There are also huge differences between professional therapy and voluntary support. Many well-meaning people want to help but not everyone is qualified to do so. Counselling and therapy are professional services offering specialised skills. Anyone offering therapy should indicate a robust level of training – this will be a minimum of a graduate-level diploma in counselling (two plus years), all the way up to MA or even PhD. Therapy is not just a chat. On that note, know the difference between a counsellor, psychotherapist and psychologist: a clinical or counselling psychologist should have a doctorate and be licensed to practise with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC); professional counsellors and psychotherapists should be registered with legitimate professional bodies – there are many, with very similar sounding acronyms, so double check. If in doubt, here are a few: BACP and BPC . You can run a search for a therapist on the professional body website.