Psychotherapy vs. Therapy: What’s the Difference?

You often here of the terms psychotherapy, therapy and therapeutic used interchangeably. Therapy is a kind of catch-all terms that apply to various aspects of self-help: retail therapy, play therapy, and cinema therapy, and therapeutic activities like taking a bath and spending time in nature. But when clinicians bill insurance for completing a session, the billing code is often psychotherapy, not therapy or a therapeutic session or some other term. Why is that?

Psychotherapy is a specific term and a specific practice which can only be performed by individuals meeting certain qualifications, such as holding a masters degree, holding an independent license, or operating under a clinical supervisor’s license while receiving weekly supervision.

Therapy is a broad term that encompasses- any intervention aimed at improving well-being. It is easier work, and many different practitioners can provide therapy, in a sense: coaches, bachelor’s levels milieu therapists, and clinical associates, for example. Therapy is about how you feel, and the purpose is usually to feel better. It often prioritizes emotional soothing rather than change. Deeply-rooted issues are not the focus, and therapy usually fosters specific, practical outcomes, such as practicing specific coping skills.

Psychotherapy, on the other hand, is not meant to make people feel comfortable. It’s meant to help people face the truth. It exists and is beneficial because people eventually recognize that there is something wrong with them, be it the way they think, the way they behave, or the way they suffer. Psychotherapy is a serious, often uncomfortable, truth-seeking, meaning-making, clinical process. It is not a reassurance machine. It is not a feel-good exercise. It is not a way to help people feel okay about whatever choices they’re making. Feeling better in the moment is not the goal; the goal is to confront the difficult realities present in life.

It refers to the treatment of mental health conditions and emotional difficulties through structured conversations with a trained mental health professional. Psychotherapists, whether they're psychologists, clinical social workers, or counselors, use evidence-based methods to help people understand their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. The goal is often deeper: to uncover patterns, process trauma, change unhelpful thinking, or develop better coping strategies.

This process, more often than not, includes embracing responsibility rather than softening or avoiding entirely the role of one’s responsibility in healing. Psychotherapy may validate feelings, but it should not validate every decision or behavior a person does, particularly when those same patterns are causing or exacerbating distress.

To be clear, psychotherapy should never be about blaming people or telling them that all of their problems are their fault.

Compassion matters. Context matters.

But there is a meaningful difference between compassion and avoidance.