The Difference Between Counselling and Psychotherapy

Counseling is one form of psychological therapy or also known as talking therapy. As the term denotes, it involves talking to trained counselors about issues in life that are bothering you to a point that it interferes with your quality of life. Many people often confuse counseling with psychotherapy, but these two terms are actually two different types of talking therapy. 
Counselling and psychotherapy may vary both in length and in intensity, referring to both the regularity and the psychological extent of the sessions.  Brief counselling may be conducted once a week or even less to help resolve one particular issue. Meanwhile, psychotherapy sessions may be required three or more times a week, done over several years.
In general, however, psychotherapy is conducted only once a week for a period of one to two years, while counselling can be conducted for more than a year and be much deeper in that it can deal with more than just one issue. Obviously, there are areas when these two greatly overlap. Psychotherapists usually receive more intensive training, qualifying them to handle more difficult issues and which require more sessions each week and a more intensive focus.
Counselling is usually recommended to people suffering from a particular difficulty or is facing stressful events such as divorce or the loss of a loved one. Those with long-lasting problems, which can be related to a particular event, are often believed to receive appropriate help through psychotherapy, which is much deeper and longer-term treatment.
In summary, counselling is better seen as supportive while psychotherapy as a far extending treatment. However, it's still possible for individuals with long-term difficulties to be able to work well with a highly-qualified counsellor, every week over a long period. This is where the overlap between the two can be seen.