The Head Shrinkers. Psychiatrist, Psychologist, Psychotherapist, Counselors, etc. explained.

I am a Master’s level, Licensed Professional Counselor. I call myself a psychotherapist. And I am ofen confused by friends, clients and family as a psychiatrist or psychologist. And it’s doesn’t feel uplifting to receive a degree that one hasn’t earned. Though I do get to see what it feels like to be a doctor without having to get through the education!

Additionally, I am often asked by friends, clients, and family “What degree does a psychiatrist have?” or “What is the difference between a psychologist and a psychotherapist?” or more commonly the titles and roles are simply confused by most people. By the way, as you will witness, being confused by it makes TOTAL sense.

Here is a succinct explanation of the roles and differences.

The players: Psychiatrist, Psychologist, Psychotherapist, Therapist, Counselor, Social Worker.

Psychiatrists are MDs. They went to medical school and then chose to specialize in mental health matters. At this point, the vast majority of them, dispense medication and don’t do talk therapy. Whether it is in private practice or at a hospital, the psychiatrist oversees your medication. Some do talk therapy with clients too but that is rare. Think meds.

Psychologists have a doctorate. They may have a PhD (most) or a PsyD. In graduate school, PhDs focused on being a clinician (working with clients) and research. PsyDs mostly focused on being a clinician. In other countries, this can be a catchall term (see below). But in America psychologists are doctors in the mental health field. They cannot prescribe medication (though this is changing but for now assume they cannot). They see clients AND they administer psychological tests— intelligence, mood, personality, et al. This last part is a key difference from the Master’s-level psychotherapist.

Professional Counselor. Ok now it gets confusing as there are so many terms. One basic achievement holds them all together. They have a Master’s Degree (of Science or Arts). They include: Social Workers (MSW (the degree), LCSW (the license)), Licensed Professional Counselors (LPC), Marriage and Family Therapists (MFT). There are a myriad of schools for these folks but ultimately know that they see clients, do talk therapy, and may specialize beyond the degree and licensure.

Here are the interchangeable terms that you may hear that basically means the professional sees clients and does talk therapy: Counselor, Therapist, Psychotherapist.

Some states have a few other titles and terms but the above holds true in most regions.

I will write something up soon on how/who to choose when seeking therapy/counseling/treatment — see too many terms! Overall, the short-hand is the following. Psychiatrists deal with your meds. Psychologists do talk therapy and can help with testing. Psychotherapists do talk therapy.

Hope that helps.