What Are Psychiatry and Psychotherapy?

---

It’s easy to be confused by the choices you have when you are looking for help with mental or emotional problems. And terms like “psychiatrist,” “psychologist,” and “psychotherapist” are hard to tell apart.

It has been found that many mental disorders, such as depression or anxiety, are most likely to improve with a combination of both psychotherapy and psychiatric medication.

These medications, such as antidepressants, anti-anxiety and anti-psychotic medications, can be prescribed by any medical doctor or nurse practitioner. However, psychiatrists are medical doctors who are specially trained in the treatment of mental and emotional disorders. Psychiatrists are also trained to do psychotherapy.

Psychotherapy:

Psychotherapy, sometimes known as psychological counseling, means talking with you about your problems and helping you to overcome them through insight, understanding, or practical suggestions for behavior change.

Psychotherapy may be conducted with a variety of mental health professionals including psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, and marriage & family therapists. There are many styles of psychotherapy, and each professional may have somewhat different training or preferences in how they work with their patients or clients.

It is often the quality of the personal relationship between the psychotherapist and the patient which has the greatest impact on healing and change. Therefore, a client who experiences little success or comfort with one therapist, may have better results with another, based on therapy style or personality. If psychotherapy has not been helpful in the past, you may discover that with a different therapist, you will experience different results.

Here’s a list of the major mental health professions. Psych Choices of the Delaware Valley includes professionals from each of these fields.

---

• Psychiatrist - A psychiatrist is a medical doctor. Psychiatrists first attend 4 years of medical school (after college), and then go through four or more additional years of specialized training, much of it in a hospital setting. They must pass a complex examination, measuring both knowledge and skill, in order to be Board-Certified in Psychiatry. Psychiatrists can prescribe medications, such as antidepressants or anti-anxiety drugs. They can also do psychotherapy (see above). Psychiatrists usually work with individuals but may also work to help families and couples, especially when one or more family member suffers from a mental or emotional problem.
• Psychologist - A psychologist usually has a doctoral degree such as a Psy.D. or Ph.D. This is not a medical degree, but an advanced degree granted to professionals who complete many years (usually at least 5) of post-college training in the diagnosis and treatment of mental and emotional disorders. They must pass an examination in order to be licensed by the state in psychology. Psychologists are trained to do psychotherapy (see above) as well as psychological testing and evaluation.
• Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) - A marriage and family therapist usually holds a master’s degree, which requires at least 2 or 3 years of post-college training. They must also pass an examination in order to be licensed by the state. The MFT is trained to work with family systems, helping people to understand the ways in which family relationships can affect emotional difficulties. They can do psychotherapy with couples (married or not), families, and also with individuals. A "marriage counselor" is often a licensed marriage and family therapist.
• Social Worker - A licensed social worker, or licensed clinical social worker, usually holds a master’s degree (requiring at least 2 or 3 years of post-college training) in social work. They must pass an examination in order to be licensed by the state. Social workers are trained to help with many kinds of problems, but many specialize in psychotherapy with individuals, couples and families. Social workers are trained to work with people and specifically how they relate to their social environment (family, communities, etc). Many specialize in psychotherapy with individuals, couples, families, and groups.
• Nurse Practitioner - A nurse practitioner holds an advanced nursing degree which may be at a master’s or doctoral level. The nurse practitioner must take special courses, during or after the masters or doctoral training. Clinical nurse specialists must pass a national certification exam to be able to practice psychotherapy. There is an additional training and examination process in order to be licensed to prescribe medications. Our nurse practitioner, Dr. Peggy Fuhs, holds both kinds of certifications, enabling her to prescribe medications and practice psychotherapy.

---

It’s helpful to understand that all of these mental health professionals undergo ongoing training even after obtaining their degrees and licenses. They may spend many hours (and great expense) on post-graduate training programs to improve their skills and to learn new techniques, as well as to keep up with the latest research in their fields.

If you have further questions about any of the professions, or the professionals at Psych Choices, please feel free to contact us.

---