Some say “to-may-to” others say “to-mah-to”
“TO-MAY-TO” or “TO-MAH-TO”
A psychologist is a psychologist is a psychologist. It’s simply a case of phoning one up, making an appointment and voila, problem solved! Alas, this is unfortunately not true. Anyone who has been in therapy before or who has tried to access psychological services will be able to attest to the above. Due to the different types of training received there are vast differences between the different types of psychologists in South Africa. But, before I go into a discussion into the “to-may-to / to-mah-to” scenario it is important to first have a glimpse into what the therapeutic process entails.
Often during the first psychotherapy session, once the initial anxiety has passed, clients want to know “What is therapy?”, “How does this therapy thing work?” and so forth. They also often have (unrealistic?) expectations of the psychotherapeutic process / therapist, “So, now that I’ve told you everything YOU have to tell me what to do”, “Please tell me if I’m right/wrong in feeling/thinking/behaving …”, “So, how many sessions do you think this will be?” and so forth. Although these are all very relevant questions they are all impossible to answer. The reason for this is that the psychotherapeutic process is uniquely different for each person and even varies from session to session.
Therapy In Psychology
Therapy is therefore, a deeply personal and individual process. It is probably the closest AND most distant relationship you will ever have. Yalom (Love’s Executioner and Other Tales of Psychotherapy, 1989) believes that four givens are particularly relevant for psycho-therapy: the inevitability of death for each of us and for those we love; the freedom to make our lives as we will; our ultimate aloneness; and, finally, the absence of any obvious meaning or sense to life.” Quite a mouthful but true!
In therapy the only way to realise these four givens is through self-awareness and self-awareness can only be obtained through the intricate interplay between the therapist and client, hopefully, resulting in the opening of pathways to therapeutic change. These pathways are opened by aspects such as (1) The Installation of Hope, (2) Addressing Entrenched Defence Mechanisms, (3) Altruism, (4) Development of Socialising Techniques, (5) Catharsis, (6) Facing Existential Factors and so forth.
In a nutshell, the therapeutic process is deeply personal, unique, emotionally difficult and often results in self awareness that will lead to change. Alas, one of life’s great ironies is that self awareness / therapeutic growth (change) is a double edge sword – it not only breeds growth but also anxiety! It is therefore extremely important that should you consider therapy your choice of therapist should be well researched, ensuring that you get a correctly qualified individual for your particular need/s, as well as best “personal” fit. Remember, it is YOUR process, treat it wisely and with care.
This then brings me to the rather “delicate” subject of different types of psychologists and our scopes of practises. Currently there are 6 different types of psychologists recognised by the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA). These categories are Clinical Psychologist, Counselling Psychologist, Educational Psychologist, Industrial Psychologist, Research Psychologist and Registered Counsellors.
Types Of Psychologists
The scopes of practises for these different types of psychologists are defined by the HPCSA. At present the scopes are under review but after numerous debates/fights/court battles and so forth the scopes are as follow-
Please note that the above is only a summary of each type; for a more detailed description please visit the HPCSA’s website (hpcsa.co.za) for a detailed description of each of the categories.
To my understanding the main differences between the different types of psychologists are based on the setting, type of client and duration of intervention.
Clinical Psychologists are equipped to deal with all psychiatric conditions (child and adult) from diagnosing, treating, and admission for in-patient treatment. We are also recognised by the medical aids as competent to request PMB (Prescribed Minimum Benefit funding ie not from your day-to-day allowance) funding for recognised PMB conditions as described by each medical aid.
Counselling Psychologists are equipped to deal with less complex issues affecting children and adults while Educational Psychologists are equipped to address certain conditions related to children, ie learning difficulties, adjustment to peer group and so forth. The Industrial Psychologist’s setting is in the work place with the focus on workplace and personal enhancement while the Research Psychologist only perform psychological research. Registered Counsellors are equipped with an Honours degree in psychology with limited practical exposure. As a result, they are equipped to screen clients and then refer on.
Please make sure from your medical aid as to payment for the different types of psychologists as some medical aids will either not pay or limit the number of paid sessions for Educational Psychologists, Industrial Psychologists and Registered Counsellors.
I hope this article helps in some way with your decision to either enter into therapy and/or helping you to make an informed decision as to the best equipped person for your planned intervention.