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Whats the Difference Between a Therapist, a Psychologist and a Psychiatrist?

Question by rinnasaurusrex: whats the difference between a therapist, a psychologist and a psychiatrist?
I might be interested in going into going into one of those professions, but I need to know the difference first. Thanks.

Best answer:

Answer by brwn97eyes
A therapist can refer to anyone doing any sort of “therapy.” This can even be physical therapy, occupation therapy, whatever. In the mental health field, it usually refers to people such as licensed social workers, who have a master’s degree, or a marriage and family counselor, who also has a master’s degree. It can even refer to a psychologist or a psychiatrist if they are doing psychotherapy with a person.

A psychologist is an individual who has specialized training in treating emotional disorders. There are also psychologists who are academic professors who are not “clinical” or “counseling” psychologists and do not do “therapy.” A psychologist has to have a Ph.D or Psy.D, which is usually at least 5 years of training past a bachelor’s degree.

A psychiatrist is a medical doctor who did extra training on residency and/or fellowship to learn about treatment of mental disorders. They can also prescribe psychotropic medications, although some states are also now allowing psychologists to prescribe medications with further training.

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