psychologist psychologist a psychologist is a professional who practices psychology and studies mental states, perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and social processes and behavior. their work often involves the experimentation, observation, and interpretation of how individuals relate to each other and to their environments. not to be confused with psychiatrist. psychologistoccupationnamespsychologistdescriptioncompetenciespsychotherapy, psychological assessment and testing, depends on specialtyeducation requireddiffers by location and specialty, bachelor's degree with honors in psychology, master's degree in psychology, psyd or phdfields ofemploymentclinical neuropsychology, clinical, medical, community, counselling, educational and developmental, forensic, health, organisational or sport and exerciserelated jobspsychiatristpsychotherapist psychologists usually acquire a bachelor's degree in psychology, followed by a master's degree or doctorate in psychology. unlike psychiatric physicians and psychiatric nurse-practitioners, psychologists usually cannot prescribe medication, but depending on the jurisdiction, some psychologists with additional training can be licensed to prescribe medications; qualification requirements may be different from a bachelor's degree and master's degree. psychologists receive extensive training in psychological testing, scoring, interpretation, and reporting, while psychiatrists are not usually trained in psychological testing. psychologists are also trained in, and often specialize in, one or more psychotherapies to improve symptoms of many mental disorders, including but not limited to treatment for anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, personality disorders and eating disorders. treatment from psychologists can be individual or in groups. cognitive behavioral therapy is a commonly used, well studied and high efficacy psychotherapy practiced by psychologists. psychologists can work with a range of institutions and people, such as schools, prisons, in a private clinic, in a workplace, or with a sports team. applied psychology applies theory to solve problems in human and animal behavior. applied fields include clinical psychology, counseling psychology, sport psychology, forensic psychology, industrial and organizational psychology, health psychology and school psychology. licensing and regulations can vary by state and profession. australia in australia, the psychology profession, and the use of the title "psychologist", is regulated by an act of parliament, the health practitioner regulation (administrative arrangements) national law act 2008, following an agreement between state and territorial governments. under this national law, registration of psychologists is administered by the psychology board of australia (psyba). before july 2010, the professional registration of psychologists was governed by various state and territorial psychology registration boards. the australian psychology accreditation council (apac) oversees education standards for the profession. the minimum requirements for general registration in psychology, including the right to use the title "psychologist", are an apac approved four-year degree in psychology followed by either a two-year master's program or two years of practice supervised by a registered psychologist. however, the australian health practitioner regulation agency (ahpra) is currently in the process of phasing out the 4 + 2 internship pathway. once the 4 + 2 pathway is phased out, a master's degree or phd will be required to become a psychologist in australia. this is because of concerns about public safety, and to reduce the burden of training on employers. there is also a '5 + 1' registration pathway, including a four-year apac approved degree followed by one year of postgraduate study and one year of supervised practice. endorsement within a specific area of practice requires additional qualifications. these notations are not "specialist" titles (western australian psychologists could use "specialist" in their titles during a three-year transitional period from 17 october 2010 to 17 october 2013). membership with australian psychological society (aps) differs from registration as a psychologist. the standard route to full membership (maps) of the aps usually requires four years of apac-accredited undergraduate study, plus a master's or doctorate in psychology from an accredited institution. an alternate route is available for academics and practitioners who have gained appropriate experience and made a substantial contribution to the field of psychology. restrictions apply to all individuals using the title "psychologist" in all states and territories of australia. however, the terms "psychotherapist", "social worker", and "counselor" are currently self-regulated, with several organizations campaigning for government regulation. belgium since 1933, the title "psychologist" has been protected by law in belgium. it can only be used by people who are on the national government commission list. the minimum requirement is the completion of five years of university training in psychology (master's degree or equivalent). the title of "psychotherapist" is not legally protected. as of 2016, belgian law recognizes the clinical psychologist as an autonomous health profession. it reserves the practice of psychotherapy to medical doctors, clinical psychologists and clinical orthopedagogists. canada a professional in the u.s. or canada must hold a graduate degree in psychology (ma, psy.d., ed.d., or ph.d.), or have a provincial license to use the title "psychologist". provincial regulators include: alberta: college of alberta psychologists british columbia: college of psychologists of british columbia manitoba: psychological association of manitoba newfoundland and labrador: newfoundland and labrador psychology board new brunswick: college of psychologists of new brunswick northwest territories: office of the registrar, northwest territories (nwt) professional licensing nova scotia: nova scotia board of examiners in psychology nunavut: registrar, professional licensing kugluktuk ontario: college of psychologists of ontario prince edward island: prince edward island psychologists registration board quebec: order of psychologists of quebec saskatchewan: saskatchewan college of psychologists dominican republic a professional psychologist in the dominican republic must have a suitable qualification and be a member of the dominican college of psychologists. finland in finland, the title "psychologist" is protected by law. the restriction for psychologists (licensed professionals) is governed by national supervisory authority for welfare and health (finland) (valvira). it takes 330 ects-credits (about six years) to complete the university studies (master's degree). there are about 6,200 licensed psychologists in finland. germany in germany, the use of the title diplom-psychologe (dipl.-psych.) is restricted by law, and a practitioner is legally required to hold the corresponding academic title, which is comparable to a m.sc. degree and requires at least five years of training at a university. originally, a diploma degree in psychology awarded in germany included the subject of clinical psychology. with the bologna-reform, this degree was replaced by a master's degree. the academic degree of diplom-psychologe or m.sc. (psychologie) does not include a psychotherapeutic qualification, which requires three to five years of additional training. the psychotherapeutic training combines in-depth theoretical knowledge with supervised patient care and self-reflection units. after having completed the training requirements, psychologists take a state-run exam, which, upon successful completion (approbation), confers the official title of "psychological psychotherapist" (psychologischer psychotherapeut). after many years of inter-professional political controversy, non-physician psychotherapy was given an adequate legal foundation through the creation of two new academic healthcare professions. greece since 1979, the title "psychologist" has been protected by law in greece. it can only be used by people who hold a relevant license or certificate, which is issued by the greek authorities, to practice as a psychologist. the minimum requirement is the completion of university training in psychology at a greek university, or at a university recognized by the greek authorities. psychologists in greece are legally required to abide by the code of conduct of psychologists (2019). psychologists in greece are not required to register with any psychology body in the country in order to legally practice the profession. titles such as "psychotherapist" or "counselor" are not protected by law in greece and anyone may call themselves a "psychotherapist" or "counselor" without having earned a graduate degree in psychology. india in india, "clinical psychologist" is specifically defined in the mental health act, 2017. an mphil in clinical psychology degree of two years duration recognized by the rehabilitation council of india is required to apply for registration as a clinical psychologist. this procedure has been criticized by some stakeholders since clinical psychology is not limited to the area of rehabilitation. titles such as "counselor" or "psychotherapist" are not protected at present. in other words, an individual may call themselves a "psychotherapist" or "counselor" without having earned a graduate degree in clinical psychology or another mental health field, and without having to register with the rehabilitation council of india. new zealand in new zealand, the use of the title "psychologist" is restricted by law. prior to 2004, only the title "registered psychologist" was restricted to people qualified and registered as such. however, with the proclamation of the health practitioners competence assurance act, in 2003, the use of the title "psychologist" was limited to practitioners registered with the new zealand psychologists board. the titles "clinical psychologist", "counseling psychologist", "educational psychologist", "intern psychologist", and "trainee psychologist" are similarly protected. this is to protect the public by providing assurance that the title-holder is registered and therefore qualified and competent to practice, and can be held accountable. the legislation does not include an exemption clause for any class of practitioner (e.g., academics, or government employees). norway in norway, the title "psychologist" is restricted by law and can only be obtained by completing a 6-year integrated program, leading to the candidate of psychology degree. psychologists are considered health personnel, and their work is regulated through the "health personnel act". south africa south african psychologist pumla gobodo-madikizela in south africa, psychologists are qualified in either clinical, counseling, educational, organizational, or research psychology. as below, qualification requires at least five years of study, and at least one of internship. to become qualified, one must complete a recognized master's degree in psychology, an appropriate practicum at a recognized training institution, and take an examination set by the professional board for psychology. registration with the health professions council of south africa (hpcsa) is required and includes a continuing professional development component. the practicum usually involves a full year internship, and in some specializations, the hpcsa requires completion of an additional year of community service. the master's program consists of seminars, coursework-based theoretical and practical training, and a dissertation of limited scope, and is (in most cases) two years in duration. prior to enrolling in the master's program, the student studies psychology for three years as an undergraduate (b.a. or b.sc., and, for organizational psychology, also b.com.), followed by an additional postgraduate honours degree in psychology; see list of universities in south africa. the undergraduate b.psyc. is a four-year program integrating theory and practical training, and—with the required examination set by the professional board for psychology—is sufficient for practice as a psychometrist or counselor. united kingdom in the uk, "registered psychologist" and "practitioner psychologist" are protected titles. the title of "neuropsychologist" is not protected. in addition, the following specialist titles are also protected by law: "clinical psychologist", "counselling psychologist", "educational psychologist", "forensic psychologist", "health psychologist", "occupational psychologist" and "sport and exercise psychologist". the health and care professions council (hcpc) is the statutory regulator for practitioner psychologists in the uk. in the uk, the use of the title "chartered psychologist" is also protected by statutory regulation, but that title simply means that the psychologist is a chartered member of the british psychological society, but is not necessarily registered with the hcpc. however, it is illegal for someone who is not in the appropriate section of the hcpc register to provide psychological services. the requirement to register as a clinical, counselling, or educational psychologist is a professional doctorate (and in the case of the latter two the british psychological society's professional qualification, which meets the standards of a professional doctorate). the title of "psychologist", by itself, is not protected. the british psychological society is working with the hcpc to ensure that the title of "neuropsychologist" is regulated as a specialist title for practitioner psychologists. employment as of december 2012, in the united kingdom, there are 19,000 practitioner psychologists registered across seven categories: clinical psychologist, counselling psychologist, educational psychologist, forensic psychologist, health psychologist, occupational psychologist, sport and exercise psychologist. at least 9,500 of these are clinical psychologists, which is the largest group of psychologists in clinical settings such as the nhs. around 2,000 are educational psychologists. united states education and training in the united states and canada, full membership in each country's professional association—american psychological association (apa) and canadian psychological association (cpa), respectively—requires doctoral training (except in some canadian provinces, such as alberta, where a master's degree is sufficient). the minimal requirement for full membership can be waived in circumstances where there is evidence that significant contribution or performance in the field of psychology has been made. associate membership requires at least two years of postgraduate studies in psychology or an approved related discipline. the university of pennsylvania was the