Psychologist, Psychiatrist, or Psychotherapist…What’s the Difference?

This post was updated on March 30, 2024.
I have been asked many times to explain the difference between Psychologists, Psychological Associates, Psychiatrists, and Psychotherapists. Hopefully, this blog post will provide a helpful answer! (There are different types of Psychologists, but for this post I will be referring to Clinical Psychologists who provide psychotherapy and psychological assessments in Ontario.)

What is a Psychologist?
 According to the Canadian Psychological Association,
 ​
"A practicing psychologist is trained to assess and diagnose problems in thinking, feeling and behaviour as well to help people overcome or manage these problems. A psychologist is uniquely trained to use psychological tests to help with assessment and diagnosis. Psychologists help people to overcome or manage their problems using a variety of treatments or psychotherapies".
(Canadian Psychological Association. What is a Psychologist? Retrieved from https://cpa.ca/public/whatisapsychologist/.)

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