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Question on definition of Therapists
Can anybody tell me what the difference is between a Therapist and a Psychologist please, and also can anybody in their own words please define Psychotherapy to me. Any feedback will be appreciated. Thanks!
Hi JSGeare,
Well your response has indeed blown me away as usual, you sure do give very good comments on this forum!! and very informative at that!! I was just a little confused to start with about what the difference is between the above (my original question), now I am much clearer thanks to yourself and gentle51. The reason I asked in the first place is purely because, I am seeing a counsellor at the moment, and I know you refer to them as therapists in the States, anyway on her business card it reads Counselling & Psychotherapy and after her name reads M.I.A.C.P. and I really and truelly just wanted to get the bigger picture of what she represents - that's all really. She, so far is a good therapist to have, she has started to dig really far into my past (into my childhood) and I have only being seeing her for three weeks now. She also practiced some Reiki on me last week as she is a Reiki Master, and I too am into all that type of stuff, anyhow she cleansed my chakras for the second half of the session, and I was actually wondering would that be the norm, when a person is seeing a therapist, or is it everyone to their own!!
Either way, thanks again for the well thought input.
Sunset
Well your response has indeed blown me away as usual, you sure do give very good comments on this forum!! and very informative at that!! I was just a little confused to start with about what the difference is between the above (my original question), now I am much clearer thanks to yourself and gentle51. The reason I asked in the first place is purely because, I am seeing a counsellor at the moment, and I know you refer to them as therapists in the States, anyway on her business card it reads Counselling & Psychotherapy and after her name reads M.I.A.C.P. and I really and truelly just wanted to get the bigger picture of what she represents - that's all really. She, so far is a good therapist to have, she has started to dig really far into my past (into my childhood) and I have only being seeing her for three weeks now. She also practiced some Reiki on me last week as she is a Reiki Master, and I too am into all that type of stuff, anyhow she cleansed my chakras for the second half of the session, and I was actually wondering would that be the norm, when a person is seeing a therapist, or is it everyone to their own!!
Either way, thanks again for the well thought input.
Sunset
I was going to say that the differencve between therapists and psychiatrists is that the therapists talk about their patients at the local bar, and the psychiatrists do it at the country club, but let's just stay with what Gentle51 said; she's got it right.
Here is another way to sort of "understand" the difference functionally. The psychiatrists usually own their practice, are ultimately responsible for what happens there, and are qualified to identify disorders, prescribe medications, implement treatment "modalities" (shrink-speak for "methods") and evaluate progress.
The therapist is often an employee of the practice who carries out the actual therapies, interacting with the patient. He or she is like a skilled carpenter, whereas the shrink is more like the architect or general contractor. That is, the therapist is a kind of technician. As you might expect, many therapists are actually much more alert about what's going on with a patient than is the boss-shrink, in the same way that many nurses are very savvy about patients and therefore advise the doctor on what's what.
Now, the "dark side:" Managed Care. What with third-party payers footing the bill for health care these days, there has been a lot of emphasis on delivering health care to the extent needed -but no more than that. The obvious indication is shorter hospital stays. But you also see it in medical offices. The reason for all those "specialists" is that they (who are paid less than a doctor) can deliver care or procedures that don't really require a person with an MD hanging on the wall. And so, who needs a doctor to do something a trained mechanic can do? The doctor now is in more of an assessment and advisory role and so can handle MORE patients and therefore a dollar goes further.
But it doesn't, because, meanwhile, all those specialists have formed associations and groups with ever higher standards of education, training, certification and re-certification -above and beyond what may actually be necessary to stick a needle in your arm or restore a pulled muscle.
Now, of course, you have these huge medical practices, and to run profitably (or at a surplus) they need -guess what? Patients! And so, they associate themselves with hospitals and form medical "groups," and compete for patients. Why? Because of the huge staff of technicians, nurses, nurses assistant's, billing clerks, office managers and records management people. Those folks have to be paid, after all. And THEN, they do what any-self-respecting organbization who wants to stay in business will do -they ADVERTISE! And your insurance premiums go up.
And, all the while, the ultimate care-giver, the doctor, becomes more widely separated from the patient. That doesn't mean you are not gettting good care. You may be getting EXCELLENT care. But it explains why it is costing so much.
The last bastion is, probably, mental health, because nothing less than doctor-patient interaction will work. People who have mental challenges, after all, can only present what they think -it is all about talking. It is not like telling the doctor you have a tummy ache, then go through tests and find out you have diverticulitis, so you stop eating nuts and get better. The psychiatrist may indeed prescribe a pill for anxiety symptoms -but that still leaves discovery of the cause. And that involves your upbringing, socialization and myriads of other factors which CAN ONLY be disclosed in talking and thinking. No machine can scan the brain and report, "Aha! Abused by a bully at age 7!"
Even so, disorders have been studied, effective therapies for them developed, and all of this organized into manuals. And a great deal of it -especially behavioral re-programming- CAN be administered by someone with a nack who is trained up to do it. Enter the therapists. BUT STILL, when it comes down to unearthing the prime movers deep in your emotional background, a highly trained, sensitive and intelligent individual is the best shot. Truly, a medical "art." Dollar for dollar, it is a good buy. I've spent more on my model trains in 6 months then I spent in psychiatry over 2 years, and the psychiatric treatment together with the lasik eye surgery were the best dollars I ever spent on myself.
Sorry for the lengthy expurgation - I hope it is helpful.
Here is another way to sort of "understand" the difference functionally. The psychiatrists usually own their practice, are ultimately responsible for what happens there, and are qualified to identify disorders, prescribe medications, implement treatment "modalities" (shrink-speak for "methods") and evaluate progress.
The therapist is often an employee of the practice who carries out the actual therapies, interacting with the patient. He or she is like a skilled carpenter, whereas the shrink is more like the architect or general contractor. That is, the therapist is a kind of technician. As you might expect, many therapists are actually much more alert about what's going on with a patient than is the boss-shrink, in the same way that many nurses are very savvy about patients and therefore advise the doctor on what's what.
Now, the "dark side:" Managed Care. What with third-party payers footing the bill for health care these days, there has been a lot of emphasis on delivering health care to the extent needed -but no more than that. The obvious indication is shorter hospital stays. But you also see it in medical offices. The reason for all those "specialists" is that they (who are paid less than a doctor) can deliver care or procedures that don't really require a person with an MD hanging on the wall. And so, who needs a doctor to do something a trained mechanic can do? The doctor now is in more of an assessment and advisory role and so can handle MORE patients and therefore a dollar goes further.
But it doesn't, because, meanwhile, all those specialists have formed associations and groups with ever higher standards of education, training, certification and re-certification -above and beyond what may actually be necessary to stick a needle in your arm or restore a pulled muscle.
Now, of course, you have these huge medical practices, and to run profitably (or at a surplus) they need -guess what? Patients! And so, they associate themselves with hospitals and form medical "groups," and compete for patients. Why? Because of the huge staff of technicians, nurses, nurses assistant's, billing clerks, office managers and records management people. Those folks have to be paid, after all. And THEN, they do what any-self-respecting organbization who wants to stay in business will do -they ADVERTISE! And your insurance premiums go up.
And, all the while, the ultimate care-giver, the doctor, becomes more widely separated from the patient. That doesn't mean you are not gettting good care. You may be getting EXCELLENT care. But it explains why it is costing so much.
The last bastion is, probably, mental health, because nothing less than doctor-patient interaction will work. People who have mental challenges, after all, can only present what they think -it is all about talking. It is not like telling the doctor you have a tummy ache, then go through tests and find out you have diverticulitis, so you stop eating nuts and get better. The psychiatrist may indeed prescribe a pill for anxiety symptoms -but that still leaves discovery of the cause. And that involves your upbringing, socialization and myriads of other factors which CAN ONLY be disclosed in talking and thinking. No machine can scan the brain and report, "Aha! Abused by a bully at age 7!"
Even so, disorders have been studied, effective therapies for them developed, and all of this organized into manuals. And a great deal of it -especially behavioral re-programming- CAN be administered by someone with a nack who is trained up to do it. Enter the therapists. BUT STILL, when it comes down to unearthing the prime movers deep in your emotional background, a highly trained, sensitive and intelligent individual is the best shot. Truly, a medical "art." Dollar for dollar, it is a good buy. I've spent more on my model trains in 6 months then I spent in psychiatry over 2 years, and the psychiatric treatment together with the lasik eye surgery were the best dollars I ever spent on myself.
Sorry for the lengthy expurgation - I hope it is helpful.
Psychotherapy involves talking with a trained mental health professional, such as a psychiatrist, psychologist, or mental health counselors about but not limited to your mental health concerns. Therapists include all the professionals as stated. The difference is: A psychiatrist is a Medical Doctor (M.D.)A psychologist is a clinician who holds a Doctorate in Psychology (Psy.D.) or in Psychology (Ph.D.). Licensed Mental Health Counselors (LMHC’s) hold Masters degrees in counseling.A psychiatrist is the only therapist who can dispense medications.That is how I understand it all.I hope that helps. Good Luck!!
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