If you are looking for a psychologist Sunshine Coast has many options. Psychologists carry out therapy and research on the human mind. This profession has lots of different specialisms, from sports psychology to clinical therapy, however virtually all involve research, training, practice or a mixture of these things. While people frequently get the two confused, psychiatrists and psychologists are not the same.

A major specialism in the mental health field is clinical psychology. A clinical psychologist works in a range of environments, treating and diagnosing patients using applied psychological techniques, as opposed to medication. Typically, a clinical psychologist will not have a degree in medicine and will not prescribe drugs to patients.

If you have personal problems, you might visit a counseling psychologist. These psychologists offer guidance to assist patients with decision making to change their behavior, and make their lives less traumatic and more satisfying. People may seek advice on a broad variety of problems, from stress management to drug addiction, which disrupt their normal routine. This branch of psychology is different to clinical psychology, because it doesn’t focus so much on teaching, treating or researching mental conditions.

Neuropsychologists use neuroimaging technology to study how the brain’s structure impacts on mental health. Techniques like PET (positron emission tomography) scans and fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) have helped psychologists to establish links between biological conditions and mental issues. For example, during the eighties, it was discovered that schizophrenia was largely the result of biological factors, instead of environmental explanations – like a deprived childhood.

Essentially, psychologists and psychiatrists focus on different things. Psychologists are concerned with non medical treatments, such as cognitive testing and therapy, whereas psychiatrists are qualified doctors who take a medical approach. Moreover, psychiatrists often prescribe drugs, whereas psychologists normally don’t, although in some places there are exceptions to this rule. The training required for each profession differs too. Psychiatrists need an MD (Doctor of Medicine) degree, before completing several years of training in residency, prior to becoming certified to practice.

In comparison to other scientific disciplines, such as biology and physics, some skeptics claim that psychology lacks academic credibility. The value of elements like surveys, which are often used to collect data, is frequently queried. Maybe this is linked to the brain’s complexity, which is still not completely understood. Nonetheless, psychological research is still performed to obtain a greater comprehension of the brain and its’ inner workings.