Understanding Psychology (10th Ed)

M O D U L E 4 9 
Psychotherapy: Psychodynamic, 
Behavioral, and Cognitive 
Approaches to Treatment
FIGURE 1 
A variety of professionals 
provide therapy and counseling. Each 
could be expected to give helpful advice 
and direction. However, the nature of 
the problem a person is experiencing 
may make one or another therapy more 
appropriate. For example, a person who 
is suff ering from a severe disturbance 
and who has lost touch with reality will 
typically require some sort of biologically 
based drug therapy. In that case, a 
psychiatrist—who is a physician—would 
be the professional of choice. In contrast, 
those suff ering from milder disorders, 
such as diffi
culty adjusting to the death 
of a family member, have a broader 
choice that might include any of the 
professionals listed in the fi gure. 
Getting Help from the Right Person
Clinical Psychologists
Psychologists with a Ph.D. or Psy.D. who have also completed a postgraduate 
internship. They specialize in assessment and treatment of psychological diffi
culties, 
providing psychotherapy and, in some U.S. states, can prescribe drugs.
Counseling Psychologists
Psychologists with a Ph.D. or Ed.D. who typically treat day-to-day adjustment problems, 
often in a university mental health clinic.
Psychiatrists
M.D.s with postgraduate training in abnormal behavior. Because they can prescribe 
medication, they often treat the most severe disorders.
Psychoanalysts
Either M.D.s or psychologists who specialize in psychoanalysis, the treatment technique 
fi rst developed by Freud.
Licensed Professional Counselors or Clinical Mental Health Counselors
Professionals with a master’s degree who provide therapy to individuals, couples, and 
families and who hold a national or state certifi cation.