[rothfan6]

I've seen posts in the past about wanting to know the difference and I thought this might be helpful to someone.

The Mental Illness Happy Hour // What?s the Difference Between ?Therapist?, ?Psychologist? and ?Social Worker? ? Guest Blog by Matthew

[Auntie2014]

Thanks for sharing. It is helpful information for anyone starting down the path with mental health

[CantExplain]

Mr T claims to be a counsellor, not a therapist. Therapists look back, counsellors look forward, he says.

[feralkittymom]

The good point that "Matthew" makes is that social workers bring with them the philosophy that has been active from their origin: they see psychological issues within their social context. But he also brings quite a bit of attitude about those whose advanced training brings them higher compensation and influence-- and, perhaps, different philosophy of psychological issues being more reflective of individual perceptions.

"Counselor" also implies a philosophy of advising proactively in current circumstances, rather than a more hands-off philosophy that explores the "why" of perception and behavior. Why I like "Counseling Psychology" a bit more than "Clinical Psychology" is that it combines both philosophies, and de-emphasizes the medical model, while not ignoring it.

[HazelGirl]

Different countries have different views on this. In America, anyone can call themselves a counselor, but only those who are professionally trained can call themselves a therapist. And all the different types of therapists have different specialities and focuses. For example, an LCSW knows a lot about community resources and how to get their clients in touch with those, along with knowing how to do therapy. An MFT specializes in marriage and family therapy, although they can do individual therapy as well. And a PsyD knows a lot about research and how to conduct it as well as how to do therapy.

[Lauliza]

Originally Posted by feralkittymom

The good point that "Matthew" makes is that social workers bring with them the philosophy that has been active from their origin: they see psychological issues within their social context. But he also brings quite a bit of attitude about those whose advanced training brings them higher compensation and influence-- and, perhaps, different philosophy of psychological issues being more reflective of individual perceptions.

"Counselor" also implies a philosophy of advising proactively in current circumstances, rather than a more hands-off philosophy that explores the "why" of perception and behavior. Why I like "Counseling Psychology" a bit more than "Clinical Psychology" is that it combines both philosophies, and de-emphasizes the medical model, while not ignoring it.

"Counseling Psychology" is the name of the Masters degree which grants you the Masters and LMHC/LMFT licensing. A "Clinical Psychologist" either has more experience in practice (PsyD) or research (PhD), but may still may choose to de emphasize the medical model, especially if they are a PsyD. It is bothersome that someone with a PsyD who decides they don't prefer the medical model is still held in higher esteem (and does make more money) than someone who is trained in counseling psych. You are right - in traditional therapy, the technique comes down to what they have both learned along with personal philosophy, and not much else.

[feralkittymom]

Originally Posted by Lauliza

"Counseling Psychology" is the name of the Masters degree which grants you the Masters and LMHC/LMFT licensing. A "Clinical Psychologist" either has more experience in practice (PsyD) or research (PhD), but may still may choose to de emphasize the medical model, especially if they are a PsyD. It is bothersome that someone with a PsyD who decides they don't prefer the medical model is still held in higher esteem (and does make more money) than someone who is trained in counseling psych. You are right - in traditional therapy, the technique comes down to what they have both learned along with personal philosophy, and not much else.

There are PhD programs in Counseling Psychology which stress both therapy skills and research, yet de-emphasize the medical model. And compensation in many fields is tied to level of education attained, so I don't find that unusual. But I've read comments similar to Matthew's before, and I suspect it's both because in the US therapy as a practice originated with social workers, and then they saw their status eroded over time; and most people do equate the title of social worker with case manager, as he says.

[unaluna]

Originally Posted by CantExplain

Mr T claims to be a counsellor, not a therapist. Therapists look back, counsellors look forward, he says.

Hmm. As a sci-fi fan, i dont think i could deal with his one-sided way of looking at the space-time continuum. He only wants to talk about things that havent happened yet?? Of course, taking it the other way, one could say, a therapist thinks they can change the past?! I like my t, who says crap like, time is a man-made construct.

[Lauliza]

Originally Posted by feralkittymom

There are PhD programs in Counseling Psychology which stress both therapy skills and research, yet de-emphasize the medical model. And compensation in many fields is tied to level of education attained, so I don't find that unusual. But I've read comments similar to Matthew's before, and I suspect it's both because in the US therapy as a practice originated with social workers, and then they saw their status eroded over time; and most people do equate the title of social worker with case manager, as he says.

Yes you are right about that regarding PhD's and PsyD's. It is a lot more schooling so I get the difference there as well.

Interestingly, there is now a lot of attitude from Social Workers toward LMHC's (Master's level counselors) since there is now more competition in the market. LMHC's are on the bottom of the chain in terms of pay and prestige, largely because it is a newer dicipline (the license has only been around in the US since the 1970's). But now that counselors can bill insurance, and are cheaper, they are becoming more popular and respected. LMHC training is largely psychological theory, and social work training has less, even for those specializing in mental health. From what I've heard, and experienced, there is no difference whatsoever in the quality of therapy you receive from a social worker or an LMHC.

[LaborIntensive]

What about the differences of a psychologist and a psychiatrist?

[Lauliza]

Originally Posted by LaborIntensive

What about the differences of a psychologist and a psychiatrist?

A psychiatrist is a medical doctor, an psychologist is not so they can't write prescriptions.

Psychiatrists do a 1 year residency in internal medicine and the remaining in psychiatry. They receive very little training in actual therapy practice and most don't practice intense therapy. It is a slipping profession, now that there are more Psychiatric nurses. They are nurse practitioners and can prescribe meds, but also recieve training (and more insurance reimbursement) for therapy. Psychiatrists get reimbursed LESS for longer sessions than they do 20 minute med checks. I think that element has taken some of the career satisfaction away from psychiatrists...at least in the US, it is the least profitable and least respected, medical specialty.

[LaborIntensive]

Well this makes me sort of angry. My psychologist is charging a boat load of money for paper tests I could have done at home but instead I sat in his office for 7 hours for testing and then a one hour meeting with him. I have to go back tomorrow for 2 hours of talk. I thought he would be "one stop shop" and I could get diagnosed, meds if needed and have him on my side in case I need to go to SSI for a claim.

Any ideas you can offer me on this?

[Lauliza]

Originally Posted by LaborIntensive

Well this makes me sort of angry. My psychologist is charging a boat load of money for paper tests I could have done at home but instead I sat in his office for 7 hours for testing and then a one hour meeting with him. I have to go back tomorrow for 2 hours of talk. I thought he would be "one stop shop" and I could get diagnosed, meds if needed and have him on my side in case I need to go to SSI for a claim.

Any ideas you can offer me on this?

Certain tests can only be administered by a clinical psychologist. From what I know they are the only ones who do neuropsychological testing (for ADHD or Autism for example). they also do intense psychological testing for other psychiatric disorders. As far as I know, psychiatrists don't do this testing. To go to SSI for a claim, you need a detailed psych evaluation and this would be from a psychologist. A social worker or licensed counselor can give you a diagnosis, but they do not do diagnostic testing. That requires special in depth training and is only done by someone with a doctoral degree. And takes hours. My daughter has Aspergers and had a full neuropsych done (about 4 hours though they said it would be 8). She needs this documentation for any school or government supported services. It is the same with ADHD. It doesn't seem to make sense that you can't get it all from one provider, especially a medical doctor, but that is the way the system is set up. They make it very difficult on purpose I think so less people apply for services. I hope this is helpful. Do you have insurance? These tests are very expensive but most insurance covers them to some extent.

[nottrustin]

A big difference is that it is cheaper for insurance companies to pay for Lcsw's than it is to pay a psychologist. So it is important for the Psychologist to to do psych testing which requires a Doctorate. A Bachelors in social work allows you to do case management. If you have a bachelors in psychology really all you can do is case management. A Lcsw allows you to do therapy as well as having training in referring and finding community resources.

T have discussed this a bit because of my daughter planning to study to be an LCSW

[feralkittymom]

Originally Posted by LaborIntensive

Well this makes me sort of angry. My psychologist is charging a boat load of money for paper tests I could have done at home but instead I sat in his office for 7 hours for testing and then a one hour meeting with him. I have to go back tomorrow for 2 hours of talk. I thought he would be "one stop shop" and I could get diagnosed, meds if needed and have him on my side in case I need to go to SSI for a claim.

Any ideas you can offer me on this?

Only psychologists can administer such tests and interpret them. You're not simply paying to fill out work sheets; the tests require interpretation and application, and it requires very specialized training to be able to do this. The time you will spend with him debriefing the results is a fraction of the time he will spend on your file.

Currently, only physicians and some other medical personnel can write scripts (there has been a movement to extend those privileges to psychologists, but it's very controversial and I don't know where it stands right now). If you needed heart surgery, I doubt you would want your GP to do it, so I don't see why mental health should be viewed as lacking in special areas of expertise.