Psychiatrists and Psychologists
Ever since I decided to go to graduate school to study psychology, I have been asked what is the difference between a psychiatrist and a psychologist. “Which are you again?” and “What is the difference?” are common questions. The answer is, I am a psychologist and the differences lie in both our training and our practice. The letters behind a psychologists name are PhD (doctor of philosophy of psychology) or PsyD (doctor of psychology) while the letters behind a psychiatrists name are MD (medical doctor). But what does that mean in the every day world?
Psychologists attend graduate school to study primarily psychology and are trained in the practices of therapy and psychological testing (link to what is testing). Another common question is, “Can you prescribe medication?” The answer is no, I received basic training in medication so that I understand the biology behind different diagnoses and how medication can play a role, but this is not my area of expertise. I refer to psychiatrists for that.
Psychiatrists, on the other hand, attend medical school and are trained in the practices of therapy and medication management. They are experts in the biology behind the diagnoses as well as the medication treatment for them. They are also often trained to understand the basics of psychological testing but do not perform it; rather they refer to psychologists for this service. Both of us are trained in and provide therapy services to our clients, though our training can be somewhat different.
Together, psychologists and psychiatrists can make a great team for individuals providing psychological testing by the psychologist to ensure accurate diagnosis and detailed understanding of the issue, therapy provided by either the psychologist or the psychiatrist, and medication management provided by the psychiatrist. I often work closely with psychiatrists to ensure my clients have the best treatment they can receive so that the providers they are working with are well-informed and are working together on each goal for them.
Checking in on your New Years Resolutions
If you are like most people, you spent some time before New Year’s Eve thinking about how you wanted 2013 to be different and better than the year before. Then you pledged on December 31st that you were going to turn over a new leaf tomorrow. Now its been a few weeks, its almost a new month, and you might not be thinking about those changes as much anymore. You may have already “broken” your promises to yourself or given up on them for next year. If so, don’t be so quick to give in and don’t be so hard on yourself. Its not too late to jump back on the wagon and try to make this year a little better.
There is plenty of advice out there for how to make a good resolution or how to keep your resolutions. The truth is, pick something that truly matters to you. Not something that you think you “should” do or that others just want you to do. If you’re not making changes for you, then its hard to make them stick. Once you’ve decided what you truly want to change, make sure your goal is realistic, measureable, and give yourself props for making gains toward it, however small.
These are actually the same steps I help my patients with when setting goals in therapy. We start with what they want to be different or better in their lives or about themselves. Then we break this down into some measureable goals. Why measureable? Because we want to know when we’ve made some progress. Both for the benefit of therapy, but also to help with motivation. If we feel like we’re always putting in the work and not seeing any changes, it can be disheartening. Which is why our goals should also be realistic. Don’t set yourself up for disappointment because you’re trying to be something or do something that isn’t humanly possible, or isn’t truly you.
And lastly, celebrate your successes, no matter how small. We should have things in each of our days that gives us a sense of purpose and accomplishment, but also have things in each of our days that bring us some pleasure. Reward yourself for working toward your goals, even if you only made one small step in that direction today.