Post by Mea on Dec 16, 2015 9:00:09 GMT
Anonymous asked: Whats the difference between a psychologist and therapist?
Answer: Usually, when talking about therapists on here, we do specifically mean psychotherapists (therapists specializing in psychology), since there are many different kinds of therapists. So when talking about a psychotherapist, the only difference between that and a psychologist is basically the difference between squares and rectangles.
A psychologist is simply someone who specializes in psychology. This includes psychotherapists, forensic psychologists, psychiatrists, neuropsychologists, etc.
A therapist, or a psychotherapist, is someone who is trained in providing treatments for patients. They cannot, however, prescribe medication.
A psychiatrist can prescribe medication, as they have been to medical school. Psychiatrists are also psychologists.
That’s the difference in the US though. I’m not sure if the terms apply the same way in other countries.
-Mea
In Canada, it’s similar for the most part. A therapist is anyone who is providing therapy, whether that’s psychotherapy or physiotherapy or speech therapy… any form of therapy. In the context of mental health care in Canada, “therapist” is generally interchangeable with psychologist most usually, but you can call a clinical counselor a therapist too, and a few other people. A therapist is basically anyone who is providing psychotherapy to you, in some form or another.
Here, there are different levels of therapists, but they’re all therapists. There are Masters or Doctoral student practitioners, who you can consider to be a therapist if you’re receiving therapy from them, there are clinical counselors, who you can consider to be a therapist, there are psychologists (someone who has a doctorate in clinical psychology but is not registered), who you can consider to be a therapist, and there are registered psychologists (clinical psychologists who have received special certification), who you can consider to be a therapist.
For most extended health insurance plans in Canada, they require you to see a registered psychologist in order for your therapy sessions to be covered. That’s why most people here end up seeing registered psychologists, even though they’re the most expensive of all the people who can be considered “therapists.”
I’ve seen a clinical counselor, a psychologist, and a number or registered psychologists, and I’ve considered them all to be my therapist. What your therapist prefers to be called might depend on the type of therapy they’re administering or their personal preference. In DBT, most DBT therapists regardless of whether they’re Masters students or all the way up to registered psychologists, they will generally tend to refer to themselves as your therapist.
-Pandora
Answer: Usually, when talking about therapists on here, we do specifically mean psychotherapists (therapists specializing in psychology), since there are many different kinds of therapists. So when talking about a psychotherapist, the only difference between that and a psychologist is basically the difference between squares and rectangles.
A psychologist is simply someone who specializes in psychology. This includes psychotherapists, forensic psychologists, psychiatrists, neuropsychologists, etc.
A therapist, or a psychotherapist, is someone who is trained in providing treatments for patients. They cannot, however, prescribe medication.
A psychiatrist can prescribe medication, as they have been to medical school. Psychiatrists are also psychologists.
That’s the difference in the US though. I’m not sure if the terms apply the same way in other countries.
-Mea
In Canada, it’s similar for the most part. A therapist is anyone who is providing therapy, whether that’s psychotherapy or physiotherapy or speech therapy… any form of therapy. In the context of mental health care in Canada, “therapist” is generally interchangeable with psychologist most usually, but you can call a clinical counselor a therapist too, and a few other people. A therapist is basically anyone who is providing psychotherapy to you, in some form or another.
Here, there are different levels of therapists, but they’re all therapists. There are Masters or Doctoral student practitioners, who you can consider to be a therapist if you’re receiving therapy from them, there are clinical counselors, who you can consider to be a therapist, there are psychologists (someone who has a doctorate in clinical psychology but is not registered), who you can consider to be a therapist, and there are registered psychologists (clinical psychologists who have received special certification), who you can consider to be a therapist.
For most extended health insurance plans in Canada, they require you to see a registered psychologist in order for your therapy sessions to be covered. That’s why most people here end up seeing registered psychologists, even though they’re the most expensive of all the people who can be considered “therapists.”
I’ve seen a clinical counselor, a psychologist, and a number or registered psychologists, and I’ve considered them all to be my therapist. What your therapist prefers to be called might depend on the type of therapy they’re administering or their personal preference. In DBT, most DBT therapists regardless of whether they’re Masters students or all the way up to registered psychologists, they will generally tend to refer to themselves as your therapist.
-Pandora
