Okay, so I’ve been seeing a lot of folks confused about the difference between a psychologist and a psychotherapist. It’s a common mix-up, and honestly, I was confused myself at first! So, I did some digging and thought I’d share what I found, in plain English.
My Journey to Understanding
It all started when a friend was going through a tough time. I wanted to help them find the right support, but I realized I didn’t really know who they should see. Psychologist? Psychotherapist? Psychiatrist? It was a mess in my head.
So, I started by good old google, I typed “psychologist vs psychotherapist” into the search bar. I got a bunch of articles, some were super technical, which not ganna lie, I skipped those part.
Here’s the basic breakdown I got:
- Psychologist: This is the “umbrella” term, at least that’s how I think of it. Psychologists have a doctorate degree (like a PhD or PsyD) in psychology. They study the mind and behavior.
- Psychotherapist: This is where it gets trickier. Anyone who provides “talk therapy” can technically call themselves a psychotherapist. It’s a broader term. But, and this is a big BUT, a good psychotherapist will have specific training and qualifications in a particular therapy approach (like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT).
Getting to the real mean
After grasping some basic concepts, I needed to simplify things further for myself. So I thought, I’d better make sure my understanding is correct. I found a few websites of professional psychology organizations and checked their definitions. That helped me confirm that my initial understanding wasn’t way off.
The core thing I learned is that a psychologist can be a psychotherapist, but a psychotherapist isn’t necessarily a psychologist. Think of it like, all squares are rectangles, but not all rectangles are squares. A psychologist has that broad training in psychology, and if they also practice therapy, they’re also a psychotherapist.
Putting Knowledge into Practice
So, back to my friend. Because I understood the difference better, I could help them narrow down their search. They needed someone who could not only diagnose any potential underlying issues (which a psychologist is trained to do) but also provide ongoing therapy. So, we looked for a psychologist who specialized in the type of therapy that seemed like a good fit for my friend’s needs.
My biggest takeaway from all of this? Don’t be afraid to ask questions! If you’re looking for mental health support, it’s totally okay to ask a potential therapist about their qualifications, training, and approach. It’s your well-being, and you deserve to find the best fit for you!
