Mental Question

[brocketrocket]

Good day ya'll... a quick question for all the perb's in the know,

What is the difference between a Psycholigist and a Psychiatrist and a basic counseller? Which if any do you need to be refered to by a doctor, what is the differnce between their abilites, privacy (confidentiallty) issues. Any ideas of costs in the lower Mainland? Curious .. for a friend of course!

 

[Hardatwork]

Hey Brocketman,

Here's a quick reference:

http://www.ottawa-psychologists.com/faq1.htm

 

[brocketrocket]

Thank you Hifi... as always very helpful, anyone else with their 0.02?

 

[LonelyGhost]

good place to start is with a family doctor

to rule out any organic causes for the 'problem' -- the physician can also provide some counselling (some do, some don't) as well as a referral to a psychiatrist (if required) or a psychologist.

confidentiality is only an issue if someone is planning on hurting someone else ... and in that case, will be reported to the police.

if you or someone else is threatening to harm themselves, the same action may be taken.

otherwise, all professionals and most, if not all, groups are excellent at maintaining confidentiality.

for example, groups do not encourage members to socialize outside the group and are encouraged to report it to the group if it occurs ...

but basically, have the friend start with his/her own doctor and make sure everything is okay ...

 

[Hit Man]

Just a comment on confidentiality. The Dr. should outline exactly what level he/she can provide under subpoena. You may find that he/she will tell you to let him/her know when you want he/she to NOT take notes. I was seeing a psychologist about 7 years ago and she made it clear that I was to let her know. Good luck, HM.

 

[sirlickheralot]

If you have emotional issues the abilities of Psychologists & Psychiatrists to help you would be dependent on the ability of the individual. However if your mental problems are due to a chemical imbalance because of their medical background and ability to prescribe drugs a Psychiatrist would be the better option. Both are going to have strict confidentiality rules which if they violate they could be striped of their credentials by their respective regulatory bodies.

Counseller is basically a meaningless term because people don't need any credentials whatsoever to call themselves one. A high school dropout who hasn't taken a single psychology course can call themself a counseller. That isn't to say there aren't good counsellers, perhaps they only have a masters in psychology, but are good at dealing with people. However if you do go see a counseller you may want to ask what their credentials are.