Dr. Jameca CooperForensic Psychology Consultant, Emergence Psychological Services · Board Certified Counseling Psychologist and Forensic Psychology Consultant

This is what a psychologist looks like #psychologist #psychology #therapist #counseling

15 Jan 2025 · 1 min

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In this concise monologue, Dr. Jameca Cooper, a Black psychologist with over 20 years of experience, explains how psychologists differ from counselors, therapists, and psychiatrists. She outlines the extensive educational pathway for psychologists—typically six years of graduate study, a postdoctoral fellowship, a PhD or doctorate, and state licensure—contrasting it with the master’s‑level training of counselors and therapists. She details the broader scope of practice psychologists hold, including diagnosing mental health conditions, providing treatment, conducting research, and performing evaluations and assessments, which are generally beyond the reach of master’s‑level clinicians. Cooper also notes that prescribing medication is rare for psychologists, permitted only in a few states. Finally, she emphasizes psychologists’ ability to deeply explore client issues and facilitate change, growth, and healing.

Chapters

This is what a psychologist looks like. I'm a Black psychologist and I've been practicing for over 20 years. What makes us different from counselors and therapists? Counselors and therapists usually have a master's degree and a license. Psychologists usually have 6 years of graduate school, a postdoc, as well as a PhD, a doctorate degree, as well as a license. We're licensed to treat, diagnose, do research, do evaluations and assessments. There are abundance of things that psychologists do that master's level counselors and therapists don't do. So we're unique. We're not psychiatrists who diagnose, treat, and prescribe medicine, unless you're a psychologist that lives in one of the few states where that is allowed. But for most of us, we're very unique. We're different. We know how to work with people in counseling and therapy. We know how to dig to the bottom of your problem. We know how to get the best out of you and get you to change and grow and heal.