How Do Psychology and Psychiatry Work Together for Comprehensive Mental Health Care?
Within the world of mental health care, there are several different disciplines and professions that provide support. The fields of psychology and psychiatry are often mixed up or referred to interchangeably by those who are unfamiliar with mental health treatment, but they actually are two distinct fields with different training and areas of expertise.
When working in tandem, psychologists and psychiatrists are able to provide comprehensive care for patients struggling with mental health issues. Keep reading to learn why both fields are so important, and how they work together for the best possible levels of care.
What Is the Role of Psychology in Mental Health Care?
The American Psychological Association defines psychology as “the scientific study of the mind and behavior.” People who go into the field of psychology want to understand how people think and relate, as well as how they cope with the world around them.
When you think about sitting down to speak with a therapist about what’s currently happening in your life or the things that you’re struggling with, you’re thinking of psychological care. Psychological professionals specialize in:
Knowledge of brain function and behavior
Analysing and understanding behavior, thoughts, emotion, and relationships
Developing and monitoring treatment plans without medication
Compassionate psychotherapy and counseling sessions
Administering psychological tests and assessments
Providing evidence-based therapies, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
In most states, psychologists do not prescribe medication. However, eight states currently allow psychologists with additional training and specialized licensure to prescribe certain psychiatric medications. In all other states, psychologists work collaboratively with psychiatric providers to coordinate medication management when appropriate.
Educational Requirements
To become a psychologist, a person must meet the following requirements:
Bachelor’s degree in psychology (or a closely-related discipline)
Doctoral degree in psychology
Clinical internships
Professional licensure
While a professional must complete the above requirements to use the title “psychologist,” there are a number of other professionals who provide psychological care in addition to psychologists, including licensed counselors and social workers with Master’s degrees in a mental health field.
What Is the Role of Psychiatry in Mental Health Care?
The American Psychological Association defines psychiatry as “the medical specialty concerned with the study, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of mental, behavioral, and personality disorders.” Psychiatrists are medical doctors who are able to prescribe medication.
While a psychiatrist may also provide psychotherapy, they typically specialize in:
Diagnosis of mental health conditions from a medical perspective
Prescribing and managing psychiatric medications
Understanding the interactions of psychiatric medications
Conducting physical examinations
Providing care in acute mental health crises
Educational Requirements
Because a psychiatrist is a medical doctor, they undergo extensive education:
Bachelor’s degree
Medical school (Minimum 4 years)
Medical residency (4 years)
Psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners (PMHNPs) are also professionals within the field of psychiatry.
How Do Psychology and Psychiatry Work Together?
Psychology and psychiatry are two different fields with the same ultimate end goal—supporting patients toward the goal of a brighter, healthier future.
Though these two disciplines differ in areas of specialty and methods of treatment, their differences complement each other. When working together, they provide holistic, comprehensive care for patients struggling with their mental health.
For example, let’s say that a 30-year-old male is struggling with his mental health. His job is overwhelming, he’s burned out, and he’s experienced symptoms of depression and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) since college.
A friend tells him that therapy could be a good place to start, so he makes an appointment. The therapist he meets with is warm and compassionate and meets with him weekly to help him work through the things he’s struggling with emotionally. Together, they begin implementing CBT and Exposure Response Prevention (ERP) interventions, but his therapist recognizes that he would benefit from additional support.
She recommends he receive psychiatric treatment in addition to their therapeutic work. He makes an appointment with a psychiatric provider who prescribes medication to help reduce symptoms and ease his ongoing feelings of overwhelm, making it easier to show up for his daily life and fully benefit from therapy.
Moving forward, he continues meeting with a therapist to work through his emotional challenges and receive ongoing support while also staying on his prescribed medication and working with the psychiatric provider to monitor and adjust his medication as needed. Together, the combination of psychological and psychiatric care allows him to experience a reduction in symptoms, and he begins to realize that he’s finding joy and purpose in life again.
Receive Psychological and Psychiatric Mental Health Care in Portland, Oregon at Aspire Psychology
At Aspire Psychology, we see the impact of psychological and psychiatric care in our Portland, Oregon office every day. When patients are able to receive the support of a therapist and the practical, evidence-based treatment of non-medical interventions in addition to the relief and steadiness of medication management, they truly blossom into the people they aspire to be.
Ready to learn more about our therapeutic and psychiatric services? Your next step starts here: get started with us today.
