Psychologist, psychotherapist, psychiatrist... what's the difference? Let's clarify

Psychologist:

• graduated in Psychology,
• licensed by the State as professional,
• registered to the Italian National Council of Psychologists, for the regional section of competence,
• deals with the promotion of the person’s well-being by offering consultancy and psychological support, diagnostic interviews (also by using tests), training and preventive interventions, operating in the fields of work, sport, social, school, community and health
• cannot deliver psychotherapy.

Psychotherapist:

• is a psychologist who attended, after graduation, a specializing four-year school, recognized by the Italian Ministry of Education and Merit (MIUR),
• in addition to everything a psychologist can do, a therapist can provide psychotherapy which, unlike consultancy or a psychological support program, deals with the well-being of individuals in the depth of their functioning, acting on more complex and underlying mental structures, aiming for a change of these; psychotherapy acts with curative purposes and allows the treatment of psychological and psychiatric disorders.

Psychiatrist:

• is a medical doctor who has obtained a specialization in psychiatry,
• can prescribe medications, as a doctor, and has specialized knowledge of those ones that act on the central nervous system (psychotropic drugs),
• is able to diagnose and treat psychological and psychiatric disorders,
• Italian law allows psychiatrists to have psychotherapist’s title by simply requesting to their professional association. This does not guarantee, as it does for psychologists, that the psychiatrist-psychotherapist has attended a specializing school in psychotherapy, which remains an open option left to each professional and their training interest.

Why seek help?

Unlike physical health, mental health is still a field extremely prone to stigma and prejudice. No one is surprised by a friend who says they went to their medical doctor, but often people don't react the same way when the professional in question becomes a psychologist/psychotherapist. Often this is conceived by others, and by the individual himself, with mistrust, confusion and, sometimes, real fear ("Will I be curable?", "Will I lose my mind?", "If my friends or my employer find this, will they change their opinion of me?”).
Contacting a professional in the field of mental health does not mean being "crazy", but only choosing to take care of your psychological well-being and therefore acting responsibly to improve your quality of life.

When to apply?

Essentially, we seek someone's help when, even though we are aware of a problem and have implemented several attempts to solve it, the problem is still there, and, with it, the resulting discomfort. It may simply be a temporary problem, due to particular circumstances, such as an important life change (for example a grief, a move, a new job, starting or ending a relationship), or a crucial decision to be made that will produce important changes, or, again, a series of difficulties that we feel we have been carrying with us for a very long time and we struggle to take control of on our own.
Every moment of our life is unique, characterized by so many variables and nuances that it would be illogical to establish when it is the right time to ask for help or not; just like with a medical doctor, you go to a psychologist/psychotherapist simply when you feel it is important for yourself to do so: we all have the right to feel bad. The specialist will then discuss, together with the patient, the extent of the problem and all the intervention that are most suitable for the situation.

How much to invest?

Each interview lasts approximately 50'. The first meetings allow the professional to collect the information necessary to frame the client’s problem and to develop a common project to work on together. The duration of the entire process is to be ascribed to the type of problems for which support is required, therefore it cannot be established a priori, but is cut out on the basis of an accurate assessment, sharing the client’s priorities and objectives, in total respect for their resources, availability and psychological well-being. The cost of the session is 70 Euros and is communicated to the patient in advance, based on the indications defined by the Italian National Council of the Order of Psychologists. Healthcare services are VAT exempt and deductible at 19% by attaching the invoice for each service to the tax documentation.
Finally, it is important to remember that a psychotherapy journey does not only require a commitment in terms of time and money: to obtain good results, it is necessary to be willing to apply oneself thoroughly and consistently, putting into practice in everyday life what gradually emerges in therapy. Our mind works just like our bodies: it is not enough to subscribe to a gym or sign up for a sports discipline, buy all the equipment and then train sporadically or do it pretending never feeling tired; how could we really think to acquire new skills, strengthen ourselves, have satisfactory results without any effort in terms of energy and consistence?

How does it work?

Every psychologist/psychotherapist is required to comply with the Code of Ethics of Italian Psychologists, which also provides for the obligation of professional secrecy. Depending on the theoretical approach, the professional uses different tools and settings. The approaches I use include a face-to-face setting, the use of standardized tests in the initial assessment phase and active participation of the patient, who is asked, between one session and another, to also carry out small tasks at home (forms to fill in, reflections, practical exercises), in order to take advantage of a working method that allows you to progressively become your own therapist and no longer need professional support. It is possible, in some cases, that the psychologist/psychotherapist may indicate an assessment by a psychiatrist, so that this specialist figure can determine whether it is necessary to also offer pharmacological support (which only a doctor can prescribe!), to alleviate and reduce the most disabling symptoms. Finally, other figures eventually involved in the therapy process can be nutritionist (e.g. in the case of eating disorders) or parents and school representatives (in the case of minors).