What is the difference between psychotherapists, counsellors, psychologists and psychiatrists?
A. Psychiatrists are medical doctors who have specialised in diagnosing and treating mental illness. The main priority of a psychiatrist is to prescribe and monitor medication. In the U.K. psychiatrists rarely practice psychological approaches to their patient’s difficulties. ‘Counsellor’, ‘psychotherapist’ and ‘psychologist’ are different terms to describe practitioners of psychologically orientated ‘talking’ therapies. For historical reason different groups of people came to describe themselves under these different professional terms. These kinds of therapists work with a range of people and not just the mentally ill.
