Online Psychology Degrees & Psychologists, Counselors and Therapists

The stress of work and personal pressures take their toll on everyone—generations X and Y, baby boomers, grandparents who fret over health issues, and even young children, coping with the challenge of competitive learning or an aggravated fear of the school bully. According to Dr. Steven Patrick, a Dallas-based psychologist who has studied the semantics of psychology job titles, you can relax on this issue at least—the differences are few.

Dr. Patrick says that in a broad sense, there are no differences since all three—therapist, counselor and psychologist—are mental health professionals trained to help you solve various problems in your life. But in a more nuanced sense, there are significant differences:

• Counseling implies a short-term and very focused approach toward solving a patient's problems.

• Therapy, which is simply an abbreviated version of the term psychotherapy, utilizes a long-term and more in-depth approach.

• Psychology treats emotional and mental suffering in patients with behavioral intervention. Psychologists are the assessors conducting psychological testing, which is critical in measuring a person's mental state, to determine the most effective course of treatment.

There are some variances in education and training that can affect the type of help a client might potentially receive—or afford. For instance:

• Typically the terms psychotherapist, psychologist and psychiatrist denote a practitioner with a doctoral level of training—either a PhD or PsyD degree.

• A psychiatrist has an MD—a medical doctor degree—and is able to prescribe medications.

• A counselor is generally a practitioner with a master's degree

Counselors and therapists work with patients, referring them to psychiatrists if it is determined that medication is needed. The counselor or therapist, and psychiatrist, will work together to monitor a patient's progress and help him or her on the road to recovery.

But even if counselors, therapists and psychologists work together to help patients resolve their problems and feel better about themselves, there is one thing upon which they all agree: how well patients resolve problems and conflicts has more to do with an individual's commitment to the healing process than with the therapist selected. This includes their willingness to get help in the first place, as well as the courage to stay on the sometimes long and winding road of the therapy process.