Therapist vs. Psychologist—What Are the Differences?

Curious about the difference between a therapist vs. psychologist? While there is plenty that is similar when comparing psychologist vs. therapist, there are also key differences between the two. 

It’s helpful to understand the differences between each type of behavioral health practitioner—including understanding the differences between a therapist vs. psychologist.

So, what’s the difference between a therapist and psychologist? Let’s take a look into what a therapist is, what a psychologist is, and the most significant differences between the two.

Psychologist vs. therapist: What does each do?

Before we jump into the differences between therapist vs. psychologist, let’s quickly define each title.

“‘Therapist’ is more of a generic term which can apply to many types of practitioners and encompasses many types of therapists, such as marriage and family therapists [and] social workers,” says Steven Sultanoff, PhD, a Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, and Professor at Pepperdine University who has decades of experience teaching and training therapists and psychologists.

“Therapists generally help clients figure out what they need to change and do to achieve their therapy goals,” says Sultanoff. “Therapists serve as ‘facilitators’ for client growth. They respond to clients in ways that help the clients to make emotional, cognitive, and/or behavioral changes. Therapists ‘teach’ clients the process of self-management.” 

Psychologists, on the other hand, have more training than therapists—and so, while they can act as therapists, they also have additional qualifications and services they can offer to clients.

“Psychologists can practice psychotherapy (for which they are extensively trained), teach, train, consult, assess, diagnose, and treat all mental health disorders for which they are trained,” says Sultanoff. “They can also provide psychological testing which most other therapists cannot.” 

Therapist vs. psychologist: Education differences

One of the main differences between therapists and psychologists has to do with education requirements.

“Therapists, like myself, typically have a master’s degree and provide therapy to help clients address life challenges and mental health issues,” says Dr. Elizabeth Barlow, LCSW, Founder and President of virtual mental health therapy group Kinder Mind.

As Sultanoff points out, psychologists, on the other hand, must have a doctoral degree—PhD or PsyD in most states.

As such, one major difference between a psychologist vs. a therapist is that psychologists spend more time in school pursuing an advanced degree (generally between four and six years).

While the education requirements are different for therapist vs. psychologist career paths, in order to legally practice, the licensing requirements for, for example, marriage and family therapist vs psychologist, are very similar.

Therapists and psychologists will both need to pass board exams and complete clinical supervision hours.

According to Sultanoff, marriage and family therapists and clinical social workers have similar experience requirements to psychologists.

These requirements generally include 2,000 to 3,000 hours of supervised clinical experience. This can include experience in a variety of settings, including mental health clinics, university counseling centers, private practices, or hospitals.

Title differences

Another key difference between therapist vs. psychologist titles has to do with who is allowed to (legally) use them.

In most states, the term “psychologist” is protected—and in order to legally call yourself a psychologist, you have to meet state licensing requirements (which, again, include passing relevant exams and logging a certain number of clinical supervision hours).

On the other hand, Sultanoff points out that in most states anyone can call themselves a “therapist” as the term is not restricted by law. Although, that said, the term “therapist” is protected in certain states, like California.

And while the use of the more general term “therapist” isn’t restricted by law in most states, many of the other related behavioral health titles are protected and intended only for use by those who are licensed. 

For example, according to Sultanoff,  only licensed therapists can use certain terms such as psychotherapist, psychologist, marriage and family therapist (MFT), professional clinical counselor, or clinical social worker. 

Practice differences

Another area where differences between therapists and psychologists may crop up has to do with their practices and the type of support they provide to clients.

For example, according to Barlow, therapists tend to focus on specific areas like relationships, addiction, or anxiety using targeted therapeutic approaches. 

“Psychologists tend to see clients with more severe conditions and take a broader perspective to diagnosis and treatment,” Barlow says.

In addition, psychologists can offer certain services that therapists can’t. 

“Psychologists can treat personality disorders, where MFTs, for example, technically, are restricted from treating personality disorders,” says Sultanoff. 

And, psychologists may also offer psychological testing if they are trained to do so—according to Sultanoff—while those services are not typically offered by therapists.

However, while there can be differences in how a psychologist vs. therapist practices, there are also a lot of similarities—and, in some cases, a psychologist may spend the majority of their time doing the work of a therapist. 

“There is overlap, and both roles can address a wide range of client needs,” says Barlow.

There may also be differences in where a therapist vs. psychologist practices.

“While there is great overlap in where psychologists and other therapists work, generally hospitals are more likely to employ psychologists as opposed to therapists,” says Sultanoff. “Psychologists have the expertise to work with more severe mental health issues.

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