Quote:
Originally Posted by wigflip
Treading lightly as an outsider/prospective here, but do you think that most people who initially seek (or are somehow mandated to acquire) mental health care understand the differences in scope of practice between various mental health subfields without someone overtly explaining it to them?* Most of the laypeople I know, including academics in fields other than psych, lump everyone together in one category or use "psychiatrist" when they mean "psychologist" or "psychologist" when they mean "LMFT."
*A genuine question, not sassy-challenge.
|
Just in my own experiences, the biggest confusion is between psychologist and psychiatrist. Most people I work with think/ask/assume I went the medical school route, so I've frequently had to gently correct them that I'm not a physician or physician-in-training. Most generally, that also means I'll explicitly let them know that I can't prescribe medications (although I can certainly setup appropriate referrals for them and/or speak with their current medical provider if desired).