What to call myself

Fakman87

Good people of boards,

I recently finished my studies in psychology/ psychotherapy and am considering going into private practice.

I have a BA in psychology and a BA in psychotherapy. I'm wondering if I am allowed to call myself a counselling psychologist or is an MA in counselling psychology necessary for this.

Thanks

JuliusCaesar

Until Psychology is a statutorily regulated profession, you can call yourself whatever you like. But it is coming....

Although I guess that real Counselling Psychologists (now a PhD) might be a tad annoyed.

Valmont

They've been saying statutory regulation is just around the corner since I started my undergraduate degree almost ten years ago. If one provides a psychological service to people in need who are willing to pay for it then I don't see any use in distinguishing between 'real' and 'fake' psychologists: they both do the exact same thing anyway.

The only difference between the two is an expensive piece of paper and I'm not so sure that confers any special powers. And if the wonderfully efficient folk who run the government ever get around to licensing, any talented and successful but non-PSI approved psychologists will just call themselves life coaches or something else and carry on serving their customers as before.

If you counsel people, using what you learned in your degrees, then you are - by definition - a counselling psychologist. The bureaucrats don't control the ultimate meaning of words after all, even if they ultimately force you to call yourself a 'friend who listens for a small fee'.

Semele

I'd avoid calling yourself a counselling psychologist purely because that's a different thing in itself. You can argue the semantics of it and I agree with that, but it doesn't take away from the fact that if I heard you call yourself a counselling psychologist and then learned what your training was, I'd be inclined to think you were trying to misrepresent yourself and would be rather suspicious!

I think you could potentially do yourself a disservice by seeming dodgy when you're not. It also seems unfair to a layperson who may for some reason be set on seeing an accredited psychologist but was confused by you using a title that normally means something else. Why not just call yourself a psychotherapist and state on your website that you have a background in psychology? Your psychology degree isn't an applied one, so your therapeutic and clinical training is from your psychotherapy degree and IMO the title you use should honestly reflect this.

dissed doc

Semele wrote: »

Why not just call yourself a psychotherapist and state on your website that you have a background in psychology? Your psychology degree isn't an applied one, so your therapeutic and clinical training is from your psychotherapy degree and IMO the title you use should honestly reflect this.

This makes the most sense. I would say simply use Psychologist and then on your website or business card list the qualifications so people know what it is you are offering.

I once knew a guy who never became a medical consultant but called himself a "Consulting Physician" on his business cards for a private clinic.

mickmahony

Semele wrote: »

I'd avoid calling yourself a counselling psychologist purely because that's a different thing in itself. You can argue the semantics of it and I agree with that, but it doesn't take away from the fact that if I heard you call yourself a counselling psychologist and then learned what your training was, I'd be inclined to think you were trying to misrepresent yourself and would be rather suspicious!

I think you could potentially do yourself a disservice by seeming dodgy when you're not. It also seems unfair to a layperson who may for some reason be set on seeing an accredited psychologist but was confused by you using a title that normally means something else. Why not just call yourself a psychotherapist and state on your website that you have a background in psychology? Your psychology degree isn't an applied one, so your therapeutic and clinical training is from your psychotherapy degree and IMO the title you use should honestly reflect this.

My thoughts exactly...well said

The Black Oil

There is a letter to the editor in the latest PSI magazine from a registered psychologist partly addressing this issue. The writer says he met someone on a train who asked what he did for a living, and he discussed his background. He says she responded that she was a psychologist and took a 6 month online course. He goes on then to discuss what the PSI ought to be doing about promoting and protecting psychology as a profession. There's a also a letter from the PSI MD, which discusses upcoming statutory registration, misrepresentation, etc.