Who’s Who in Mental Health
Posted By Clod on March 15, 2012
Mental health professionals are not all created equal. Each discipline has its strengths and weakness, which need to be taken into consideration for your child’s case. Here are some of the practitioners you may run across and some general information about their qualifications:
Psychiatrist — A psychiatrist is a medical doctor with a specialty in psychiatry. Usually board certified, a psychiatrist can prescribe medications, something a psychologist or therapist cannot do. In general, psychiatrists are more expensive and, as a result, spend less time with “talk therapy.” A psychiatrist is often used in conjunction with another therapist for medication maintenance.
Psychologist — A psychologist usually holds a doctorate or master’s degree, and does not prescribe medication. Psychologists do a lot of educational and psychological needs testing and are qualified to perform IQ, personality and projective tests. Psychologists tend to be more person-oriented when looking at an issue and will look at feelings and learning problems in individual and group settings.
Social worker — A social worker usually has a master’s of social work (Look for a MSW or MSSW after the name) and many are licensed, certified social workers, or LCSWs. Social workers can’t prescribe medication and they often look at environmental issues or personal perspectives when considering a child’s case.
Licensed professional counselor — A licensed professional counselor usually has a master’s degree in education with a counseling component. There is a separate licensing track for these professionals. They usually specialize in outpatient therapy.
Psychiatric nurse — Psychiatric nurses are nurses who counsel patients and are often affiliated with a psychiatrist’s office.
Here are great, strong pluses of generic prescription drugs. The medications which are available at an internet drugstore are usually much cheaper than that are affordable in a nearest drugstore.
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