Psychology vs Counseling
Counselors and psychologists are both mental health practitioners and both fields require individuals practicing to be state licensed. Their services are reimbursable by insurance companies. In fact, they have overlapping duties at times, but there are some differences, both in their scope of practice and their training.Counselor
- They lack the in-depth understanding offered by the clinical research found in psychology.
- They have access to a significantly wider field of potential models for counseling
- They do not need the same degree of licensure or advanced training in order to operate
- They work hand-in-hand with their patients to identify the ideal way forward for the counseling sessions underway to give the best outcomes
Psychologists
- They make their judgments on the best course of treatments depending on current clinical research in the field.
- They assess and make their clinical evaluations of their clients’ mental health and they diagnose mental illnesses.
- They use research-based psychological behavioral approaches in treating their clients
- They may be part of or lead a team conducting research for a private enterprise or a university.
- They may teach at a university or college
- They can be included in direct therapy with patients if they have a private practice
- They are required to conform to steep standards concerning confidentiality and ethics that are administered by their respective state board
- In most cases, the term only refers those who are licensed by a state board to offer psychological therapy
- They usually require a minimum of a Master’s in Psychology to get this title. A Bachelor’s degree holders in most cases might also be included.

TJ is a managing partner of USA-LEADS. USA-LEADS creates comprehensive and informative websites for individuals looking for educational information about the requirements and certifications needed in a given field. He has been in the digital space since 2009 and quickly went from having ZERO knowledge of all things internet to becoming the Director of Web Services at a custom software development company. Prior to entering the space he taught children with learning differences for 9 years.