CounselGist: Counselling Terms

CounselGist is a pocket reference for the language of counselling. Look up a concept, a theorist or a technique and get a clear overview you can follow on the bus, before a lecture, or in the ten minutes before a session.

We started collating these notes during our own counselling training, because the definitions we could find were either a single dry line or a whole chapter, with nothing in between. CounselGist sits in between — enough to genuinely understand a term without putting your phone down.

FOR COUNSELLING STUDENTS AND TRAINEES

Written for people studying counselling and psychotherapy, whatever level or awarding body you are working through. The glossary covers the counselling theory you meet on a diploma course — person-centred, psychodynamic, CBT, gestalt, existential, transactional analysis and integrative practice — alongside counselling skills, ethics and professional practice, supervision, and research terms.

WHAT'S INSIDE

• A counselling glossary of concepts, approaches, theorists, techniques, ethical principles and research terms. Each entry tells you what the idea is, where it came from, and why it matters in practice. Theorists include Carl Rogers, Sigmund Freud, Aaron Beck, Eric Berne, Fritz Perls and Melanie Klein.

• Revision quizzes across every major topic, from the core approaches through to professional practice, so you can test what has actually stuck.

• Essence Cards, the shortest possible version of an idea, for quick recall before an assignment or an exam.

• Guided Tours — short, plain-language walks through a set of related ideas, with Gist explaining each one as you go. A gentle way in when a topic is new.

• Tap any linked term inside an entry to follow the thread to the next idea. Browse by approach, by theorist, by tag, or straight down the A–Z.

BUILT FOR STUDYING

Everything works offline, so there is no waiting and no signal required.

FREE, WITH AN OPTIONAL ONE-OFF UNLOCK

The fundamentals (including the entire standard glossary) are free to use. One small one-time purchase unlocks everything else. There is no subscription. We've aimed to make it a full and useful app even when free.

CounselGist is a learning and revision aid for counselling students, not a substitute for training, supervision or professional advice, and it is not a counselling or therapy service. Always check anything important against your course materials, primary texts, and your own tutors and supervisors.

We are still finding and fixing mistakes, so please be patient as entries are corrected and added to, and we would love to hear your feedback.