Do You Know the Differences Between Mental Health Professionals?
Do You Know the Differences Between Mental Health Professionals?
Mental health professionals go by many titles and are referred to with different names by professionals and nonprofessionals. It can get tricky to differentiate between the many names and titles. PAA would like to share these infographics with you as a way for you to recognize these differences between the different mental health professionals.
Psychiatrists
Are physicians. They have a Doctor of Medicine degree and specialize in diagnosing and treating mental health issues. Their training includes medical school and residency. They can differentiate mental health issues from other medical conditions that could present psychiatric symptoms. Psychiatrists can prescribe medication.
Psychologist
They hold a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in psychology, or Doctor of Psychology (PsyD), Or in Alberta Masters degree in Psychology or Counselling degree specializing in understanding human behaviour and treating mental health issues. They go through Graduate school training, residency, and supervised practice. Registered Psychologists can do counselling and evidence-based therapy. They can perform psychological testing and diagnosis. They can provide treatment for mental health and other health-related concerns. Psychologists cannot prescribe medication.
Mental Health Counsellor
They hold a bachelor’s or master’s degree in psychology, counselling, social work, or related field. At this time there is lots of variety in the education levels, training, and professional experience that individual mental health counsellors possess. Further, there is a lack of consistency in professional standards for mental health counsellors. In many jurisdictions across Canada, these individuals are not professionally regulated. Mental Health Counsellors can evaluate and treat mental health concerns by providing psychotherapy or counselling, but they cannot perform psychological assessments, or prescribe medications.
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