What is the difference between a psychologist and a psychiatrist?

A psychologist has gone to college for four years and received a major in psychology or counseling. They may go on to get a master’s degree with another 2-3 years of schooling, and from there, they might take a PhD program for another 3-4 years. A Master’s Degree will allow them to add a description after their name, such as MSW, for a Master’s Degree In Social Work. This degree can be a Master's Degree in counseling, psychology, or chemical dependency counseling, among other specializations.

Psychiatrists, on the other hand, went to medical school for four years and then specialized for another four years in a residency program, where they learned how to prescribe medication for mental health illnesses and also how to provide counseling. Because of their medical training, they have insight into the struggles a person might have who is battling medical illnesses, such as sleep apnea, obesity, stroke, and heart attacks. I review aspects of my medical training in my book, “Prescription For Positivity.”

Some psychiatrists mostly just received training in how to prescribe medication. Some get equal training in prescribing and counseling (my training). A small percentage are primarily trained to do counseling and don’t know much about prescribing. Often, on their website, you will see a description of their specialization. You can read reviews on them and see the doctor's expertise in counseling and prescribing medication to their patients–and for what issues.

If you want psychological testing, such as to see if you have autistic traits or other complicated mental health issues, then a psychologist has the best training if they have a Ph.D. in psychology, and on their website, it says they do psychological testing.

There are many different kinds of psychologists; the same can be said for psychiatrists. They learn a lot in their training, and then most of their skills come from their experience with many different situations after they graduate from their training. They will talk about this on their website. You’ll get more out of in-person visits for some issues, especially those that deal with anxiety about interacting with others. So make sure they offer in-person visits. Like other medical fields, the mental health field tends to get specialized and one-dimensional. Currently, the trend is to offer telehealth (video call) visits so the provider can work from home.