What are the different types of Counselling professionals?
What is the difference between a counsellor, a psychiatrist, and a psychologist? If you are confused by the variety of individuals and organizations who offer counselling services the following explanations should help you.
Counsellors
A Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) is (1) a fully qualified mental health professional with a minimum of a Master's degree in counselling psychology or related studies, and (2) a registered member of the B.C. Association of Clinical Counsellors. This association maintains high standards that ensure the safety and well being of clients.
Sometimes called the "talking cure", both counselling and psychotherapy take the form of conversations between the client and counsellor. This is a collaborative process in which the client discusses their concerns, problems, and current challenges. At all times, the needs of the client are paramount. The counsellor's job is to assist the client in understanding and exploring the choices available to them, and to consider new possibilities. Counselling and psychotherapy may take different courses depending on the client's specific situation and needs. For example, counselling tends to have a more here-and-now focus, and can be fairly brief, while psychotherapy tends to focus on deeper, historical problems. Both interventions help clients who find themselves "stuck" and are unable to experience the changes they desire. RCC fees typically range from $85 - $100/hour.
In many cases, people with extended health benefits can receive coverage for counselling costs through their insurance plan. See the "How is counselling paid for?" page on this web site for more details on this.
Surprisingly, there are currently no regulations governing those working in the field of counselling in BC, although this situation is under review by the Health Professions Council. This means that anyone can call themselves a counsellor or therapist without any specialized training. It is important to ensure that the counsellor you are seeing is properly trained, and is part of a governing body that sets standards for education and has a formal code of ethics. You may wish to check to see if he or she is a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) with the B.C. Association of Clinical Counsellors, or a Certified Canadian Counsellor (CCC) with the Canadian Counselling Association.
Psychiatrists
Psychiatrists are medically-trained doctors who choose to specialize in psychiatry. They receive additional training in the field, usually through a series of placements in hospitals and medical clinics for one year. All psychiatrists are able to prescribe medication, if they feel it is called for. Many work in hospital outpatient clinics, where they deal with serious mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia and manic depression. Because their services are the only ones covered under the provincial Medical Services Plan the waiting list to see a psychiatrist can often be in excess of six months.
Psychologists
In BC, psychologists must have attained a doctorate degree in psychology. Unlike psychiatry, psychology is a non-medical discipline that is mainly concerned with the normal functioning of the mind, and explores areas such as learning, remembering, and the normal psychological development of children. Psychologists are not able to prescribe medication and so concentrate exclusively on psychological or "talking treatments". They treat a wide range of conditions, including phobias, depression, other individual emotional problems, and family problems. Psychologist's fees are typically in the range of $130 - $150/hour.