Many people suffer from mental illness. Some are due to problems in their personal lives, others due to heredity or drug use. But not everyone is ready to admit to themselves the appearance of such a pathology, much less go for medical help from a specialist. But even if a person has dared to visit a doctor, it can be difficult for him to determine how a psychologist differs from a psychotherapist or psychiatrist. To understand what kind of doctor is needed in a particular case, consider the difference between these professions.
Who is a psychologist?
The task of a specialist is to help a person who finds himself in a difficult life situation. His clients are absolutely healthy people who do not have mental disorders, but are in dire need of psychological help.
Features of work
The main difference between a psychologist and a psychotherapist is that he does not have a medical education, that is, he cannot make diagnoses and prescribe medication. His work is based on providing consultations, testing and training that help people get out of a crisis period, increase self-esteem, and improve relationships with others.
There is a wide range of specializations in psychology, including:
- Educational psychologist - works in educational institutions, helping children in their developmental activities, solving behavioral problems, and improving academic performance.
- Family affairs specialist – provides advice to families on resolving conflicts, improving relationships between spouses or with older relatives.
- A specialist in legal psychology, she works with difficult teenagers who are registered with the juvenile affairs department.
- Clinical psychologist – helps people who suffer from severe physiological illnesses or are experiencing stress due to upcoming surgery.
When choosing between visiting a psychologist or psychotherapist, it is important to be aware of the differences between these professions - a specialist in the psychological field is a humanitarian who does not heal, but only helps restore mental balance.
How is the appointment going?
After setting the exact appointment time, the person only has to come to the session. The first meeting is considered the most exciting, because it is then that you have to step over yourself, overcoming fears and barriers. However, nothing extraordinary happens during the conversation that would make it worth postponing the visit.
The first step is always getting to know each other. At this time, the client adapts to the general environment, tells the psychotherapist about himself, and shares what worries him. After this, the conversation moves to the next stage - studying the problem. The task of the psychotherapist at the new stage is to determine what exactly caused the complaints and how the situation can be corrected.
In most cases, a specialist can draw the main conclusions already in the first session. However, this does not mean that everything will be resolved immediately. Additional meetings are often required to better understand the problem and overcome it more effectively. This is especially true when it comes to severe depression and a host of internal problems.
Having made final conclusions, the specialist can prescribe medication and psychotherapy. In the first case, the patient will need to take the prescribed medications, which should not pose any difficulties. In the second, he will need to work with the doctor, coming to additional appointments. There, the psychotherapist will help the patient better understand himself and overcome the difficulties that have arisen.
Who is a psychotherapist?
The work of a psychotherapist is associated with a therapeutic effect on the human psyche. He is pursuing a medical degree and caring for patients who have mental health difficulties. He is often confused with a psychiatrist, but the difference between this specialist is that he is approached not with severe mental illnesses, but with psychosomatic disorders that arise in connection with social, personal, emotional and other problems.
Features of work
The main field of activity of a doctor in the field of psychotherapy is neuroses and neurosis-like conditions, which are manifested by depression, phobias, obsessive thoughts, hypochondria, and sleep disturbances. He strives not only to eliminate symptoms, but also to understand the causes of poor health and to identify the factors that caused mental disorder. To do this, the specialist uses various tools:
- conversation with the patient;
- hypnosis;
- psychotherapeutic techniques (modification of experience, subpersonal analysis, etc.);
- medicines.
If we consider what the difference is between a psychologist and a psychotherapist, it should be noted that the first does not engage in physiological research. He may partly use psychotherapy methods, but does not prescribe medications.
How to behave
Some people going to see a psychotherapist are very worried about how to behave correctly. You just need to be yourself as much as possible. This is the only way to achieve quick results from sessions and solve your problems. The main advantage of meetings with a specialist is complete mutual understanding and trust.
Important Tips:
- You need to remain frank in conversation. You should not hide facts from your doctor that may be important, even if unpleasant.
- There is no need to worry or worry in vain. The specialist will not harm his client either physically or psychologically. There is no need to waste your nerves and worry.
- The specialist should be completely trusted. It is recommended to use all the advice that the psychotherapist gives. The same applies to treatment methods.
Treatment with a psychotherapist is not as simple a task as it might seem. To achieve a noticeable result, you will need not only a good specialist, but also a lot of work on the part of the patient. Therefore, you should not complicate the situation with mistrust or excessive anxiety.
There is nothing wrong with turning to a psychotherapist to overcome personal difficulties. All sessions are conducted with an emphasis on complete trust between the patient and the specialist. Therefore, they very quickly give a positive effect, which the doctor will help to consolidate and even improve.
Who is a psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a specialist in the field of psychiatry who works with severe mental pathologies. Unlike an expert in the field of psychology, he has a specialized medical education and conducts drug therapy. The problems of his patients are so serious that he cannot limit himself to providing consultations.
Features of work
If a psychologist or psychotherapist uses more psychological techniques in their work, then the main tool of a psychiatrist, which distinguishes him from these professions, is medications. The difference is that, theoretically, it can influence the patient’s soul with compassion or warmth, but its main treatment is based on the prescription of psychotropic drugs, often powerful and prescribed.
You can understand how a psychiatrist differs from a psychotherapist and psychologist by looking at the list of diseases that he treats:
- bipolar disorder;
- affective insanity;
- hallucinations, delusions;
- epilepsy;
- schizophrenia;
- psychopathy;
- Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases;
- memory or consciousness disorder;
- functional psychosis.
To fully understand the difference, it should be noted that the work of a psychiatrist is regulated by the law on psychiatry. In some cases, a specialist has the right to compulsorily hospitalize a person - when the disease threatens the life (health) of the patient himself or those around him.
Psychotherapeutic diagnosis and treatment methods
The specialist begins working with the patient with an examination and a detailed conversation, observes the patient’s behavioral reactions, and finds out the cause of the person’s mental problem. After this, the doctor draws up a treatment plan using a suitable method of work or a combination of various psychotherapeutic techniques:
- psychoanalysis
- self-hypnosis techniques (auto-training)
- behavioral and existential-humanistic therapy
- psychodrama (therapeutic process using the tool of dramatic improvisation to explore the inner world of a person)
- immersion in hypnosis
- methods of rational therapy (argumentation, persuasion)
- body-oriented practices (influence on the psyche through the body, muscle relaxation)
- neurolinguistic programming techniques
- working with gestalts (awareness and closure of needs and desires that were not previously fulfilled)
- symbiosis of various methods of working with the patient - integrative psychotherapy
Who should I turn to for help?
To understand exactly what the difference is between a psychiatrist, psychologist and psychotherapist, let’s present the competence of these specialists in a table.
| Speciality | When to contact |
| Psychiatrist | For serious mental illnesses, mental disorders due to alcoholism, drug addiction, traumatic brain injury, stroke, poisoning. The patient may also be referred to a doctor after a suicide attempt. |
| Psychologist | For personal problems, dissatisfaction with work and life, for conducting trainings, psychological testing. |
| Psychotherapist | For psychosomatic pathologies - depressive states, stress, neurasthenia, stuttering, enuresis, increased anxiety and obsessive fear, panic attacks, nervous breakdown. |
If you understand how a psychologist differs from a psychiatrist and psychotherapist, you can not only understand the difference between these specialties, but also choose exactly the doctor who is needed at the moment. The main thing is not to delay visiting a specialist, because timely treatment begins significantly increases the chance of recovery.
Why you shouldn't be afraid
Fear of visiting a psychotherapist can hardly be called justified. The specialist’s only goal will be to help his client and will try to solve all difficulties as efficiently and quickly as possible. Everyone who decides to take this step understands that there is definitely no need to be afraid of going to the doctor.
Why you shouldn’t be afraid of a psychotherapist:
- There is always a result of meetings with a psychotherapist. A specialist will help you understand even very difficult cases and will do everything to help the patient.
- The psychotherapist always treats his clients with understanding. You shouldn’t think that he will misunderstand something or be biased towards the words.
- A visit to a specialist of such a profile will not be a stigma. All meetings remain confidential, and their content does not go beyond the communication between the doctor and the patient.
The situation is approximately the same with other unreasonable fears that people have before their first visit to a psychotherapist. Therefore, there is no need to be afraid of anything; instead, it is better to go into the session with confidence.
Who is a psychoanalyst?
Another specialist who may be mentioned is a psychoanalyst. What does a representative of this profession do? A psychoanalyst is the same psychotherapist, only specializing in such an area as psychoanalysis. Sigmund Freud is considered the founder of psychoanalysis, and all specialists trained to work according to the method of Freud and his followers are called psychoanalysts.
The profession of psychoanalyst is widespread in the West, but in our country such a specialty does not officially exist. However, many psychologists and psychotherapists use elements of psychoanalysis in their practice (analysis of problems, interpretation of dreams, drawings, method of associations, etc.).
In order to become a real psychoanalyst, a psychotherapist must undergo theoretical training and practice under the guidance of an experienced mentor, as well as special psychoanalytic training with personal participation as a patient. Training is lengthy, complex and expensive. But only after passing it can you gain the right to be called a psychoanalyst.
Features of the work of a psychoanalyst
Psychoanalysis is one of the longest-lasting therapeutic methods. For effective treatment, the patient must attend psychotherapy sessions several times a week for several years. The duration of treatment is due to the fact that psychoanalysis involves working with a person’s subconscious, his hidden motives, feelings and emotions that cannot be identified in a short time.
Principle of further therapy
The first appointment with a psychotherapist usually ends with setting a date for the next visit.
Otherwise, treatment does not continue. A one-time visit is basically impossible. A person needs support throughout the treatment process and even after it. There must be monitoring by a specialist over the emotional and mental state of the patient. When prescribing medications, their effects must be monitored. Psychotherapy is carried out only after successful stabilization of the nervous system with the help of medications. In this case, it is recommended to visit the hospital every 3 days for ten days. Such actions are mandatory to monitor the effectiveness and possible adjustment of the prescription.
Ethical aspect
There are generally established and legalized rules that a psychotherapist must support in his work.
The main one is, of course, confidentiality. The therapist has no right to take anything said by the client outside the office. The exceptions are cases of confession of committing murder or the existence of a threat to someone's life. If confidentiality was violated without reason, the client has the right to go to court.
By the way: an experienced specialist, if you meet him in a public place, will never greet you first. And your appearance will not show in any way that you know each other. He will only respond to you if you contact him first.
Other rules of conduct for a psychotherapist include respect for the person of the ward and his rights, and an unbiased attitude to the process. Here are the principles of competence, that is, increasing your professionalism and using exclusively scientifically based methods, honesty and responsibility in your work.
