Hey there once again!
It is your friendly InPsychful intern back for the next installment of InPsychful Answers! If I had a dollar for the number of times I get asked this question: “You study Psychology means you can read my mind?” I will probably be a millionaire by now! In today’s article of InPsychful Answers, I will be clearing the doubts about what exactly entails the job of a Psychologist.
Let me start off by clarifying the difference between a Psychiatrist, Counsellor and a Psychologist. People from these three occupations often work hand in hand together but there are some distinctive differences about the level of qualification they require, target client group and treatment methods.
A Psychiatrist for example holds at least a Master’s degree in Medicine (Psychiatry) while a Psychologist holds a Bachelor Degree of Arts/ Science (Psychology) and an accompanying Master’s or Doctorate in relevant fields (e.g., Clinical Psychology, Educational Psychology, Counselling Psychology, Forensic Psychology etc.). Counsellors on the other hand often requires at least a postgraduate diploma course.
A Psychologist conducts psychometric assessments for their clients and provide psychotherapy as a treatment.
A Psychiatrist’s job is to diagnose and treat mental disorders and they do so by prescribing medication to their clients. A Psychologist conducts psychometric assessments for their clients and provide psychotherapy as a treatment.
Psychotherapy is a long-term approach which targets the root cause of the issue.
Psychotherapy encompasses techniques like counselling which is used by counsellors as well. You might be thinking “If a Psychologist can do a Counsellor’s job what does a Counsellor do then?” (P.s I didn’t read your mind) Counsellors handle immediate and practical issues pertaining to family, drug and alcohol abuse or even career guidance issues. While counselling tends to be short-term surface approach, psychotherapy is a long-term approach which targets the root cause of the issue.
Contrary to popular belief, a Psychologist does not only handle clinical cases, they do handle non-clinical cases as well. Clinical cases are clients seeking help for psychology, emotional or even behavioral issues. The psychologist will identify and diagnose these issues with the help of psychometric tests and come up with a treatment plan for the client. Treatment plans are centered around Psychotherapy (Eg. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Solution Focused Behavioural Therapy to name a few) depending on the needs of the client.
Not everyone who visits a Psychologist is suffering from a mental disorder.
What do I mean by non-clinical cases? Not everyone who visits a Psychologist is suffering from a mental disorder! Clients who seek help for issues in areas of resilience building, relationship, culture adaptation, stress and marriage are the non-clinical cases that a Psychologist might come across during their practice. The Psychologist will identify the underlying problems and work with the client to resolve these issues that are bothering them.
Diamonds are created under pressure
Finally! Who are we and what do we do?
InPsychful aims to promote mental wellness in our practice. Our co-founder Camellia Wong is a Registered Psychologist and member of the Singapore Psychology Society. Camellia has a strong background in Forensic Psychology and makes the best use of the experience she has acquired over the years to wholeheartedly help her clients. At InPsychful, we tackle issues pertaining to resilience, youth behavioral problems, crisis management, and sexual identity challenges. We are also well equipped to work with clients who suffer from emotional management problems, burnout from school/work and even culture shock issues.
Ending this post off with one of InPsychful’s favorite phrases: “Diamonds are created under pressure” Till next time!
Your Friendly InPsychful Intern
Reference: https://singaporepsychologicalsociety.org
Counsellors, Therapists, Psychologists – What the differences are in the context of Singapore?
https://inpsychful.sg/our-story/