KNOW YOUR THERAPIST

The core of #psychology is understanding #humanbehavior, however there are different methods and techniques that different fields use to deal with their clients.

What comes to your mind when you listen to the word psychology (other than reading mind)? Well, you may have thought till now that psychology is about understanding human behavior and #personalities. You are right! But one thing worth remembering is that psychology is as vast as any other #naturalscience. It encompass diverse range of human behaviors in different contexts and because of these different contexts, there are different #fields in psychology.

The core of psychology is understanding human behavior, however there are different #methods and #techniques that different fields use to deal with their clients. The variations in these methods depends upon the #qualification of the psychologist and the problems of the client.

A #Counselor by definition assists people to “develop understanding about themselves and to make changes in their lives. It is expected that they “work within a clearly contracted principled relationship that enables individuals to explore and resolve issues of an interpersonal, intrapsychic or personal nature”. There are different types of counselors such as rehabilitation counselors, marriage and/or family counselors, school counselors and others. Each may have very different qualifications and experience levels, which can be inquired about by potential clients.

It is important to understand the many sub fields and specializations within this broad major. These areas of psychology include #statistics, #organization/#industrial, #clinical, #neuroscience, #cognitive, #behavioral, #social, #developmental, and #educational.

BY QUALIFICATION

#PSYCHOLOGIST: Psychologists are mainly concerned with studying human behavior in their undergraduate and postgraduate degrees before undertaking supervised experience and gaining registration through additional courses. They do not have a medical degree; however, many have postgraduate #qualifications or #doctoral level qualifications in clinical psychology.

Psychologists help people in dealing with day to day problems like #stress. They also provide #counseling and #therapy for people with diagnosed mental disorders, such as anxiety disorders or depression. They help people understand the nature of the problem and cope with them in a better way.

#CLINICALPSYCHOLOGIST: Clinical psychologists have #specialist training in psychological #assessment and therapy with diagnosed #psychiatric and/or mental disorders. Clinical psychologists also cannot prescribe #medication. They focus on changing behaviors and responses without the use of medications. There is a considerable amount of evidence showing psychological treatments are effective on their own, as well as in combination with certain types of medication.

#PSYCHIATRIST: Psychiatrists have a medical degree, which involved five years of studying general medicine, which is followed by further study to specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness and emotional problems. Psychiatrists treat the effects of emotional disturbances on the body and the effects of physical conditions on the mind. Psychiatrists can prescribe medication. Some combine medication with other forms of therapy.

BY SPECIALIZATION

#CHILDPSYCHOLOGIST: Child psychologists are responsible for studying, analyzing, and diagnosing the mental, social, and emotional development and behavior of children from birth to adolescence. Some of the things that child psychologists' study include genetics, personality and brain development, social maturation, and language development.

#EDUCATIONALPSYCHOLOGIST: An educational psychologist support children and young people from birth to 25 years old who have a range of emotional and social issues or learning difficulties. They apply psychological theory and research in order to promote their emotional and social well being.

They also carry out observations, questionnaires interviews and assessments to identify needs and will then offer a range of appropriate interventions to overcome any issues. These can include #learning programs, behavior management strategies, #relaxation techniques and collaborative work with #teachers or #parents.

#HEALTHPSYCHOLOGIST: Health psychologists work with patients of all ages and with varying physical or psychological health issues to help them understand their illness. They promote general well being and a healthy lifestyle and will support patients on a range of health issues including adjusting to a serious illness, such as cancer, cardiac #rehabilitation, lifestyle choices associated with poor diet and lack of exercise, management of diabetes or other long-term health issues, pain management, and smoking cessation.

#SPORTPSYCHOLOGIST: A sport psychologist will be concerned with the behaviors, mental processes and well-being of individuals, teams and organisations involved in sport and exercise. Typically, they specialize in either sport or exercise, although some work across both fields.

Specializing in sport psychology means working with athletes and teams involved in sport from amateur to elite professional level, with the aim of helping them deal psychologically with the demands of the sport. They also help them improve their personal development and performance.

#ORGANIZATIONAL / #INDUSTRIALPSYCHOLOGIST : A human resources (HR) manager advise and implement policies relating to the effective use of staff in an organisation.

Their primary aim is to ensure that the organisation they work for employs the right balance of staff in terms of skill and experience, and that training and development opportunities are available to colleagues to enhance their performance and achieve the company's business aims.

HR officers are involved in a range of activities whatever the size or type of business. These cover areas such as conditions of employment, equality and diversity, negotiation with external, work-related agencies, pay, recruitment, and working practices.

#FORENSICPSYCHOLOGIST: Forensic psychologist will mainly relate to the assessment and treatment of criminal behavior. They work not only with prisoners and offenders, but with other professionals involved in the judicial and penal systems as well as with victims of crime.

While they will be involved in criminal profiling, their role will stretch far beyond this. They will be heavily involved in providing research-based evidence to develop policy and working practices, as well as give evidence in court and advise parole boards and mental health tribunals. Their work will help to rehabilitate prisoners and they have the chance to support and train other staff.

#DEVELOPMENTALPSYCHOLOGIST: The primary function of a developmental psychologist is to study and understand human, social, and emotional growth and development over the course of time. Developmental psychologists often evaluate and diagnose patients with developmental disabilities, understand the origin and problems with language development, and work with people of all ages and personalities to know their developmental obstacles and successes.

These different psychological fields are assessing human behavior but in different contexts. Hopefully, the confusion between the similar sounding occupations within psychology can now be made.

References

https://psychologyconsultants.com.au/faq/what-is-the-difference-between-a-psychologist-clinical-psychologist-psychiatrist-and-counsellor/