There are plenty of different kinds of mental health care professionals, from psychiatrists to psychologists, therapists to substance abuse counselors, psychiatric nurses to licensed clinical social workers. It can be hard to tell which kind of mental health care professional you need.
Therapists and psychologists
Which kind of mental health care professional you need depends on the issues you are facing and the type of solution you have in mind. For therapy — talking about problems and learning coping skills — therapists can be a good choice. Therapists may have many different kinds of training and experience, and they generally can’t prescribe medications.
Psychologists often have a PhD, an advanced degree but not a medical degree like an M.D. Psychologists are skilled in diagnosis and testing and often also in therapy. Again, they do not usually prescribe medications.
Psychiatric professionals
Psychiatrists generally have an MD or OD degree — a medical degree that allows them to prescribe medications. When you need medication for severe symptoms or therapy has not worked for you, a psychiatrist or a psychiatric nurse practitioner or APRN is your best choice.
These mental health professionals are nurses with advanced training in mental health diagnosis and treatment. In Arkansas, Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) are highly skilled nurses with Master's or Doctoral degrees who diagnose, treat, and manage patient care independently. These health professionals prescribe and manage psychiatric medications. A.B. Merritt of Cardigan Mental Health is a doctoral level Psychiatric APRN with a specialization in mental health care medication management.
A.B. Merritt
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