When you need therapy or help with mental or emotional problems, you need to ensure you are going to the right expert for help. The psychotherapist vs. psychologist debate is quite common when people wish to see a mental health professional. So, who should you approach, and when?

What is a Psychotherapist?

Confusion about the usefulness of a psychotherapist, as opposed to that of a psychologist can arise because the roles of these professionals can overlap. But there are differences in the way they help people. Psychotherapy is about imparting treatment in various forms to people who may have problems related to family, career, behavior, and marriage. Talk therapy forms a major part of psychotherapy, but it can also include art therapy or cognitive behavioral therapy. Psychotherapy is about understanding your problems and arriving at solutions through therapy.
Psychotherapists work with individuals on a one-to-one basis, but they can also involve partners or families for some therapy sessions to better arrive at solutions for their patients. Psychoanalysis, interpersonal therapy, and play therapy are other approaches that psychotherapists may use in their therapy sessions. Psychotherapists can help people with mental, emotional and psychological problems or disorders. Psychotherapy can help people gain an understanding of their problems and the reasoning behind their emotions and actions. Psychotherapy is often a long-term treatment process, which can heal long-standing psychological problems or trauma. Psychotherapists may have training as psychologists or psychiatrists, but not necessarily. They are however trained in the therapies they specialize in and practice.

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What is a Psychologist?

Psychologists have doctorate or master’s degree in psychology. They are not medical doctors. They are trained in talk therapy, research, and testing methods. Some psychologists focus mainly on research while others practice as mental health experts. They can help with relationship problems, stress management, mental health problems and developmental disorders.
Psychology is more about behavioral modifications through various approaches. Psychologists can help with emotional stress or mental trauma by providing insights through therapy. They also conduct regular cognitive testing to monitor the progress of the treatment. Psychologists will help you understand how to change behavior patterns to make things better on an emotional level. They can help manage stress better by minimizing the triggers through behavior modifications. Psychologists can help people with eating disorders, depression , schizophrenia and other conditions through therapy. Psychologists are more trained on the academic side of the profession. They are experts in testing and accordingly plan strategies to help people. Psychologists can recommend their patients to psychiatrists if they deem medicines can help aid the treatment in a positive way.

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The Takeaway

There are key differences between professionals who work in the field of mental health and deal directly with some aspect of psychology. For instance, there is a key difference between psychologists and psychiatrists. Psychiatrists are medical doctors. They can prescribe medicines. Similar to the psychotherapist vs. psychologist debate, the confusion about whether to see a psychologist or psychiatrist is also fairly common. So, when it comes to a case of depression – which option is better? To treat depression, either expert can help you. But if you need medicines for depression, you will need to see a psychiatrist. You can also see a psychotherapist for depression , who can refer you to a doctor for medicines if they are not qualified to prescribe it.

When you are experiencing emotional or mental problems, it is best to forgo the psychotherapist vs. psychologist discussion so that there is no delay in the treatment. Approach any qualified mental health professional. If necessary, he/she can refer you to the practitioner who is most suited to dealing with your specific problem.

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