once in a while we agree on a tiny experiment you can finish in under five minutes.
Start with what matters. Budget, language, how far you want to travel, and whether you prefer video or a room with a door you can shut are sturdy filters; write them down so you are choosing with your head and your stomach together. Then book one first conversation and treat it as a try-out.
To compare approaches in plain words, read Which therapy is best for mental health?. After that first meeting, many people feel oddly jumpy; Why am I anxious after my first session? may help you name that. If you decide to switch, try: 'Thank you for today; I am going to try a different room for now.'
Work can flatten mood. So can low mood make work look impossible, which means the labels blur while you are trying to get through Tuesday's stand-up without crying in the lift at lunchtime while your boss waits. If you want a hand naming what you are feeling, start with Am I depressed or anxious?.
In the room I treat both as things we can test gently. Try two notes for the week: 'cut one meeting by ten minutes' and 'text the cousin who replies fast.' If nothing shifts, that is still data we can use next time. For work-specific stuckness, add Am I lazy, unmotivated, or depressed?.
I keep that posture. Shoulder to shoulder, curious about what hurts, plain about what we can try this week, slow on sweeping theories, and honest when another door looks like a better fit for the thing you are carrying right now. I care about usefulness more than performance in the room.
Satlaj Sachan, counsellor, Bengaluru. Practising since 2015, I tend to ask about sleep, food, the relationship on your mind, and how your week actually runs between the kitchen and the commute. We stay with something small, test it, and see what holds. That rhythm suits people who want straight talk and small moves they can live with.
Tonight, write one honest sentence about what hurts on a sticky note or in your phone, and read it once before bed. That is enough for today. If you want movement, bring that one line to your next conversation with anyone you trust and start from there in plain words, no speech prepared, no tidy ending rehearsed.
What is the difference between a counsellor and therapy?
Counsellor is a person; therapy is the work you do with them. Counselling is conversation-based therapy that looks at what hurts, what repeats, and choices you can test this month. Use the word counselling when you message, for example: 'I am looking for counselling to talk about X this month.' One clear ask keeps the door easy to open.
How many sessions will I need?
We decide pace after the first chat. Some people like weekly for a stretch; others prefer alternate weeks, or a short burst and a pause. Money and energy both count. If the schedule starts to pinch, say it early and we will adjust rather than forcing a plan that stops you showing up.
What should I say in my first message?
Keep it small and current. Try: 'I am looking for counselling to talk about sleep since the promotion, and fights at home. Evenings work.' Name one or two live concerns and a practical detail about timing or format. You are asking for a conversation, so skip the personal history and the pitch.
What if the first person I try does not feel right?
Treat that as information. You can write: 'Thank you for today; I am going to try a different room for now.' Then pick one more name that fits your budget and language and book another first chat. Fit matters, and you are allowed to choose again until the room feels workable.
Who should we see for couples work?
Look for a room that centres couples. Untangle and Heart It Out both emphasise relationship work. Book a first meeting and check whether you both feel heard, whether ground rules are clear, and whether money and pace feel manageable for both of you. One session is enough to sense fit before you commit further.
Written by Satlaj Sachan, a counsellor in Bengaluru working Book a first conversation.