Dr. Philippe Jacquet, DProf | Jungian Analytical Psychotherapist, London
When it comes to the human psyche, things are rarely black and white. Among professionals, there is healthy debate about what works and why. Among clients facing the decision of which type of psychological support to pursue, things can seem bewildering.
I am often asked to define my approach: what exactly is Jungian analysis, and how does it differ from psychotherapy or counselling (or psychiatry)? While I could offer doctrineally precise definitions of each, the reality is that the differences are meaningful but subtle, and the questions posed in seeking those differences are important ones that each of us should consider for ourselves.
“For clients facing the decision of which type of psychological support to pursue, things can seem bewildering.”
Do you need counselling, psychotherapy, Jungian analysis, psychoanalysis or psychiatry?
What Kind of Help Do I Need?
The short answer is that it depends. Not everyone needs therapy or counselling. Sometimes our problems are solvable through information gathering, brainelling with friends, or simply exercising the insight we already have but haven’t applied. Sometimes we turn to therapy because we have a problem; other times, we meet the right therapist and discover the problem we need to work on.
I approach this question not as a mere taxonomy of mental health professionals but as a guide. Not everyone needs therapy. And of those who do, different people will require different kinds of support at different times. Here’s how I decide what I recommend to clients, and how you might consider deciding for yourself.
“There are many styles of therapy, just as there are many ways of cooking eggs. Each comes with its own traditions, assumptions, and cultural associations.”
Counselling: Working With What You Bring
Counselling is generally speaking the least intensive, least analytically inclined, and most accessible form of talk therapy. The counselling session is squarely focused on the here and now: on a presenting issue, and on providing coping mechanisms, emotional support, and therapeutic guidance to address it.
Many therapists who advertise themselves as “counsellors” (rather than psychotherapists or analysts) will use cognitive behavioural therapy techniques. This doesn’t mean they won’t provide depth work where appropriate, but CBT provides practitioners with a tried-and-tested framework for shorter-term therapy.
Typically lasting from several sessions to several years, counselling doesn’t usually assume that the past is causing present issues. But it also doesn’t work with the unconscious in anything like the way analysis or psychotherapy do. If you’ve tried therapy before and felt like your therapist was “digging too deep” too soon, you may benefit from counselling.
Psychotherapy: Getting Down to Emotional Depth
Where psychotherapy covers a broad church, counselling is generally recognized as one approach within that umbrella. While certain therapists identify as psychotherapists specifically because they practice particular methods, psychotherapy tends to refer to depth-oriented practice that sees presenting problems as connected to emotional experience and early life.
To continue our culinary metaphor: if counselling is frying an egg, psychotherapy is boiling it. Simmering at lower temperatures for longer periods allows for a depth of texture and flavour that frying alone cannot touch. There is less emphasis on the “fixed time” of the session and more on the longer-term unfolding of emotional life.
Do you want to feel better? counselling can help with that. Do you want to understand yourself? Psychotherapy invites deeper questions.
Jungian Analysis: Engaging With the Unconscious
Jungian Analysis is both narrower and broader than psychotherapy. It is narrower in that it represents one specific approach to the analytic relationship. It is broader in that Jungian Analysis works with the unconscious as something more than repressed emotion or childhood trauma. Implicit in our work together is the idea that your symptoms, feelings, and ideas are your unconscious mind trying to communicate with you.
Jungian Analysts engage with dreams as meaningful data, often assign homework, and see therapy as a partnership. We work with the unconscious as symbol as much as repression. Analysis tends to be more intense (weekly sessions are not uncommon) and longer-term than either psychotherapy or counselling.
Psychiatry: Assessment and Medication
A psychiatrist is a medically trained doctor specialising in mental health. While many psychiatrists offer psychotherapy as part of their practice, their primary clinical tool is not the talking cure but the assessment.
Presenting issues are framed in terms of clinical diagnosis, medication and treatment management, and assessing whether the client may benefit from psychotherapy. Psychiatrists may work independently or as part of a team at a hospital. Psychiatric treatment is often essential for severe depression, bipolar disorder, psychosis, and certain anxiety disorders.
Conclusion: Which Approach Feels Like the Right Fit for You?
Counselling
– Goes together nicely with a cup of tea and a bath bomb
– Presenting problems treated as present problems
– Depths plumbed, but not waded through
– Session is a session; however long it’s scheduled for, it ends
Psychotherapy
– You’re brewing something nourishing here
– There’s connection to emotions and early experiences
– Some dream analysis, some free association
If you’re wondering whether you need therapy at all, start with counselling. But don’t rule out therapist shopping till you’ve had at least one session with someone. Talk therapy works when the client trusts and believes in their therapist.
Psychotherapy is for long-term questions about self and patterns. Jungian analysis is for those who like the sound of psychotherapy but suspect that your problems are trying to tell you something.
This concludes our handy guide to what kind of mental health professional you should see. Remember: everyone’s path is different. Your approach to mental wellness should suit you and your needs.
Discover your ideal approach to mental wellness with Dr. Philippe Jacquet
Dr. Philippe Jacquet is trained and qualified to practice across these approaches, and supplements psychodynamic psychotherapy with elements of CBT and Mindfulness where clinically appropriate. For your convenience we also offer Psychiatry services at our clinic.
Contact us today for an initial consultation to learn more about Psychotherapy, Jungian Analysis and which path might suit you.
Call Dr. Philippe Jacquet in London or online: +44 (0)3333 392 430
Email: info@philippejacquet.co.uk
Visit: www.philippejacquet.co.uk
About Dr. Philippe Jacquet
Dr. Philippe Jacquet (DProf) is a Jungian analyst, psychotherapist and hypnotherapist working in private practice in London. He holds a doctorate in Analytical Psychology from the University of Essex (2025), is Accredited by the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy, and is registered with the International Association for Analytical Psychology. He specialises in working with men on issues related to masculine psychology, violence against women, father wounds, eating disorders and abuse. His clinical approach is rooted in depth psychologies with influences from neuroscience and somatic therapy. Philippe practices in Harley Street, Mayfair and also sees clients in Bermondsey.
