The difference between being a psychologist, psychoanalyst and psychotherapist

A common doubt: what exactly differentiates these three professionals?

A common doubt: What are the differences between the various mental health professionals?

There is a long list of questions about the differences between the various mental health professionals. Many people wonder what is the main difference between a psychologist, a psychotherapist and a psychoanalyst. The answer is not simple, since the goal of all of them is the same: to treat and achieve improvements in people's mental health.

What differentiates the various mental health professionals?

However, although they all share the same goal, there are important differences that distinguish them from each other, there are important differences that allow them to be distinguished. One of them is the approachThis is the set of studies and methods with which they approach the human psyche and which therefore also marks the basis of the therapeutic orientation. But there are other variables to be taken into account. In any case, it should be borne in mind that each country has its own legislation regulating the activity of these professionals, so this text should only be taken as a general introduction.

By the way, we have not included psychiatrists in this postsince the differences between psychologists and psychiatrists have already been explained in another article. You can refer to it:

• "What is the difference between a psychologist and a psychiatrist?"

Psychologist

A psychologist has studied a university degree in psychology and tries to approach psychological needs or difficulties from a broad understanding of human behavior as well as mental processes..

Not all psychologists provide therapy

It should be clarified that not all psychologists are dedicated to the individualized treatment of their patients.. For example, educational psychologists are part of the organizational chart of educational institutions (schools, institutes) and, in addition to dealing with those students who may present problems, they also perform functions such as adapting certain school curricula to the needs of some students, manage group needs, advise teachers to improve some pedagogical keys, and so on.

In addition to educational psychologists, we can also find organizational psychologists, social psychologists, research psychologists... All of them perform tasks that go beyond diagnosis and individualized treatment of their clients.

It is not easy to define a psychologist since there are many specializations.

As we can see, it is not easy to define a psychologist since there are complex and different branches and specializations.. In addition, many psychologists use eclectic approaches and methods. What we can say is that the psychologist handles certain aspects of human behavior, such as thinking, behavior and interpersonal relationships to help another person to better understand themselves and to resolve psychological and relational needs so that they can enjoy greater psychological well-being.

Licensed or graduated psychologists are able to offer psychotherapy, perform psychometric tests and carry out treatments to improve the psychological problems of other people, although in some countries such as Spain it will be necessary, in addition to being a graduate or graduate, to study specific Masters that enable them to practice psychotherapy. One of the aspects that differentiates a psychologist from a psychiatrist is that, as we saw in the post dedicated to it, the former do not have the power to prescribe drugs to their patients, the former do not have the power to prescribe drugs to their patients.. It may be the case that psychologists and psychiatrists work together to treat the same patient, but it will always be the psychiatrist who, if he/she believes it necessary, will provide medication to patients to regulate some type of mental disorder, while the psychologist will provide psychotherapy or another type of treatment appropriate to the needs of the case.

• More information: "10 tips to choose a good psychologist".

Psychotherapist

It is very important to make clear that a psychotherapist must have a specialization in psychotherapy studied in a private institute, but not everyone who presents himself as a psychotherapist has necessarily studied psychology.. For this reason it must be emphasized that the psychotherapist who is not a psychologist is not subject to any regulation or legal protection, unlike psychologists and psychiatrists, who must comply with strict legal and deontological norms and conventions.

An ambiguous term

Psychotherapy is the body of knowledge, techniques and methods used by psychotherapists to help their patients to discover themselves, and to initiate a process of healing.and to initiate a process of cognitive and habit restructuring to improve their quality of life and interpersonal relationships. In fact, there are many psychologists and even accredited psychiatrists who present themselves as psychotherapists, probably to make explicit that their task is focused on individualized therapy.

Psychotherapists may have received training in various therapeutic approaches, such as Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP), Narrative Therapy, hypnosis... As a general rule, these types of therapies by non-psychologists have a more directive style than those used by psychologists, which are based more on self-discovery, giving the patient a greater role.

• Another issue you should be wary of is that of weekend coaches: "Differences between Psychology and Coaching".

Psychoanalyst

The psychoanalyst is not necessarily a graduate in psychology, although they usually have a degree in psychiatry, psychology or even philosophy. Nor is the practice of psychoanalysis regulated by any law or official body.

The psychoanalyst carries out his or her studies within institutes or under the teaching of one or more experienced specialists. To become a psychoanalyst the apprentice must carry out a personal analysis on his or her own person for several years before being able to practice psychoanalysis..

The importance of the unconscious

The technical and methodological approach that the psychoanalyst uses is the analysisThe psychoanalyst's technical and methodological approach is analysis, usually with the patient lying on the couch or in an armchair facing the therapist. The main difference with the other therapeutic approaches is that psychoanalysis works with the unconscious of the individual.

Therefore, one of its theoretical foundations is that human beings do not have conscious control over many of our memories and thoughts, so it is essential that we carry out a thorough analysis of our unconscious.t is essential that we carry out a rigorous and profound analysis of our unconscious if we want to solve current psychological problems..

Psychoanalysis-based treatment investigates the relationship between these unconscious aspects that influence our interpersonal relationships and thought patterns, as well as our behavior and feelings. In any case, it will always be preferable to have a graduate in psychology with a specialization in psychoanalysis when entrusting our emotional well-being to him or her.

• Do not miss this post about the father of psychoanalysis: "Sigmund Freud: life and work of the famous psychoanalyst".