Difference between psychologist, psychiatrist, social worker, counselor and psychotherapist. Part 1

Info to help you decide who you want to see and things to consider to protect yourself when looking for a therapist. (See below for disclaimers and script - although the video content is a little different... Also, this video has a part two due to tech issues. I'm learning!)

Information provided through Dochas Psychological Services blogs or vlogs are meant for educational purposes only. They are NOT medical or mental health advice. I (Kim Long) am a Registered Psychologist, but I am not your personal psychologist, meaning these blogs or vlogs do not constitute a therapeutic relationship. This means the information is general and therefore NOT therapy. So… I make no promises about any results or outcomes. This holds true for any practitioner from Dochas who is posting on our channel or website.

Please seek medical assistance before acting on anything mentioned in the videos/blogs. The information provided is accurate and true to the best of my knowledge, but there may be omissions, errors, or mistakes. The content is absolutely not a substitute for professional advice nor does it reflect the opinions of the College of Alberta Psychologists, Psychologists’ Association of Alberta, or the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association. Please, please, please consult with a professional before taking any sort of action!

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Modified Script:

Ok, these are the basics:

A psychiatrist is a medical doctor or MD. This means he or she has gone to school forever and studied all that anatomy stuff. Then, that person went on to take specialized training in mental health so he or she can prescribe treatment and medications. A psychiatrist doesn’t usually provide talk therapy any more, although some do. You need a referral from a doctor to see a psychiatrist.

A psychologist is someone else who has gone to school forever (it feels like) but is NOT a medical doctor. You might see acronyms like PhD, PsyD, MC, MSci, MA, or R. Psych after their name. This person had to take specialized exams (like the EPPP and the Ethics exam) and get a bunch of supervised practice hours to become Registered in their province or state. This person cannot prescribe medications (because they aren’t doctors in the medical sense) and you do NOT need a referral to see them (in general). Specialized training in mental health lets a psychologist provide what people usually think of as therapy.

A social worker who provides therapy has to have a Masters of Social Work and be a Registered Clinical Social Worker in order to provide therapy to clients, at least in Alberta. You should check with your province or state just in case. So, they’ve also had to have practice hours under supervision to be Registered in their province or state. They CANNOT prescribe medications and you do not usually need a referral to see them.

The terms psychiatrist, psychologist, and social worker are all protected by law. What this means is, no one can call themselves by these titles without being registered with their Colleges. The College is the place that protects the public, like you, from people who don’t know what they’re doing. In other words, they make sure we won’t cause damage and they hold us accountable if we do. Every province or state has a licencing board or College for this purpose.

New info re: counsellors in video... no script (sorry!)

A good source to check if you’re looking for therapy is with different associations. Here in Alberta, you can check out the Psychologists’ Association of Alberta, Canadian Psychological Association, the College of Alberta Psychologists, or the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association, among others. Another great source is friends. If you have questions, feel free to email [email protected]. Thank you for watching and take care!

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