Psychotherapist
It might be easiest to think about the term psychotherapy as an umbrella term.
What is a Psychotherapist?
A Psychotherapist is a mental health professional that uses talk therapy, and the development of the therapeutic relationship, to bring about positive change for a client.
This includes thoughts, feelings, moods, emotional regulation, communication, insight, perception of memory and behaviors that has negatively impacted their daily lives, social functioning with others, and their general happiness or ability to enjoy life.
Psychotherapy became a controlled act in 2007. This means that the term psychotherapist may only be used, and performed, by regulated health professionals.
The regulation of the term ‘Psychotherapist’ is a way to protect the public from harm.
These acts are put in place in order to protect the public from unqualified, incompetent and unfit practitioners.
Since 2017, Social Workers were officially encompassed in the term psychotherapist because Social Workers comply with the definition of psychotherapy services.
Psychotherapy services are defined as any form of treatment for psycho-social or emotional difficulties, behavioral maladaptations and/or other problems that are assumed to be of an emotional nature, in which a College member establishes a professional relationship with a client for the purposes of promoting positive personal growth and development.
As such, Registered Social Workers (RSW) will likely have the title of psychotherapist beside their name.
However, social workers are also required to add MSW, RSW to their designation. (eg. Jane Doe, Psychotherapist MSW, RSW).
With psychotherapy as an umbrella term, Who can provide the controlled act of psychotherapy?
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Social Workers registered with OCSWSSW
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Registered Psychotherapists,
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College of Psychologists of Ontario
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College of Nurses of Ontario
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College of Occupational Therapists of Ontario
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College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario.
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Psychotherapists, psychologists and psychiatrists may overlap in the areas they cover, but there are differences among each profession and what they can offer.
While Canada has a range of professionals available through private practices, community programs or institutes like hospitals and schools, finding the right expert for you means understanding exactly what you need.
Dr. Desi Brownstone, psychiatrist and president of the Ontario Psychiatric Association, says whichever option you choose, always be aware of the person’s training and background.
“Be confident the person is well-trained and know what they are doing,” he tells Global News.
READ MORE: Celebrating those making a difference in mental health
Psychiatrists
Psychiatry is that branch of medicine that involves the study of the etiology, assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of mental, emotional, and behavioural disorders alone or as they coexist with other medical or surgical disorders, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada notes.
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What can I expect? Brownstone says psychiatrists can work with patients on a biological and psychological level. They look at factors like past traumas, family history and can offer advice on how to move forward.
Psychiatrists cover off a range of topics in mental health, addiction and substance abuse, and can help people with both sudden issues like panic attacks or thoughts of suicide, to more long-term feelings of sadness or anxiousness.
Unique differences: The main difference between psychiatrists and the other professions, Brownstone adds, is that psychiatrists are medical doctors and are the only ones who can prescribe medication. “If someone has a stroke and are depressed, [psychiatrists] have an understanding of both.”
However, Brownstone says one ongoing issue with seeing psychiatrists is the wait time. “It’s a long-neglected problem,” he says. On average, the wait time to see one can be up to a year.
How much will it cost? In Ontario, for example, Brownstone says psychiatrists are not allowed to bill you outside of The Ontario Health Insurance Plan. In B.C., for example, BC PharmaCare offers the No-Charge Psychiatric Medication Plan that covers the cost of medication based on your income.
If you are unsure of insurance or coverage, talk to your health-care provider.
How to find someone: Brownstone adds it is not mandatory to go through your doctor, but most people go through one for a referral. Most patients, he says, do their own research on the psychiatrists online before contacting them.
Psychologists
A psychologist studies how people think, feel and behave from a scientific viewpoint. Psychologists apply this knowledge to help people understand, explain and change those behaviours, the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) notes.
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Some can work as researchers, while others are practitioners in hospitals, schools, clinics, employee assistance programs and private offices, the association adds. Dr. Karen Cohen, chief executive officer of the CPA, says some psychologists also work at a consulting level and provide assistance for doctors and nurses.
What can I expect? Cohen says psychologists can cover a range of topics through their research or practice, and this can include mental health issues, developmental disorders and relationship stress.
Cohen says there is also a focus on testing, assessments and research. “If your child is has a learning problem or developmental disorder, testing can clarify what that is and what it looks like,” she tells Global News.
READ MORE: Health professionals are trying out a technique in dealing with youth mental heath
Unique differences: Although they are not able to prescribe medication, a psychologist holds a master’s and/or doctoral degree in psychology, and some clients choose to get medication through a family doctor or even a psychiatrist.
“The training is in academics… they have the understanding how to add research and ensure the testing and treatment is evidence-based and effective.”
Cohen says there is also a strong focus on managing your disorders or health concerns, as well as improving the symptoms and coming up with practical strategies that work with the individual and/or family.
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And unlike psychiatrists, wait times to see a psychologists are much less, Cohen says, but they can also be long depending on the type of service you need.
How much will it cost? There is no set cost to see a psychologist. Cohen says this differs from province to province, and sometimes it can be covered by insurance.
How to find someone: Cohen says make sure the psychologist is licensed and once you have a consultation, talk to them specifically about their experience in working with cases like yours. You don’t need a doctor’s referral either.
Psychotherapists
Psychotherapists and counsellors (although these titles cannot be interchanged) offer a variety of therapies and offer a diverse range of services.
Carrie Foster, director for Quebec at the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA), says the association itself has 6,300 members that work in areas of the government, private practice and community organizations.
Foster says they cover a range of topics including career counselling, marriage counselling, family therapy and cognitive behavioural therapy.
“Currently there is no legal requirement for therapists to be licensed in most Canadian provinces with the exception of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Quebec and Ontario. However, it is wise to choose a therapist who is a member of a credible professional body and who is insured to practice,” the CCPA notes.
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What can I expect? Because there are so many types of therapists and counsellors, the approach will depend on their practice, Foster says.
“I could be a mother at home raising three kids and now I want to go back to work, I can see a career counsellor,” she says.
Therapy can come in a group setting, individual setting or families, she adds. And like psychologists, psychotherapists and counsellors do not prescribe medication.
READ MORE: Depression leads to shorter lifespan: Canadian study
Unique differences: The biggest difference between this practice is the range of types of therapies, Foster says. Therapists can offer art, music, drama therapy or more one-on-one sessions with an individual. She adds creative types of therapies may be helpful for people who may have a hard time speaking about their traumas.
How much will it cost? Again, costs vary. Private practices can set their own costs and some services could be covered by company insurances, Foster says.
Some community organizations may use sliding scales: the rate can change depending on your financial situation. Always consult the price before you talk to a therapist.
How to find someone: CPPA has a list of questions you should ask a therapist when you go in for a consultation. You don’t need a referral from a doctor and most people find therapists through a simple search online.
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Cite This
James Wallace, (2018, November 19). What’s the Difference Between a Psychologist and a Psychotherapist. Psychreg on General. https://www.psychreg.org/difference-between-psychologist-psychotherapist/
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At some point, we will have the classic confusion about the difference between a psychologist and a psychotherapist. However, it is relatively easy to identify the difference between a psychologist and a psychotherapist.
Psychotherapist vs psychologist
A psychotherapist is a person who, being a physician or psychologist, has also made a special training (from a psychotherapy school, then they practised supervised psychotherapy. The first known psychotherapist was Sigmund Freud, and the first psychotherapy school was psychoanalysis.
Today there are many psychotherapy schools, many divergent, all of emphasising the relationship with the client (the psychotherapist has clients, not patients) which only involves conversation – take speech therapy for example – not drugs or other forms of medical therapy.
Psychotherapy is a psychological intervention – a mechanism that aims to address health and illness. In other words, psychotherapy helps you resolve some emotional issues or modify certain aspects that make you vulnerable. So, if you have a problem with anxiety, depression, eating disorders or other similar issues, you need to ask for a psychotherapist’s support. Besides taking serious consultation from the psychotherapist, you can also get gifts to soothe anxiety for yourself.
Usually, the visits are made for a longer period of time on a weekly schedule by seeing the psychotherapist 1 or 2 times per week. You can meet them especially at psychological clinics but also in other contexts – hospitals, clinics, foundations, etc.
A psychologist is someone who has an academic qualification in psychology and deals, in general, with the study of the human mind. In fact, this domain is far too vast, so psychologists usually specialise in various branches: psychopathology (psychological anomaly), behavioural, social, educational, even organisational psychology – the list goes on, and it’s very long.
Psychologists also come in contact with patients, contributing to their assessment. in other words, if you have panic attacks it is advisable to look for a psychologist specialised in clinical psychology and psychotherapy.
In the same vein that if you want to be tested for the driving school exam, you will go to a psychologist specialised in the psychology of transport and services or if I want to change your job or you want to see what type of work is the best fit for you, then you should ask for help from a specialist in educational psychology, school, or vocational counselling.
Why is there confusion?
The truth is that often the domains intersect quite a bit. Officially and unofficially – officially, because a psychiatrist may be a psychotherapist or even a psychologist; in fact, in this case any combination is possible. Unofficially, because it’s often hard to pull a line and say: ‘Here is my domain, come here or consult another specialist’.
One major difference between psychiatrists and clinical psychologists is that psychiatrists have the strength of using and knowing the pharmacotherapy domain, which belongs exclusively to them because only a doctor can prescribe medications. The presence of the psychiatrist is always necessary for great psychological pathologies, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depression.
But if psychiatrists deal with mental disorders, are not they actually in clinical psychology? And if a psychotherapist treats mental suffering, is not that a kind of medicine?
Various studies say that psychological therapy depends upon the quality of the relationship between the therapist and the client.
Beyond that, only the very targeted therapies to a specific problem (such as cognitive-behavioural therapy) are suitable for scientific studies such as those in psychiatry which, like all branches of medicine, should be based on very solid evidence. So, if you try to see, for example, looking for types of freelance writing jobs which can help you with some extra advice, what kind of psychotherapy would suit you best, it might not at all be that easy.
And things get more and more complicated when all the other candidates for the healing role of the mind come into play. So, it’s not always easy to turn to the right person. Do not despair, however, because the main actor in the therapeutic act is neither the psychiatrist, nor the psychologist, nor the psychotherapist. The protagonist is you. And the most important part of the therapeutic act is the desire for the better.
Strive to feel the beauty around you with your heart, and constantly challenge yourself to create beauty instead of sinking into an inextricable emotion. When you have a desire and expectation for good things, you will notice everything around you. For example, you will find that the walls at home may need to be decorated, the flower pots on the balcony may have a more personalized appearance, etc. For example, you will find that the walls at home may need to be decorated, the flower pots on the balcony may have a more personalized appearance, etc. It will distract you and make you want to change and create beauty. When you have this kind of awareness in your mind, it means that you are starting to change. You might as well actively go to Customsticker.com to customize cute stickers to DIY the walls of the living room, the flower pots on the balcony, the cabinets, laptops, your mobile phone, and more, which will free your attention from personal specific emotions, these stickers will bring you unlimited DIY fun and make you feel very relaxed.
Role of a psychotherapist
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Provides a solution to your problem
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Helps you get better
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Engage in dialogue
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Processes communication
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Implements behaviour change
Role of a psychologist
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Helps you identify why you have a problem
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Helps you identify what caused the problem
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Helps you understand How you discovered this problem
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Helps you identify what your motivations are
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They cannot prescribe medications
Who to choose?
Ideally, the psychiatrist, psychologist and psychotherapist are working with your mind, perspective and your ideas. They can make you feel better about yourself and create that special state of mind which can bring you stability and emotional balance.
All you need to do is to look for that person, either we are talking about a psychological professional or a psychiatrist one, with which you are feeling comfortable, and you are not having any problems in communicating and telling all your problems. In the end, communication is the key for pretty much everything, but even more important when this is the main tool which can make a difference in your life. This is also one of the popular psychology dissertation topics.
So, it’s not your job to know in advance where to go. If you have a problem, ask any accredited professional of mental health. And he will guide you as far as possible. If the psychotherapist thinks he deserves to see a psychiatrist, he will tell you this, and vice versa.
James Wallace did his degree in psychology at the University of Hertfordshire. He is interested in mental health, wellness, and lifestyle.
Psychreg is mainly for information purposes only; materials on this website are not intended to be a substitute for professional advice. Don’t disregard professional advice or delay in seeking treatment because of what you have read on this website. Read our full disclaimer.
