Psychiatrist, Psychologist, Counsellor:

What’s the Difference?

When it comes to mental health support, many people find themselves confused by the various titles and roles: Psychiatrist, Psychologist, or Counsellor. While these professionals often work together and share the common goal of helping individuals improve their mental and emotional well-being, they differ significantly in their training, approach, and scope of practice. Understanding these differences can help you make the right choice for your specific needs.

 

Psychiatrist: Medical Specialist in Mental Health

A Psychiatrist is a licensed medical doctor (MD or DO) who specializes in diagnosing, treating, and preventing mental health disorders. Because of their medical background, psychiatrists are the only mental health professionals who can prescribe medication in most regions. They are trained to understand the biological and neurological factors behind mental illness and often manage treatment for more severe psychiatric conditions such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depressive disorder.

Medication

In addition to prescribing medication, some psychiatrists also provide therapy, although many focus more on medication management and work in collaboration with therapists or psychologists who offer talk therapy.

Key Features:

  • Medical doctor (8+ years of medical and psychiatric training)
  • Can prescribe medication
  • Specializes in diagnosing and managing mental illnesses
  • Often works in hospitals, clinics, or private practice

 

Psychologist: Expert in Human Thought and Behaviour

A Psychologist holds a doctoral-level degree (Ph.D., Psy.D., or Ed.D.) in psychology and is trained in the study of human behaviour, cognition, and emotions. Psychologists are skilled in psychological assessment and therapy. They use evidence-based therapeutic techniques to treat a wide range of mental health concerns, including anxiety, depression, trauma, and personality disorders.

While psychologists cannot usually prescribe medication (except in a few regions with special licensing), they are highly trained in providing therapy and conducting psychological testing and evaluations that may help with diagnosis and treatment planning.

Diagnosis

Psychologists can diagnose a wide range of mental health conditions using clinical interviews, psychological testing, and standardised assessment tools, including ADHD, Autism and Dyslexia.

Key Features:

  • Doctorate in psychology (7–10 years of training)
  • Specializes in therapy and psychological assessments
  • Typically, cannot prescribe medication
  • Works in private practices, clinics, schools, or hospitals

 

Counsellor: Supportive and Client-Centred Care

A Counsellor uses talking therapy to help clients cope with life challenges, emotional struggles, and relationship issues. Counsellors are usually educated to master’s degree level or diploma level in different modalities of therapy and will often use various therapeutic approaches, such as cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT), person-centred therapy, Transactional analysis, psychodynamic and mindfulness-based practices. They are well-suited to help people manage stress, anxiety, low mood, grief, low self-esteem, relationships.

Safe Space

Counselling also provides a safe space to talk and hear your own thoughts being spoken aloud and a reflection coming back from the counsellor.

Key Features:

  • Master’s degree or diploma in counselling (2–3 years of training)
  • Focuses on talk therapy and emotional support
  • Does not prescribe medication
  • Works in a wide range of settings: private practice, schools, clinics

Which One Should You See?

The right professional for you depends on your unique situation. If you need medication or have a severe mental illness, a psychiatrist is likely the best choice. If you’re looking for psychological testing or long-term therapy, a psychologist might be ideal. If you want supportive talk therapy to navigate personal challenges, a counsellor can be a great support and can create movement to enable personal change.

No matter where you begin, taking that first step to seek support is a sign of strength—and help is available.

Nightingale always assesses the client/clients’ needs and only align them with the model of counselling and counsellor to best suit their needs. We will also signpost clients to other services if we are not able to be totally effective in our work.

Our next post will focus on the different models of counselling, how they work and what areas of difficulty they work with.

Contact

Get in touch with the Nightingale team. You can either call us on 0141 353 9373 or use the contact form on our Contact Page.