Counselor vs therapist vs psychologist vs psychiatrist

A career in a mental health field can be rewarding, meaningful and enjoyable, especially if you have a knack for working with people and are a good listener. Yet if you want to provide mental health services, it can be difficult to know which field to choose, as most mental health fields share many similar characteristics. There are several similarities, and a number of important differences, between counselors, psychologists and psychiatrists.

Goal of Treating Mental Health

Counselors, psychologists and psychiatrists share one important responsibility – providing psychotherapy and counseling to people in need. Professionals in all three fields support people with emotional problems, assist those suffering from mental health disorders, provide counseling to families, individuals, couples and groups and perform crisis intervention when needed.

Counselors, psychologists and psychiatrists are trained in assessment and diagnosis of mental health disorders and have undergone extensive training in a variety of psychotherapeutic interventions and counseling techniques. However, there are significant differences between these professionals in terms of education, training and additional responsibilities.

Mostly Talk Therapy

Professional counselors must obtain a master's degree or higher in mental health counseling or marriage and family therapy. They work with clients to help them learn better ways to manage their problems, mainly by providing talk therapy. Counselors usually work in private practice or mental health clinics, although some work in other settings, like schools or community centers.

Generally speaking, counselors offer assistance to people suffering from problems that cause emotional distress, such as anxiety, relationship issues, eating disorders, sexual disorders, life changes and substance abuse. Most states require professional counselors to be licensed if they work in certain settings, including private practice.

In-depth Psychological Services

Psychologists perform the same duties as professional counselors, but they also provide additional psychological services, such as administering psychological or diagnostic tests and consulting with involved medical professionals regarding the appropriate treatment for their patients, such as medication. However, according to the American Psychological Association, one of the major differences between a psychiatrist vs psychologist is that with the exception of the states of Louisiana, Illinois and New Mexico, only psychiatrists can prescribe medication.

Psychologists may work in a variety of settings, including private practice, schools, mental health clinics and hospitals. Many doctoral-level psychologists conduct scientific research. To practice as a clinical psychologist, you need a Ph.D. in psychology, or a Psy.D, or Doctor of Psychology, and a state license to practice. Industrial-organizational psychologists may be able to obtain positions with a master's degree, while school psychologists need a master's or a specialist degree. Those wanting to prescribe medication in the above-mentioned states have to undergo additional training.

Looking at the Whole Body

Psychiatrists are medical doctors who have completed at least four additional years of specialized training in psychiatry counseling, according to the American Medical Association. They diagnose and treat mood disorders, such as depression and anxiety, and serious psychiatric disorders, such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, looking for both physical and psychological causes. Psychiatrists work in private practice, hospitals, medical centers, in-patient treatment facilities and other settings. Many psychiatrists also conduct scientific research.

Because psychiatrists are licensed medical doctors, they are able to prescribe medication. While psychiatrists are trained and qualified to provide psychotherapy, a number of psychiatrists have shifted away from this treatment modality and instead specialize in pharmacotherapy and medication management services due to managed care regulations.

When you’re seeking out mental health help for yourself or a loved one, it’s easy to get overwhelmed at all of your choices.

A doctor can refer you where they think you can get the most help, but when you’re doing preliminary research (or if you’re not looking for a referral) how can you know where you’re supposed to go?

You might be noticing that there are a lot of words swirling around regarding different types of mental health professionals. What’s the difference between a psychologist vs a psychiatrist vs a therapist?

While these are all experienced mental health workers, the terms aren’t interchangeable. Each one serves a different purpose in your healing journey. People may also serve more than one of those purposes.

So what’s the difference between a psychologist and a psychiatrist? What about a therapist? Keep reading to learn what you need to know.

What Is a Psychologist?

Many people try to lump all mental health workers under the “psychologist” umbrella, but this is inaccurate. Psychologists have their own skillsets and responsibilities.

Some of the clearest differences are obvious in the ways in which they practice and the education and experience that they receive prior to starting their careers.

Required Education

All psychologists have advanced degrees in psychology. Almost all psychiatrists have a doctorate degree, though some only have a master’s. You can’t be a psychologist if you’ve only completed a bachelor’s degree if you plan on interacting with patients or completing serious research.

Psychologists have two primary career paths. They can stay on the research route, or they can practice therapy.

How They Practice and Work

For psychologists who choose the research route, they may work in universities or in lab settings to advance research in the mental health field. While working in universities, they can also become educators.

When they’re working in the field, they often work as therapists or counselors. They help to guide patients during their mental health struggles. They can diagnose mental health conditions and create treatment plans. They can also specialize in specific subsets of mental health.

They can not prescribe medication.

What Is a Psychiatrist?

While many mental health professionals have a doctorate degree, psychiatrists are the only ones who are considered medical doctors. Psychiatrists often work with other medical professionals (like therapists or a patient’s general practitioner), or they can work alone.

But what sets them apart from therapists and psychologists?

Required Education

As we mentioned, all psychiatrists need a doctorate. Unlike psychologists, the degree is a degree in medicine. This is what allows them to prescribe medication.

Like other doctors, they need to complete a fellowship in their field. They can then pursue further education if they’re interested in a specific area of mental healthcare (like childhood mental health, rare mental health conditions, trauma disorders, or whatever else interests them).

How They Practice

Psychiatrists have several functions. They often work in hospitals or inpatient mental health centers, but they can also work in clinics or in their own independent practice settings. Psychiatrists are unique because they can prescribe.

No other mental health workers are allowed to prescribe psychiatric medication. Psychiatrists are also the most qualified to diagnose mental health conditions.

Psychiatrists are able to provide counseling to their patients, but they’re more likely to refer patients to a qualified therapist or counselor than they are to provide this service themselves.

More often than not, a therapist will refer the patient to the psychiatrist rather than the other way around because therapy is often a first-line treatment method.

What Is a Therapist?

So with both of these in mind, what is a therapist? What distinguishes a therapist from a psychologist or a psychiatrist? Is there any overlap?

There’s a reason that it may seem like “therapist” is the umbrella term for mental health professionals. Both psychologists and psychiatrists are able to act as therapists, though it’s less likely for psychiatrists to do so.

Here are a few other things to know about therapists.

Required Education

Generally speaking, therapists need advanced degrees. These degrees come in a lot of varieties, though.

Therapists can come from degree programs in social work, clinical psychology, psychiatry, substance abuse counseling, and any other number of backgrounds. This is why there’s such a huge variety of therapists in the field.

How They Practice

Because there are so many different kinds of therapists, their roles are diverse. The most common type of therapist is a “talk therapist” that helps patients work out their feelings and make plans to work through them, but there are also therapists who work to conquer trauma, eating disorders, substance abuse, and debilitating mental health conditions.

Not all therapists are qualified for every type of therapy. Many therapists will seek out further education to get certificates in specific areas so they can better serve their patients. These include:

• EMDR
• CBT
• DBT
• Childhood therapy
• Specific types of counseling (such as marriage counseling)

Once you start seeing your therapist, they’ll be able to create a treatment plan for you that includes the right kind of therapy (even if they’re not the right therapist to offer it to you).

If your therapist isn’t also a psychiatrist, they’ll often work in tandem with a psychiatrist so there’s an easy way to manage your medication while you’re working on counseling.

Psychologist vs Psychiatrist vs Therapist: Which Is Right?

There are a lot of crossovers when it comes to mental health workers. When it comes to choosing a psychologist vs a psychiatrist vs a therapist, the right choice might be using them all at once.

When you’re in need of help with your mental health, you don’t have to choose. Let them work together to help you on your path towards healing.

If you’re ready to start conquering your mental health struggles, we want to help you. Our compassionate staff members understand how hard it can be to take the first step in seeking help, so we’ve created a simple and streamlined admissions process.

Contact us with any questions or to get started. We can’t wait to hear from you.

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