Practitioner | Training | Expertise |
---|---|---|
Psychiatrist | Medical doctor with 4 or more years of medical and psychiatric training after graduation from medical school | Can prescribe drugs, administer electroconvulsive therapy, and admit people to the hospital May only practice psychotherapy, only prescribe drugs, or do both |
Psychologist | Practitioner who has a master’s or doctoral degree but not a medical degree Often have postdoctoral training and usually have been trained to administer psychologic tests that are helpful in diagnosis | May practice psychotherapy but cannot do physical examinations, prescribe drugs (in most states), or admit people to the hospital |
Psychiatric social worker | A practitioner with specialized training in certain aspects of psychotherapy, such as family and marital therapy or individual psychotherapy Often trained to interface with the social service systems in the state May have a master's degree and sometimes a doctorate as well | Cannot do physical examinations or prescribe drugs |
Advanced practice psychiatric nurse | Registered nurse with a master’s degree or higher and training in behavioral health | May practice psychotherapy independently in some states and may prescribe drugs under the supervision of a doctor |
Psychoanalyst | May be a psychiatrist, psychologist, or social worker who has many years of training in the practice of psychoanalysis (a type of intensive psychotherapy involving several sessions a week and designed to explore unconscious patterns of thought, feeling, and behavior) | Practices psychoanalysis and, if also a psychiatrist, may prescribe drugs and admit people to hospitals |