A psychologist is a researcher and/or a practitioner of psychology.
Psychology is now considered a separate field from psychiatry, and a psychologist is not ordinarily a medical doctor and hence is unable to prescribe psychiatric medications. Psychologists however do generally have doctoral degrees, either a Ph.D. or a Psy.D. Prescription privilages in the U.S. has recently changed and psychologists are gaining prescriptive privilages, specifically in New Mexico and Louisiana.
They are specially trained to provide professional counseling on psychological and emotional issues.
Psychology is such a wide field that practitioners often specialise in one particular area
- Child psychologists (who specialise in working with children and adolescents)
- Clinical psychologists (who are trained in treating a broad range of issues using specialized psychotherapeutic techniques)
- Marriage counsellors
- Family therapists etc.
See also: List of psychologists
