What does a psychologist do?

The psychologist conducts research and therapy in mind. There are many specialists in this profession, from clinical therapists to sports advisors, but almost everyone focuses on practice, research, teaching or a combination of all three. Although people often confuse two, psychologists and psychiatrists are very different.

Focus

Psychologists have three main areas of focus: practice, research and teaching. Most of them are trained in at least the first two, although in their work they can emphasize one area more than the other. Practice is an interaction with patients and includes things such as diagnosis of conditions and the creation of treatment plans that often include advice or cognitive behavioral therapy. Research consists in conducting experiments and collecting information on why people or animals have some behavior and think how they do it, and generally involves things such as interviews, experiments in both laboratories and other environments, survey and studies on physical aspects of how the brain works.In addition to these two focal areas, many people in this area also teach at a university level.

Specialization

The daily duties of psychologists differ to a large extent depending on the area of ​​specialization and often differ in specializations. For example, one focused on social psychology would usually explore things such as consumers' behavior, and cooperation with marketing companies on the development of effective campaigns, while another with the same specialty can provide conflict solutions. Similarly, someone in this area that works with athletes has a very different working day than one who works with children with learning disabilities, or those who perform experiments about how people's behavior changes during addiction. Other areas of the focus in this area include food and nutrition, Crozvoj Hildhood, animal behavior and thinking, forensic and knowledge.

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Training that becomes a psychologist varies slightly depending on specialization, but almost everyone must have either a doctor of philosophy (PhD) in psychology or in the related area or doctor of psychology (dogs). After obtaining a doctorate, the person usually has to complete a one -year internship and gain several years of professional experience or stay before he can apply for a license. Most people also gain certification on board in their field of specialization, although it is usually not necessary to practice. Those who work in schools or children usually need special certification and license and their training is more focused on childhood education and development.

Compared to Psychiatry

The main difference between psychiatrists and psychologists is their basic focus. While psychiatrists are licensed doctors and have medical focus, psychologists work with more non -medical means of treatment such as therapy and cognitive testing. Psychiatrists can also prescribe medicine while psycholOgs usually cannot, although there are several exceptions in some regions. The type of training needed for everyone is also slightly different: psychiatrists must obtain the title of doctor of medicine (MD) and then complete four or five years of residential training before they can become a license for practice.