The big question floating around is: What’s the difference between Clinical and Counselling Psychology? Are they pretty much the same or completely different? The quick answer is they’re not vastly different, but here’s the longer explanation.
Imagine you’re shadowing a counselling psychologist and a clinical psychologist for a day. You might not see a huge difference in what they do day-to-day. The real distinctions come in their training and the theories they use in their work. These factors can influence your decision on which path to take.
Content differnces
Let’s talk about Counselling Psychology, the doctoral training I’m doing. It’s all about the Humanistic approach and sees the relationship between the psychologist and the client as super important. Counselling Psychology training focuses more on person-centered therapy. On the flip side, Clinical Psychology training has a bit of neuropsychology and leans more towards a medical model. Clinical Psychology might deal with more serious cases, but both Counselling and Clinical Psychologists are equally qualified to handle the same kinds of clients.
Funding
Now, a big difference between the two is the money stuff. In the UK, Clinical Psychology is funded, so trainees get paid during their training. But it’s super competitive to get in. Counselling Psychology training is also competitive, but it’s not funded, and trainees don’t get paid unless they find a paid placement. You can apply for a postgraduate student loan to cover the fees, which are around £9,000 a year in the UK for the full-time three-year course.
Workload
Here’s a thing I’ve noticed but isn’t talked about much online: the workload. Both Doctorates are tough, but from chatting with friends doing clinical psychology, it seems like the demands are higher. Maybe it’s because clinical psychology is funded, so trainees might need to do more work or placement days? This is just my take, though.
To sum up
Both Clinical and Counselling Psychologists need an undergrad degree in Psychology and a Doctoral Degree in either Counselling or Clinical Psychology. Then, they can apply for accreditation to work with clients. They’re both qualified to do therapy, tests, diagnoses, and research. They can’t prescribe medication. The real differences come in the training programs, funding, theories, and academic specialties.