ABSTRACT
The medical model differs from the psychological model in many ways, not the least of these being in the area of communication, where different words can have different meanings in each model. In the medical model, a symptom is usually a feature that indicates a condition or disease. In the medical model, medication may be used for the containment of strong emotion and may be necessary, in addition to counselling, in order that the patient does not become harmfully overwhelmed by their feelings. The medical and general public understanding of the word "boundary" would be a physical one, that is, within the boundary of the body, the room, or the building. In the medical model, the meaning of the word "treatment" is usually understood as the medical care of an illness or injury. The cognitive behavioural therapy approach to counselling fits well with this understanding, and at the assessment a treatment plan would be formulated with the patient.
