Difference between actually counseling and being a psychiatrist?
I'm considering being a counseling psychologist or a psychiatrist, I'm wondering what people who are in these professions think about the two different careers. How do they differ? What kind of work do you do day to day? #psychology #counseling #psychiatry #psychiatrists
4 answers
Judith-Ann Anderson
Judith-Ann’s Answer
Felicia G’s Answer
Linda Ann’s Answer
To become a psychiatrist, you must attend medical school and complete a residency in psychiatry.... To the best of my understanding, most psychiatrists prescribe medications for their patients and provide little in the way of talking therapy.
A counseling psychologist's work varies greatly as a function of the setting. Academics might teach, do research and have therapy clients. I would recommend exploration of the American Psychological Association's website for more information about clinical and counseling psychology. Here's the link: www.apa.org.
Good Luck!
Susan Delphine’s Answer
We prescribe medicines to change the chemistry of the brain so that a person feels normal again. Our knowledge of every part of the body and every other specialty allows us to see if a body-based issue is causing the psychiatric symptoms, something a counselor could never do. We look at all of the meds a patient is taking to check for drug-drug interactions.
We are DOCTORS first and always.