Every time you visit the hospital for a particular ailment, you know what specialist to consult. For example, you’ll talk to a pulmonologist about respiratory issues. In case of a skin problem, a dermatologist will better advise you on handling the condition.
However, when you’re dealing with mood disorders, anxiety, or depression, you may be confused as to who to consult, as there are different mental health professionals in the field. Some duties of various professionals in this field overlap, but there are limits within their job descriptions.
Read on to learn more about psychiatric mental health practitioners and how they differ from other mental health professionals.
Who is a psychiatric mental health practitioner?
A psychiatric mental health practitioner is a certified advanced registered nurse who offers medical services to meet the mental health needs of individuals or groups. To qualify as a mental health practitioner, you must attain a master’s degree in nursing or higher and certification to practice.
Psychiatric MHPs can diagnose patients, prescribe medications, combine psychotherapy with treatment, and create a treatment plan. They can also educate patients and their families about a specific disorder and help them manage the illness with a treatment plan.
Some of the mental disorders that a psychiatric mental health practitioner can treat include:
- Personality disorders
- Attention disorders like ADHD
- Bipolar
- Schizophrenia
- Panic and anxiety disorders
- Substance abuse
- PTSD and trauma disorders
Psychiatric mental health practitioners work in hospitals and mental health clinics. They may focus on one specialty, like schizophrenia, or diagnose and treat different mental disorders.
Although psychiatric mental health professionals share certain similarities to psychiatrists, there are differences in their education, duties, and scope of practice.
A psychiatric mental health professional vs. psychiatrist
A psychiatrist and a psychiatric mental health professional are different.
Mode of treatment
In most states, a PMHP works under a psychiatrist’s supervision. In most conditions, a PMHP works under a psychiatrist’s care. A psychiatrist’s training considers the biological aspect of mental illness. That allows the professional to prescribe medication and include talk therapy in their treatment plan. The psychiatrist may also review and sign documents from the psychiatric mental health practitioner.
PMHPs only assess, diagnose, and treat mental health issues without including talk therapy.
Education
A psychiatrist must attain a doctor of medicine degree or a degree in osteopathic medicine and complete four years of residency. After graduating, the mental health professional must obtain a license and establish residency. The whole process between college and medical school takes eight years. Psychiatrists also need to go through extra clinical training in a residency program.
A psychiatric mental health practitioner needs to attain a master’s or doctorate in nursing, with a concentration in psychiatric nurse practitioner. They also need to have two years of work experience.
Scope of practice
The psychiatrist and a psychiatric mental health professional provide patient and family education, obtain a medical history from a patient, develop a treatment plan, and prescribe medication.
Psychiatrists provide psychoanalysis therapy by understanding what risk factors predispose a patient to a mental health disorder. They also work more in private practices, but some work in addiction treatment centers, outpatient clinics, and inpatient hospitals.
Psychiatric mental health practitioners vs. psychologists
It’s easy to confuse a psychiatrist with a psychologist. However, these two professions are different even though their job descriptions may overlap.
Here’s how these two professions are different.
Mode of treatment
A psychiatric mental health practitioner is a certified nurse who has attained a master’s degree specializing in the full spectrum of mental health. That includes the causes, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of mental health conditions.
As a trained mental health practitioner, a PMHP can prescribe medication and monitor the effects of the drug as part of the treatment plan.
Psychologists focus on treating mental and emotional suffering in patients using behavioral intervention. They use psychotherapy to help assess an individual’s mental state and develop the best treatment plan.
Education
A psychiatric mental health practitioner must attain a master’s degree or higher. They specialize in mental disorders, which allows them to diagnose and treat patients. They specialize in mental disorders, enabling them to diagnose and treat patients. Spring Arbor University offers an online post-masters certificate. Additionally, a PMC-Psych Mental Health NP must obtain a nurse practitioner licensure, requiring all candidates to have 500 hours of supervised clinical practice plus coursework focused on psychiatric health.
Psychologists need a PsyD or Ph.D. doctoral degree, which can take up to six years. They also need to obtain a license after years of supervised clinical experience. They also need to get a permit after years of supervised clinical experience. They study personality development, the science of psychological research, and the history of psychological problems. That allows them to diagnose emotional and mental disorders in different situations.
A psychologist also learns about behavioral therapy, psychological theory, and treatment methods.
The most significant difference between a psychologist and a PMHP is that the former can only provide psychotherapy, while the psychiatric mental health practitioner can diagnose and prescribe medication.
Scope of practice
A psychologist helps to address behavioral patterns through psychotherapy only. They counsel patients who experience mental health crises and refer them to other mental health providers like psychiatrists.
Psychologists and psychiatric mental health practitioners may work together to treat a patient’s symptoms. Sometimes a psychologist may refer the patient to a PMHP, who can prescribe medication and evaluate its effectiveness.
Psychiatric mental health practitioner vs. licensed mental health counselor
A licensed mental health counselor is a certified professional who treats the emotional, cognitive, and behavioral aspects of individuals suffering from mental health and substance abuse conditions.
Unlike psychiatric mental health practitioners who diagnose and prescribe medication to patients suffering from mental health disorders, licensed mental health counselors use other treatment methods like psychotherapy and develop various coping strategies to help with behavior changes.
Here’s more on the differences between these two professions.
Mode of treatment
Licensed mental health counselors go through training to help people with anxiety, depression, dementia, personality disorders, and eating disorders cope and manage. They assess and treat emotional and mental conditions through psychotherapy and use different coping strategies to enable behavior change.
Psychiatric mental health practitioners diagnose and treat psychiatric conditions by prescribing medication. They also counsel and work with patients to improve the outcome for those with cognitive and psychiatric challenges.
Education
It would be best to have a 4-year undergraduate degree in counseling, psychology, or a related field to qualify as a licensed mental health counselor. You also need to complete a master’s degree. Additionally, most states require you to sit for the National Clinical Mental Health Counselor Examination for licensing.
A psychiatric mental health practitioner must attain a master’s in nursing, specializing in psychiatric nursing. You also need to have valid state licensure and five years of experience in a clinical setting.
Scope of practice
A psychiatric mental health practitioner’s scope of practice entails assessing patients and diagnosing and treating mental health disorders. Their job may run for a few months to years for each particular patient.
A licensed mental health counselor assesses and addresses a variety of mental health disorders and comes up with a treatment plan that allows the patient to cope and live with their diagnosis. They use different techniques to help restore mental health and promote healthier lifestyles through behavior change.
A psychiatric mental health practitioner and a clinical social worker treat patients with mental disorders. Becoming a clinical social worker involves managing the patient’s support network and the community.
Here are the differences between these two disciplines.
Mode of treatment
A clinical social worker diagnoses and treats emotional, behavioral, and mental health problems. The specialist may work in a clinic, hospital, or school or start a private practice.
Psychiatric mental health practitioners focus on health promotion, health education, and disease prevention through assessment, diagnosis, and prescribing of medication. Unlike clinical social workers who also treat behavioral and emotional issues, PMHPs only deal with mental disorders.
Education
A psychiatric mental health practitioner needs to have a master’s degree in nursing, with a specialty in mental health, and may go on to obtain a doctorate. They also need to get licensed in their state by passing an exam.
Licensed clinical social workers must earn a master’s in social work and complete extra supervised clinical experience hours. States like New York require at least three years of supervised clinical experience before becoming licensed.
Scope of practice
A clinical social worker’s scope of practice is limited to performing a clinical assessment of patients, creating, and carrying out treatment plans, offering psychotherapy services, and consulting with other specialists in treating and caring for patients.
Whereas a psychiatric mental health practitioner diagnoses and treats patients experiencing mental issues. They also assess the effectiveness of psychopharmacologic treatment.
Psychiatric mental health practitioner vs. licensed professional counselors
Licensed professional counselors, like psychiatric mental health practitioners, work to address and improve a patient’s mental health. However, they have different qualifications and responsibilities.
Mode of treatment
A psychiatric mental health practitioner specializes in diagnosing and treating mental illness. The specialist seeks to treat the medical cause of cognitive, behavioral, and emotional issues. They use their expertise to improve the patient’s outcome, while professional counselors provide support and guidance to patients to help them improve their lifestyles.
Education
A licensed professional counselor’s education may vary depending on their specialty. Nevertheless, most counseling positions require a master’s degree in social work, psychology, or a related field. Some positions, like a substance abuse counselor, only require a bachelor’s degree and several supervised internship hours,
Psychiatric mental health practitioners require a master’s degree in nursing, complete 500 faculty-supervised clinical hours, and apply for certification in a state they want to practice.
Scope of practice
Licensed professional counselors include assessment, counseling, and providing counseling interventions to individuals, groups, families, and more. PMHP’s core duties involve assessing, diagnosing, and treating patients experiencing chronic and acute psychiatric issues.
Psychiatric mental health practitioner vs. psychoanalysts
Psychoanalysis is another branch of mental health that treats various emotional and mental problems in children and adults. Although psychiatric mental health practitioners and psychoanalysts treat conditions like anxiety and depression, their treatment methods, education requirements, and scope of practice differ.
Mode of treatment
A psychoanalyst uses the principles of psychoanalytic therapy to treat patients dealing with depression, anxiety, panic attacks, eating disorders, trauma, self-esteem issues, and more. The therapist uses talk therapy, where they listen to the patient’s experiences looking for recurring events that could have triggered a patient’s current problem.
A psychiatric mental health professional assesses a patient’s issue and diagnoses and prescribes medication to help reduce distress and allow people to manage their psychological problems. The PMHP may perform a psychosocial and physical assessment depending on the state.
Education
While each state has specific qualifications to become a psychoanalyst, you need a master’s in social work, counseling, and marriage therapy. Alternatively, having an MD and a Ph.D. in psychology or social work would be best. Furthermore, you need to submit a written report of psychoanalytic cases that showcase your knowledge of psychoanalysis and demonstrate your ability to conduct treatment to be certified by the American Psychoanalysis Association.
However, to become a psychiatric mental health practitioner, you must attain a bachelor’s degree and a master’s in nursing. You must also sit for the psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner exam and complete 500 faculty-supervised clinical hours to gain experience in this field.
Scope of practice
A psychoanalyst discovers underlying issues by unveiling a patient’s unconscious feelings and thoughts. The goal is to find recurring patterns in the patient’s past that could lead to problems like eating disorders, panic attacks, trauma, anxiety, and more.
With psychoanalysis, patients understand the reasons behind their current problems and can start over with a new perspective that allows them to grow and change from their past.
PMHPs only assess, diagnose, prescribe medication, and evaluate the effectiveness of the treatment. They are not involved in psychoanalyzing the patient or finding the root cause of the problem.
Final thoughts
Mental health is a broad field with different professionals. Hopefully, with our detailed guide above, you now know how a psychiatric mental health practitioner differs from other mental health professionals in the scope of practice, mode of treatment, and education.
