86 CHAPTER 3
The People Who Diagnose Psychological Disorders
Who, exactly, are the mental health professionals who might diagnose Rex or Rose
Mary Walls, or anyone else who might be suffering from a psychological disorder?
As you will see, there are different types of mental health professionals, each with
a different type of training. The type of training can infl uence the kinds of informa-
tion that clinicians pay particular attention to, what they perceive, and how they in-
terpret the information. However, regardless of the type of training and educational
degrees they receive, all mental health professionals must be licensed in the state in
which they practice (or board-certifi ed in the case of psychiatrists); licensure indi-
cates that they have been appropriately trained to diagnose and treat mental dis-
orders. However, there are no laws that prevent people who have not been trained
in approved ways—and therefore are not licensed by the state—from calling them-
selves psychotherapists.Clinical Psychologists and Counseling Psychologists
Aclinical psychologist generally has a doctoral degree, either a Ph.D. (doctor of
philosophy) or a Psy.D. (doctor of psychology), that is awarded only after several
years of coursework (on mental processes, learning theory, psychological testing, the
assessment of psychological disorders, psychological treatments, and ethics) and sev-
eral years of treating patients while receiving supervision from experienced clinicians.
People training to be clinical psychologists also take other courses that may include
neuropsychology and psychopharmacology. In addition, clinical psychologists with
a Ph.D. will have completed a dissertation—a major, independent research project.
Programs that award a Psy.D. in clinical psychology place less emphasis on research.
Clinical neuropsychologists are a particular type of clinical psychologist. Clini-
cal neuropsychologists concentrate on characterizing the effects of brain damage
and neurological diseases (such as Alzheimer’s disease) on thoughts (that is, mental
processes and mental contents), feelings (affect), and behavior. Sometimes, they
help design and conduct rehabilitation programs for patients with brain damage or
neurological disease.
Counseling psychologists might have a Ph.D. from a psychology program that
focuses on counseling or might have an Ed.D. (doctor of education) degree from a
school of education. Their training is similar to that of clinical psychologists except
that counseling psychologists tend to have more training in vocational testing, ca-
reer guidance, and multicultural issues, and they generally don’t receive training in
neuropsychology. Counseling psychologists also tend to work with healthier peo-
ple, whereas clinical psychologists tend to have more training in psychopathology
and often work with people who have more severe problems (Cobb et al., 2004;
Norcross et al., 1998). The distinction between the two types of psychologists,
however, is less clear-cut than in the past, and both types may perform similar work
in similar settings.
Clinical psychologists and counseling psychologists are trained to perform
research on the nature, diagnosis, and treatment of mental illness. They also both
providepsychotherapy, which involves helping patients better cope with diffi cult
experiences, thoughts, feelings, and behavior. Both types of psychologists also learn
how to administer and interpret psychological tests in order to diagnose and treat
psychological problems and disorders more effectively.Psychiatrists, Psychiatric Nurses, and General Practitioners
Someone with an M.D. (doctor of medicine) degree can choose to receive furthertrain-
ing in a residency that focuses on mental disorders, becoming apsychiatrist. A psy-
chiatrist is qualifi ed to prescribe medications; psychologists in the United States,
except for appropriately trained psychologists in New Mexico and Louisiana,
currently may not prescribe medications (other states are considering allowing
appropriately trained psychologists to prescribe). But psychiatrists usually have
not been taught how to interpret and understand psychological tests and have notClinical psychologist
A mental health professional who has a
doctoral degree that requires several years
of related coursework and several years of
treating patients while receiving supervision
from experienced clinicians.
Counseling psychologist
A mental health professional who has either
a Ph.D. degree from a psychology program
that focuses on counseling or an Ed.D. degree
from a school of education.
Psychiatrist
A mental health professional who has an
M.D. degree and has completed a residency
that focuses on mental disorders.