What’s the difference between a psychiatrist, psychologist and a therapist?

It can be really confusing when you are trying to find a mental health professional, either for you, you and your partner or your teenager, and you don’t even know what terms to search on google. It can be really overwhelming to not know what the difference is between the popular names you hear in mental health- psychologist, a therapist, a psychotherapist and counselor- and these aren’t even all the terms.

Here, we will break down the difference between the names of professional, what is important to know about the different professionals in mental health and what terms you might want to use if you are looking for a therapist.

Are you looking for a psychologist in Miami?

We often think that all professionals in mental health counseling are psychologists. Though this is often the case in other countries, in the United States there are many different licenses under the mental health umbrella and not all of them are psychologists. Psychologists often provide therapy, or psychotherapy, but they also are able to do psychological testing. This is something that is somewhat unique to psychologists (there are other professionals that can do psychological testing too). A psychological test might include an IQ test or tests related to a child’s academic skills and learning abilities.

If you are wanting to work with a psychologist in Miami it can be helpful to use terms that use the term psychologist in it. You might want to search, “psychologist near me” or “psychologist in Miami”. Then when you are on the psychologist’s website, you want to check that they describe themselves as a psychologist and offer therapy (some psychologists do not offer therapy, they only do testing). You can also check out the locator page on the American Psychological Association website and type in your location.

The most important part is that you feel confident and comfortable with your therapist. A huge part of the success of therapy is the personal relationship you have with your counselor.

Are you looking for a therapist in Miami?

The term “therapist” can be confusing. Therapist is not just used for someone who provides talk therapy, but for physical therapists and massage therapists, just to name a few. For that reason, if you search something like, “therapist in Miami”, you might get search results that are not just in the mental health arena. If you do search “therapist in Miami” or “Miami therapist” be sure to look for someone that is providing talk therapy or psychotherapy. You might have to weed a few of the other searches out.

If someone describes themselves as a therapist that provides talk therapy, they might have a range of trainings or licenses. Psychologists often describe themselves as a therapist, mental health counselors often describe themselves as therapists, marriage and family therapist will call themselves therapists as well. The term therapists is an umbrella term for professionals in the mental health field that provide talk therapy.

Are you looking for a psychiatrist in Miami?

I feel like we are often confuse psychiatrists and a psychologists. They sound super similar, right? The main difference is that a psychiatrist can prescribe medication and they are one of the few professionals in the mental health field that can. That means that if you are looking for medication to support you in your postpartum depression treatment, or something to help you with your anxiety, then you will need to see a psychiatrist to get that prescription. Very often the therapist or psychologist that you are working with might recommend you also work with a psychiatrist to get you on a medication to support your treatment. Very few psychiatrists offer talk therapy, they often offer medication management, so your talk therapy provider- maybe a therapist, psychologist or counselor- will work closely with your psychiatrist.

It can be really confusing, but just know that research shows that the combination of medication plus talk therapy yields the best results for metal health recovery.

Are you looking for a counselor in Miami?

If you are looking for a counselor in Miami, then you might also be looking for a therapist or psychotherapist. Those terms are often used interchangeable in Miami and Florida. Each state has different rules for what terms people can call themselves- this just applies to Miami and Florida rules.  A counselor is someone who provides talk therapy. They might be a psychologist or they might be a mental health counselor, marriage and family therapist or social worker. All those professionals often provide talk therapy.

If you are looking for a counselor in Miami, you could search “counselor in Miami” but you could also consider searching “psychologist in Miami” and “therapist in Miami” as they all often provide a counseling. If you are looking for a particular specialty of counseling, such as couples counseling, then it would be beneficial to search “couples counseling in miami” or “couples counselor in Miami” as that will yield more specific results.

Are you looking for a psychotherapist in Miami?

In Florida there are three licenses that apply to masters level mental health professionals. They are mental health counselors, marriage and family therapists and social workers. They all provide talk therapy with different specialties and slightly different training. Psychotherapist is a broad terms that applies to all three of these professionals. A psychotherapist is someone who offers psychotherapy services- talk therapy.

All of these terms can be confusing when you are just trying to find a therapist that is a good fit for you or your family member. We are here if you need support in finding a therapist that is right for you and can help you get the results you want and deserve.