What Do I Choose, a Psychologist or a Licensed Clinical Counselor?

Deciding whether to choose a psychologist or a clinical counselor depends on the type of help you need and the type of expertise and education needed to help you. It also depends on how much time you will need to work through your problem, and the therapy methods each individual uses.

Psychologists

• Psychologists work to solve the problems and symptoms that have resulted because of your behavior. They prevent, diagnose, assess and treat mental disorders. Rather than focusing on past events and traumas, psychologists are more interested in the present and with rationale, helping their clients to think things through in a systematic way and create tangible solutions to their problems. Though they acknowledge that a past trauma may have subconsciously affected a client, their goal is to help the client to deal with the effects it is having on them currently, and to make rational decisions and create more realistic ways of thinking.

Counselors

• Counselors, also known as mental health counselors, work with clients to treat and address emotional and mental disorders. They are trained in therapeutic techniques for dealing with depression, anxiety, addiction and suicidal ideation. They help people with employment and educational concerns, relationship problems and self-esteem. They often work closely with other mental health specialists, and help to connect clients with outside services. Many specialize in certain areas such as child abuse, drug addiction or eating disorders.

Educational Differences

• The terms psychotherapist, therapist and psychologist tend to denote the practitioner has a doctorate-level of training in psychology, whereas a counselor most likely has a master's degree in psychology, social work or some other area of human services. The doctorate-level therapist will have gone through three to six years of postgraduate training. The master's-level counselor will have gone through two to three years.

Choosing Between a Psychologist and a Counselor

• Psychologists and counselors do many of the same things; in many cases, the only difference is their educational backgrounds. There is no way to say which one is "better," only that psychologists and counselors specialize in different things. If you feel that you have a lot of "baggage" from the way you grew up or from trauma in your past, then it may suit you better to see a clinical counselor and find one that specializes in the issues you are dealing with. If you are having trouble balancing work with your home life, are having trouble in your marriage, or find that life in general is making you unhappy, a psychologist may provide a more cut-and-dried way to analyze your issues and find the solutions that work for you.

Additional Factors

• It should be noted that psychologists often charge more per session than counselors. Also, counselors are more likely to do group counseling and may be more flexible with their time and availability to schedule appointments.