Continuing my series on what psychologists are I would like to explain the differences between a psychologist and a counsellor.
A counsellor is someone who assists a person to develop understanding of themselves, their circumstances or their problems and facilitates setting goals and making changes. There are no specific training or registration requirements for a person to be a counsellor. However, most counsellors will have completed some training, and many maintain voluntary registration as an endorsement of their skills.
I have previously tried to distill the definition of a psychologist in the simplest possible terms: a psychologist applies scientific research to understanding and shaping human behaviour. Many psychologists provide counselling – but not all. Psychologists may work in research, recruitment, teaching, assessment and a range of other areas that may not involve providing counselling services.
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