Overview
What is the difference between a psychiatrist and a psychologist? Should I see a therapist or a counselor? What's the difference between psychotherapy and therapy? These are common questions that consumers of mental health ask. This page has been designed to attempt to provide a balanced, straight-forward perspective on the different types of mental health professionals.
Which Professional is the Most Competent?
You'll see me regularly make one statement on the pages in this section. The quality of the professional is dependent more upon the individual than on the degree than they have obtained. For example, no category of professional has received more training in therapy and assessment than a psychologist. However, this does not necessarily mean they are the best therapist. My training is as at the doctorate level and I'm a clinical psychologist. I also am a faculty member at an institution training future psychologist. So I have a certain bias that I believe doctorate level training in clinical psychology is valuable. However, when I make referrals to other professionals, the degree they hold is not my primary concern. There are many Master's level counselors and social workers who are just as competent as therapists an any psychologist.
This section will give you some information about the training of the different professionals, but please keep in mind that the level or type of training doesn't insure they are the right professional for you or the most competent.