What is the difference between a psychiatrist and psychologist? What is the difference between a therapist and a psychologist? Should I go to counseling or therapy?

There are a number of different professionals in the mental health field and it can be confusing understanding what each one does and how they were trained. A recent [deleted tweet] by the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) highlighted that even those in the field do not fully understand the training and expertise of other professionals.

In today's episode of Psych Talk I discuss various mental health professionals, including psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, counselors, and marriage and family therapists, their schooling, training, and what they do. This episode only applies to professionals and the USA and gives a general overview of some differences and similarities, recognizing that degrees are program dependent and licensure is state dependent. At the end of the day, all professionals have a role in mental health and it is our job to work together to best serve our clients.

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