Who provides care

Four job titles account for most of the people who deliver talking therapies in practice.

They are not ranks and they are not a ladder. Each describes a different route into the work, and which one a person meets depends largely on where they live, how they were referred and what is available locally. No individual practitioner is listed on this site.

• Psychiatrist

  A medical doctor who has taken further training in mental health. Psychiatrists assess physical and mental health together, and they are usually the professionals able to prescribe medication.

  Route: medical degree, then specialist training

• Psychologist

  Trained in the study of behaviour and mental processes, commonly to doctoral level for clinical practice. Psychologists carry out structured assessments and deliver named therapies such as cognitive behavioural therapy.

  Route: psychology degree, then clinical training

• Psychotherapist

  Trained specifically to deliver a talking therapy across a course of sessions, often within one named approach such as psychodynamic or cognitive behavioural work.

  Route: postgraduate training in one approach

• Counsellor

  Trained to provide a confidential space to talk, frequently around a particular difficulty such as bereavement, a relationship or a change at work.

  Route: counselling diploma or degree

Checking a professional

Titles are used differently from country to country, and some are protected by law while others are not. Before agreeing to a course of work it is reasonable to ask which professional body a practitioner is registered with, what their training was in, and how that registration can be checked.