Psychiatrist, Psychologist or Psychotherapist: What’s the Difference?
Summer Mayne, BA
A very important step in beginning your mental health journey is deciding what type of mental health care provider is right for you. This can seem like a daunting task, especially if you are not familiar with the mental health jargon commonly used to identify the different types of professionals in the field. However, it is not as confusing as you may think.
The first determination you may want to consider is whether or not to meet with a psychiatrist, psychologist or a psychotherapist. You can answer this question by determining what exactly it is you are looking for. A psychiatrist is a medical doctor. They have been through four years of medical school, one to two years of an internship and an additional three years of residency training specific to psychiatry. Psychiatrists do not typically provide therapy; however, they can diagnose both physical and mental illnesses and prescribe necessary medications. Psychiatrists can help identify the effects that your mental health has had on your physical health, such as in case of obesity. A psychiatrist may be beneficial to you if you believe your mental health has negatively impacted your physical health.
A psychologist is a social scientist who is specially trained to understand human behavior and mental functioning. Psychologists often work in either research or clinical settings. In order to practice therapy in California, Psychologists must secure either a PhD (research focused) or PsyD (clinically focused) in Psychology, and complete several years of supervised practice as well as pass two board exams. Psychologists are not able to write prescriptions; therefore, they often work hand in hand with psychiatrists to provide comprehensive care to clients that may need medication in addition to therapy.
A psychotherapist uses “talk therapy” to diagnose, assess and treat mental disorders. Psychotherapists must have at least a Master’s Degree and 3,000 post degree supervised hours to practice in the state of California, although many choose to pursue further education through doctoral degrees. Like psychologists, psychotherapists cannot prescribe medication so they will likely work directly with a psychiatrist in instances where medical intervention is needed. The goal of psychotherapy is to provide you with the skills and abilities to function better independently and to increase your overall well being and healing. In general, psychotherapists are usually the first place many people go to when pursuing mental health support.
If you decide that psychotherapy is something you would like to explore, it may also be beneficial to learn the different types of licenses that psychotherapists can obtain to practice in California. While all licensed psychotherapists work with individuals, groups and families from diverse populations, the major difference between them will lie in the educational requirements needed to receive each license. Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSW), work in a wide variety of settings to provide emotional support, mental health evaluations, therapy and case management services to people experiencing psychological, emotional, medical, social and/or familial challenges. LCSWs must hold a Master’s Degree in social work to obtain their license, which provides them the necessary specialized coursework to separate them from traditional social workers. Licensed Professional Clinical Counselors (LPCC), are trained to work with everyone including individuals, families and groups on any issue affecting mental health. LPCC’s can obtain their Master’s degree in psychology, counseling, or any related field so long as they meet the educational requirements for licensure. This allows many LPCC’s to have a wider range of use for their license, such as becoming life coaches or career counselors. Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFT) focus on families and individuals whose problems are social and relationship based. Typical issues could include depression, parent-child conflicts, self-esteem issues and even the family consequences of an individual member with mental illness. LMFT’s need a Master’s Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy in order to obtain their license, which gives them a larger educational foundation on those specific issues.
All types of licensed psychotherapists and psychologists can provide you the support and guidance that you are looking for; it is simply about finding the right fit for you. Furthermore, a psychiatrist may be of additional help to you if you would like to assess your mental wellbeing in relation to your physical health, or you think medication may be a necessary intervention. In either case, all parties will collaborate and refer you to the other if they feel you will benefit from it. If you are still unsure about which mental health professional is the most suited for you, the best thing to do is make an appointment. Psychiatrists, psychologists and psychotherapists are specifically trained to help you better understand your mental health needs and therefore, can provide you some further advice into what path you should take.
Hopefully this article has provided some insight into distinguishing the various options of psychotherapy! For more questions or to get started with one of our therapists please visit us at Good Therapy San Diego or give one of our Patient Care Coordinators a call at (619) 330-9500. We would be happy to help make the process easy and exciting!
The first determination you may want to consider is whether or not to meet with a psychiatrist, psychologist or a psychotherapist. You can answer this question by determining what exactly it is you are looking for. A psychiatrist is a medical doctor. They have been through four years of medical school, one to two years of an internship and an additional three years of residency training specific to psychiatry. Psychiatrists do not typically provide therapy; however, they can diagnose both physical and mental illnesses and prescribe necessary medications. Psychiatrists can help identify the effects that your mental health has had on your physical health, such as in case of obesity. A psychiatrist may be beneficial to you if you believe your mental health has negatively impacted your physical health.
A psychologist is a social scientist who is specially trained to understand human behavior and mental functioning. Psychologists often work in either research or clinical settings. In order to practice therapy in California, Psychologists must secure either a PhD (research focused) or PsyD (clinically focused) in Psychology, and complete several years of supervised practice as well as pass two board exams. Psychologists are not able to write prescriptions; therefore, they often work hand in hand with psychiatrists to provide comprehensive care to clients that may need medication in addition to therapy.
A psychotherapist uses “talk therapy” to diagnose, assess and treat mental disorders. Psychotherapists must have at least a Master’s Degree and 3,000 post degree supervised hours to practice in the state of California, although many choose to pursue further education through doctoral degrees. Like psychologists, psychotherapists cannot prescribe medication so they will likely work directly with a psychiatrist in instances where medical intervention is needed. The goal of psychotherapy is to provide you with the skills and abilities to function better independently and to increase your overall well being and healing. In general, psychotherapists are usually the first place many people go to when pursuing mental health support.
If you decide that psychotherapy is something you would like to explore, it may also be beneficial to learn the different types of licenses that psychotherapists can obtain to practice in California. While all licensed psychotherapists work with individuals, groups and families from diverse populations, the major difference between them will lie in the educational requirements needed to receive each license. Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSW), work in a wide variety of settings to provide emotional support, mental health evaluations, therapy and case management services to people experiencing psychological, emotional, medical, social and/or familial challenges. LCSWs must hold a Master’s Degree in social work to obtain their license, which provides them the necessary specialized coursework to separate them from traditional social workers. Licensed Professional Clinical Counselors (LPCC), are trained to work with everyone including individuals, families and groups on any issue affecting mental health. LPCC’s can obtain their Master’s degree in psychology, counseling, or any related field so long as they meet the educational requirements for licensure. This allows many LPCC’s to have a wider range of use for their license, such as becoming life coaches or career counselors. Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFT) focus on families and individuals whose problems are social and relationship based. Typical issues could include depression, parent-child conflicts, self-esteem issues and even the family consequences of an individual member with mental illness. LMFT’s need a Master’s Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy in order to obtain their license, which gives them a larger educational foundation on those specific issues.
All types of licensed psychotherapists and psychologists can provide you the support and guidance that you are looking for; it is simply about finding the right fit for you. Furthermore, a psychiatrist may be of additional help to you if you would like to assess your mental wellbeing in relation to your physical health, or you think medication may be a necessary intervention. In either case, all parties will collaborate and refer you to the other if they feel you will benefit from it. If you are still unsure about which mental health professional is the most suited for you, the best thing to do is make an appointment. Psychiatrists, psychologists and psychotherapists are specifically trained to help you better understand your mental health needs and therefore, can provide you some further advice into what path you should take.
Hopefully this article has provided some insight into distinguishing the various options of psychotherapy! For more questions or to get started with one of our therapists please visit us at Good Therapy San Diego or give one of our Patient Care Coordinators a call at (619) 330-9500. We would be happy to help make the process easy and exciting!
