In Australia, psychology is a regulated profession, which means everyone calling themselves a psychologist must be registered with the Psychology Board of Australia and listed with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA). Registered psychologists undergo a minimum of six years of university study and supervised experience – typically a three-year undergraduate degree, a one-year honours degree or graduate diploma, and a two-year masters degree. Counselling is a self-regulated profession. Organisations like Australian Counselling Association and Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia require counsellors to complete an accredited course of study. Deakin’s Graduate Certificate of Counselling, Graduate Diploma of Counselling and Master of Counselling teach essential knowledge and skills in counselling. Clients of counsellors are not, as yet, eligible for Medicare rebates.

A clinical psychologist has the same foundation of training as a general psychologist, however, a clinical psychologist will have studied a Master’s or Doctorate in Clinical Psychology. One of the biggest differences between a clinical psychologist and a general psychologist is their area of expertise. Clinical psychologists have a much more specific scope of practice, largely working with clients suffering from mental health conditions, as they are extensively trained in identifying, diagnosing and treating mental illnesses ranging from mild to severe.  Clinical psychology has a more intense focus on assessment and the clinical psychologist training process prepares incoming clinical psychologists for work with psychiatric patients (as well as more general mental health problems). Similar to a general psychologist, clinical psychologists are required to attend ongoing training and education, to stay relevant in the ever-changing world of mental health.

There are 250+ schools of therapy! These can be divided into 6 major schools which you can read more about here.