Counselling & Psychotherapy
What Are The Differences Between Psychiatrists, Psychologists, Psychotherapists And Counsellors?
It can be very confusing, because there's a lot of overlap.The basic things to know:
Psychiatrists are medical doctors who diagnose and manage mental health problems. They can prescribe medication.
Psychologists can be in a number of roles, but counselling psychologists are what many people think of when they think about therapists. These are the ones who have attained Masters or Honours level qualifications to become registered. They can also diagnose, and have studied tools for assessment and research such as statistics. They must be registered by representative associations and you can claim some of their fees with a Mental Health Care Plan. Though it is changing, Psychologists especially in organisations have been encouraged to use Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) for many common issues, because of its ability to be measured and therefore it having been considered "evidence-based". Since then, the common factors model has become known, that is that the modailty that the therapist utilises makes up only about 15percent of the efficacy of the therapy. It is the therapeutic relationship that is the key ingredient in the efficacy of therapy.
Counsellors that are degree qualified study the theory and practice of psychological therapeutic work. They and the ethics of practice. They also undertake at least 200 hours of supervised work. However, it is still voluntary for counsellors to be registered with the primary regulatory body, PACFA. You may want to make sure your therapist is registered with them. Some directories, like Psychology Today, actually verify qualifications of each therapist. Though it is being campaigned for by many for the government to meet the deperate need for more accessbile mental health care, you still cant use a mental health care plan with Counsellors in NSW yet.
Psychotherapists work in-depth with people, utlising one or more of about 300 different modalities.
Psychotherapists draw from modern neurobiology and a range of evidenced based methods of working.
A psychotherapist may be a psychiatrist, psychologist, counsellor or other mental health professional, who has had further specialist training in psychotherapy
See Definitions Here
and here