What’s the difference between a psychologist and psychotherapist?
Choosing a therapist can be a confusing and overwhelming experience. If you’re thinking about reaching out for mental health support and beginning a professional therapeutic journey it can be hard to know where to start. A common question we get here at SWMB is: “What is the difference between a psychologist and a psychotherapist?”. In this blog I want to try and clarify this question so that you can make the best decision for yourself.
First of all, the terms “psychotherapist” and a “psychologist” are not mutually exclusive. There are, however, some important differences. Many, but not all, psychologists practice psychotherapy and even refer to themselves as such, or as “therapists”.
One of the main differences is the underlying assumptions and emphases embedded in training programs as either a psychologist or a psychotherapist. Psychology tends to have a cognitive and behavioural focus and is more grounded in neuroscience and biological accounts of the human mind. This includes understanding of brain functioning and how that impacts experience, especially thoughts and behaviours. Psychotherapy training tends to be grounded more in humanistic and existential principles.This includes factors such as meaning, growth, authenticity and agency. These principles are harder to observe and quantify, which makes psychotherapy as much an art as it is a science.
Let's start by breaking down the etymology of the words. Psychotherapy comes from the words psyche, meaning mind or soul, and therapeia, meaning “healing”, “curing” or "attendance". So psychotherapy means to attend to the mind. Psychology comes from the words psyche and ology, meaning “to study” or “science of”. Psychology comes to mean the science of the mind.
There is, however, a lot of overlap. As a field, psychology has developed out of research and a desire to understand the mind. Broadly speaking, psychology can be broken down into 2 orientations: applied and research. Applied psychology refers to the application of psychological principles and models to therapeutic ends, which is the practice of psychotherapy. Research psychologists study the mind and often work in academic settings but do not practice psychotherapy or work with clients in a clinical setting. This is an important difference.
So to recap, both psychologists and psychotherapists who do clinical work (usually “talk therapy”) are practicing psychotherapy. However, the kind of psychotherapy practice they do will likely look quite different because of their different training and theoretical backgrounds.
Other important differences
Some other important differences relate to treatment, diagnosis and medication. Psychotherapists do not make formal diagnoses whereas a psychologist can. Neither a psychologist nor a psychotherapist can prescribe medication - that is the realm of psychiatry. When it comes to treatment, psychologists and psychotherapists typically practice “talk therapy” and do not give advice or prescriptions regarding medication. We do, however, work with many patients who are on psychological medication and hopefully can work closely with the prescribing doctor to ensure well rounded care.
How do I know what’s right for me?
It depends what you’re looking for. If you need a formal diagnosis, best to seek out a qualified psychologist or psychiatrist. If you’re looking for help with managing stress, mental health, trauma, grief etc. then a therapist of some stripe may be useful for you. It is also important to note the literature of therapeutic effectiveness clearly shows that it is not the therapeutic orientation of a practitioner that makes the difference, it is the quality of the therapeutic relationship. Look for the qualities of a good human being, and a good human connection when deciding what feels right for you.
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Do you need mental health support in Warrnambool?
Start feeling like yourself again. Contact Us Today!
Book an AppointmentAbout the author
