Clinical and Counselling Psychology

Clinical and Counselling Psychology deals with causes, treatment and prevention of
different types of psychological disorders such as anxiety, depression, eating disorders and chronic substance abuse. A related area is counselling, which aims to improve everyday functioning by helping people solve problems in daily living and cope more effectively with challenging situations. The work of clinical psychologists does not differ from that of counselling psychologists although a counselling psychologist sometimes deals with people who have less serious problems. In many instances, counselling psychologists work with students, advising them about personal problems and career planning. Like clinical psychologists, psychiatrists also study
the causes, treatment, and prevention of psychological disorders. How are clinical
psychologists and psychiatrists different? A clinical psychologist has a degree in
psychology, which includes intensive training in treating people with psychological disorders.
In contrast, a psychiatrist has a medical degree with years of specialised training in the treatment of psychological disorders. One important distinction is that psychiatrists can prescribe medications and give electroshock treatments whereas clinical psychologist cannot.