You find yourself sitting in a busy waiting room for a health issue that just came up. The medical assistant brings you to the exam room, takes your vital signs and says “The Nurse Practitioner will see you now”. You meet with the Nurse Practitioner to discuss your concerns, obtain additional testing if necessary, and agree on a treatment plan to get you back on your feet.
Understanding Healthcare Roles
In the ever changing world of healthcare we are constantly being introduced to members of the healthcare team with a variety of titles and roles that we have never heard of before.
This is true in mental health care as well and it can be confusing to figure out who does what and what their role entails in your health. Below is an overview of some of the most common individuals/roles you may encounter in psychiatry/mental health.
Physician (MD/DO)
Physicians are healthcare professionals who attend medical school followed by a residency program in which they obtain additional specialized training. At the end of this training they are eligible to become board certified in a specialty, in psychiatry this would be known as a Psychiatrist.
Psychiatrists are able to diagnose mental health conditions, prescribe medications, and provide psychotherapy. Psychiatrists are independent to practice and require no oversight.
Nurse Practitioner (NP)
Nurse Practitioners are registered nurses who obtain either a masters (1-2 years) or doctoral (3-4 year) degree in a specialty area and complete additional clinical training hours to become certified as a nurse practitioner.
Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse Practitioners have experience working as a psychiatric nurse in the hospital or outpatient setting prior to pursuing a masters/doctoral degree with a focus on psychiatry and mental health care. Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse Practitioners operate in roles similar to that of Psychiatrists in that they diagnose conditions, prescribe medications, and deliver psychotherapy.
Regulations regarding scope of practice vary across states where some states allow Nurse Practitioners to practice with complete independence and autonomy, whereas other states require Nurse Practitioners to maintain a collaborative agreement/relationship with a Physician in order to practice.
Research has shown that Nurse Practitioners deliver health outcomes that are similar or equivalent to those of Physicians.
Physician Associate/Assistant (PA)
Physician Associates operate in roles very similar to those of Nurse Practitioners but are required to practice in collaboration with a Physician. PA’s obtain a bachelor’s degree in a science field prior to completing a master’s program to become a PA. During their master’s program, PA’s complete clinical rotations in a variety of medical specialties in order to get a broad understanding of a variety of medical conditions.
Unlike nurse practitioners, PA’s degrees are not focused on one particular speciality. PA’s diagnose conditions, prescribe medications, and do procedures.
Psychologist
Psychologists are mental health professionals who complete a masters or doctoral degree focusing on an aspect of psychology. Psychologists are able to tailor their education to be more focused on education, research, or clinical practice depending on their interests. In the clinical setting, psychologists may provide diagnostic testing/evaluation or may focus more directly on psychotherapy.
Therapist
Therapist is a broad term used to describe someone who is trained in psychotherapy and offers therapy services to clients. Therapists may have a training or a background as a counselor, a social worker, or a psychologist. Generally, therapists are required to have a masters degree and undergo supervision and training in order to be eligible for licensing as a therapist.
The most common therapy licenses you may see include professional counselors (LCP), mental health counselors (LMHC), marriage and family therapists (LMFT), clinical social workers (LCSW), alcohol and drug counselors (LADC) and psychologists (PhDs or PsyD).
Therapists may pursue training in specific therapy modalities based on the conditions they prefer to work with or special interests such as dialectical behavioral therapy, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, accelerated resolution therapy, and many more.
Social Worker
Social workers obtain a bachelors or masters degree and can work in a variety of settings including hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, county health departments, and more.
Social workers provide access to important resources like healthcare, housing, food, financial support and more for patients in need. Social workers often work closely with other members of the medical team to assess patient strengths and weaknesses and help connect people to fundamental resources.
Social workers can help coordinate care between organizations, facilitate referrals, and deliver psychotherapy.
Navigating Mental Health Care
Healthcare is complex and navigating it can be an even greater challenge. There are a variety of people and resources available to meet your needs in healthcare and while it may be challenging to figure out who to go to for help, high quality healthcare providers are knowledgeable about resources to get you connected to the appropriate resources.
Mental health care often requires a multi-disciplinary approach in order to provide evidence-based and individualized care suited to your needs and it’s not uncommon to have one or more of the people listed above involved in your care.
Calming Currents is proud to be a nurse practitioner run clinic and recognizes the importance of collaboration between members of the healthcare team to help promote the best outcomes for each individual.