- In general, psychologists have doctorate degrees. They complete approximately seven years of graduate school and clinical training, including a year-long internship and one to two years of post-doctoral residency.
- Psychologists have specialized expertise for diagnosing and treating individuals with a wide range of mental and general health conditions. These conditions include, but are not limited to stress, anxiety, depression, grief/loss, substance abuse, trauma, behavioral problems, and managing chronic health conditions.
- Some psychologists have specialized expertise for understanding and assessing the relationships between the brain and human behavior (e.g., clinical neuropsychologists).
Psychologists work in many different—and sometimes multiple—settings, such as:
- Hospitals
- Universities
- Academic medical centers
- Government/Veterans Affairs medical center
- Rehabilitation centers
- Addiction/treatment centers
- Private or group practices
- Counseling centers
- Career centers
- Athletic departments
- Businesses/organizations
- Schools
- Also see: What psychologists do and where they do it
The extensive training of psychologists means that they have expertise in a wide array of areas, including but not limited to:
- Medical/health problems (e.g., pain, cognitive impairment/dementia, brain injuries, sleep disorders, rehabilitation, issues associated with cardiovascular disease, diabetes, digestive disorders, substance use disorders)
- Emotional management (e.g., depression and anxiety)
- Developmental/learning issues (e.g., learning disabilities, autism spectrum disorders)
- Behavioral disturbances (e.g., childhood classroom issues, violence and aggression)
- Older adult problems (e.g., dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, caregiver burdens)
- Serious mental illness (e.g., schizophrenia, severe depression, severe post-traumatic stress disorder)
- Organizational structures (e.g., best practice for developing teams, including businesses, athletes, performance environments)
- Relationships (e.g., couple and family difficulties, life transitions)
- Legal issues (e.g., child custody, conservatorship, capacity evaluations)
- Law enforcement and public safety (e.g., post-crisis interventions, deep undercover stress reactions)
- Also see: What psychologists do and where they do it
Expertise in these areas is important because psychologists are uniquely qualified to:
- Conduct assessments:
Evaluations can be helpful for educational, medical, and work purposes and to assess general quality of life—the nature and breadth of training in this area is specific to psychologists - Provide expert treatment and care:
Psychologists use current research to deliver the best possible treatment—the unique expertise of psychologists allows them to work with people across all walks of life and to individualize their treatment
The training and treatment approaches of psychologists and psychiatrists both include biological, psychological, and social aspects of human life. Psychologists tend to approach treatment with a primary emphasis on thinking, feeling, and behavior, and they help people to overcome and manage their problems by using a variety of treatments and psychotherapies. In contrast, psychiatrists tend to primarily help people manage mental health and mental disorders through use of medication. Optimal care of individuals often includes the collaborative expertise of psychologists and psychiatrists.
Important points to keep in mind:
- Some psychologists (e.g., clinical neuropsychologists) work specifically with people who have brain disorders, such as traumatic brain injury or dementia
- Some psychologists can prescribe medications (e.g., antidepressant medications)
- Similar to psychologists, some psychiatrists provide psychotherapy as part of their treatment
- Individuals may receive care from both a psychologist and a psychiatrist
A primary distinction between psychologists and other mental health professionals is the nature and extent of their training. For example, most psychologists have doctorate degrees, whereas social workers and other mental health professionals typically have bachelor or master’s degrees.
On average, psychologists have 3,000 hours of supervised clinical experience over 7 years of training. Social workers have on average 250 hours of supervised clinical training over 2 years of training.
Social workers and other mental health professionals typically provide supportive care and therapy and/or connect people with community services. In contrast, psychologists have specialized expertise in the following areas:
- Assessment and Diagnosis
- Treatment
- Consultation and Liaison services
- Program Development and Evaluation
- Supervision of other mental health professionals
See What is the difference between psychologists, psychiatrists, and social workers? for clarification.
- In general, all psychologists have extensive training in the diagnosis and treatment of mental health and brain-behavior conditions
- Like physicians, many psychologists obtain advanced training in one or more specialty areas
- Many psychologists obtain board certification in their specialty area
There are two organizations that recognize psychology specialties: APA and American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP). Psychologists can obtain Board Certification in one of the specialty areas recognized by ABPP. There are currently 17 recognized specialties.
Please refer to the hyperlinks below for a list and descriptions of the currently recognized specialties in professional psychology:
- Ask your psychologist if they completed specialized internship and/or postdoctoral training (e.g., health psychology, child psychology, rehabilitation psychology, clinical neuropsychology).
- Check to see if your psychologist has the ABPP credential (acronym) behind their name. The ABPP credential signifies that the psychologist has been board certified by the American Board of Professional Psychologyopens in new window in their specialty area—this means that services that the psychologist is providing reflect common training/rules which have been applied to their area, and that they are able to do things they have said they can do.
- Ask your psychologist if their training was consistent with the education and training guidelines of the specialty areaopens in new window.
In choosing a psychologist, you are already working with a professional with extensive training in the area of mental health and well-being.
Specialized psychologists have more expertise in addressing the specific needs of people of different ages (e.g., children, adults, or older adults) and clinical problems (e.g., assessment of learning and/or neuropsychological issues, managing chronic health conditions and rehabilitation, and diagnosing and treating serious mental illness).