Counsellor or a psychologist?

6 comments

1. You can talk to either of them. No real difference except a psychologist has a Phd and can call themselves that. Another difference could be that a counsellor is for shorter-term therapy like grief or relationship problems and a psychologist is for longer term therapy like serious mental illness or trauma related issues and they can also administer psychological tests. Either way whoever you can talk to is fine.

2. This article might help you.

   http://www.verywellmind.com/differences-between-counselors-counseling-psychologists-2795632#:~:text=The%20Difference%20Between%20Counselors%20and%20a%20Counseling%20Psychologist,Practice.%20…%205%20A%20Worad%20From%20Verywell.%20

3. In north America these are generic terms.

   Weirdly enough the term counsellor can be more professional as they only refer to people who actually talk to people about their mental health, while technically speaking someone with a psychology degree can be referred to as a psychologist.

   A CLINICAL psychologist on the other hand is someone with at least PhD level education specializing in dealing with mental illnesses considered more serious than what counsellors usually deal with.

   AFAIK counsellors and clinical psychologists aren’t very different in their therapeutic effectiveness. So shop around and find someone who you click with. And depending on your issue you should find someone specializing in individual therapy or couple’s therapy.

4. psychologists are better trained, with higher levels of education. Not saying a counsellor can’t be good, but it’s just harder to find a good counsellor compared to a good psychologist.

5. Education, usually. You need a doctoral level degree to be a psychologist. A counselor typically has a masters. Depending on the field, a counselor may not be independently licensed (as in the addictions field).

6. Thank you all for your help.