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What is a psychologist ? The team is composed of several psychologists-psychotherapists. All are member of a national federation of psychologists (which on its turn is a member of the European Federation of Professional Psychologists Associations (EFPA)) and several psychotherapy associations.
The question often rises about the difference between a psychiatrist and a psychologist.
A psychiatrist has a medical background. He or she studied medicine and then specialised in psychiatry. Since a psychiatrist is a physician, he can prescribe medication and the psychiatric consultation is partly refunded by the Belgian health care.
A psychologist has, as a psychiatrist, a university degree, but is not a physician. A psychologist has a university training in psychology. Psychology is the science that studies the behaviour of human beings. This does not only refer to what people do and how they do it, but also what people feel, think and how they come to decisions.
Psychology looks at general characteristics of human behaviour, but also at differences, individuals and groups, problematic and normal behaviour.
A psychologist tries to examine and explain human functioning by different methods, techniques and approaches. Psychologists work in very various domains: health care, education, authorities, media, business world, …
The title of the psychiatrist as well as that of the psychologist is protected in Belgium.
And what is the place of a psychotherapist in this? A psychotherapist is someone who treats psychic suffering through consultation. Unfortunately the title of psychotherapist is not protected in Belgium. Everybody may thus name himself psychotherapist, also someone who does not have any qualification.
The above text is a revision of a text of the website of the Belgian Federation of Psychologists, http://www.bfp-fbp.be.
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