Author: Li Shaocheng
Patients with mental illness and their families are often plagued by a problem, that is, they do not know how to identify the qualifications of mental and psychological practitioners and a variety of "famous heads". Coupled with the uneven and mixed quality of practitioners in the psychological field, it often leads to being misled by some propaganda, thus delaying the treatment of "disease" rehabilitation, or even causing bad consequences. Is your "psychologist" reliable? What is the real level of technology? This article sorts out some official qualifications and "famous heads", hoping to increase the recognition ability of the majority of patients, including depressed patients, and to take fewer or even no "detours".
The public generally refers to people who can provide psychological help to others as "psychologists", "psychological counselors" or "psychological teachers", but in fact, this title is not standardized or accurate. A counselor is a professional qualification and status, not a "person who provides counseling." In general, it is more normative to refer to these "counsellors" as "psychologists.". Because the people who can provide psychological counseling are mainly mental health doctors, psychological teachers, psychotherapists, psychological counselors, etc.
The following is an interpretation of the qualifications that psychologists and psychologists must have at the national certification level.
1. Mental health physicians
Mental health physicians, also known as "psychiatrists", are the earliest batch of people to carry out psychological counseling and psychotherapy in China, because the earliest psychological counseling and treatment are basically only carried out in psychiatric hospitals. In particular, Xu Youxin, Li Xintian, Xia Zhenyi, Shen Yu Estate and other psychologists of the older generation have laid a solid foundation for Psychological Counseling and Psychotherapy in China. Some experts are also the founders of the professional certification of psychological counselors.
Mental health physicians generally have experienced the basic study of medical psychology, abnormal psychology and psychiatry, and can carry out relatively simple psychological counseling and psychotherapy, but mainly traditional drugs and physical therapy, generally do not specialize in psychological counseling and psychotherapy. There are also some psychiatrists who specialize in psychotherapy and psychological counseling from the clinic or engage in medical clinical work such as psychological counseling and treatment and drug therapy at the same time.
The national certification qualifications of mental health physicians are, in order of professional titles: resident physician (primary title), attending physician (intermediate title), deputy chief physician (deputy senior title), and chief physician (senior title).
Core qualifications of mental health physicians: graduation certificate, professional title certificate, vocational qualification certificate, degree certificate (no for those with college degree or below).
Qualifications of junior mental health physicians: junior physician professional title certificate; junior physician professional qualification certificate; medical school graduation certificate; medical degree certificate (bachelor of medicine, master of medicine, doctor of medicine, college degree or below generally do not issue degree certificates).
Intermediate mental health physician qualifications: attending physician professional title certificate; attending physician professional qualification certificate; medical school graduation certificate; medical degree certificate (bachelor of medicine, master of medicine, doctor of medicine, college degree or below generally do not issue degree certificates).
Qualifications of deputy senior mental health physicians: professional title certificate of deputy chief physician; professional qualification certificate of deputy chief physician; medical college graduation certificate; medical degree certificate (bachelor of medicine, master of medicine, doctor of medicine, and college degree or below are generally not issued degree certificates).
Qualifications of senior mental health physicians: chief physician professional title certificate; chief physician professional qualification certificate; medical school graduation certificate; medical degree certificate (bachelor of medicine, master of medicine, doctor of medicine, college degree or below generally do not issue degree certificates).
Please note: Only associate physicians and chief physicians may be referred to as "mental health specialists" or "psychiatrists." The nationally certified professional title certificate is the element of identification.
Key qualifications of mental health experts: Certificate of title of deputy chief physician, certificate of title of chief physician.
Psychopsychiatric specialists specifically refer to those who have both a professional training background in psychology and a professional background in psychiatry. If these experts are engaged in teaching activities in medical schools at the same time, the teaching qualifications are equivalent to the titles of professors or associate professors, and they can also have the titles of professors or associate professors.
Key qualifications of psychopsychiatric specialists: certificate of title of deputy chief physician or chief physician; psychiatric practice qualification; psychological system training background; general medical prescription rights; psychotropic substance prescription rights; narcotic drug prescription rights (some experts).
2. Psychologists
A psychologist is a psychiatrist who has both the basic theories, basic knowledge and basic skills of professional psychotherapy and psychological counseling system "three basics" training and/or professional qualifications as psychological counselors and/or professional qualifications as psychotherapists.
Special note: "Psychological counselor" is not a psychologist, psychologists must at least have a medical background.
There are three types of different professional backgrounds in the industry:
"Coban psychologist" refers to a person with a background in both mental health and psychology.
"Psychologist" refers to a person with a medical background (distinguished from the mental health profession) and a psychological professional background.
"Psychotherapist", in medical and health institutions, engaged in nursing and have the qualification of psychotherapist, although often referred to as "psychologist", but the title of psychotherapist is more standardized.
Medical Psychologist: Senior (including deputy senior) professional title of medicine. Others cannot be called experts.
Key Qualifications for Medical Psychologists: Senior (including Associate Senior) Professional Qualifications for Psychiatrists and/or Professional Qualifications for Psychological Counselors and/or Professional Qualifications and/or Professional Training for Psychotherapists.
3. Psychotherapist
Psychotherapists refer to those engaged in psychotherapy work in medical and health institutions approved by the state or relevant departments. It generally involves having undergone specialized study or special training and obtained a doctor or nurse. Must pass the exam and certification in four subjects: basic knowledge, relevant professional knowledge, professional knowledge and professional practice ability. Have a certificate of qualification issued by the national health department.
Key Qualifications for Psychotherapist: Doctor/Nurse Practice Qualification, Psychotherapist Qualification.
Key qualifications of psychotherapists: senior medical (including deputy senior) professional titles and/or professional qualifications of psychological counselors and/or professional qualifications and/or professional training of psychotherapists.
4. Psychology teacher
Psychology teachers refer to those who are engaged in psychology education in various formal colleges and universities, and are commonly known as "academics" in society, so as to distinguish them from psychological professionals (hospitals) in the medical and health sector. Some experts or intermediate professionals of the "hospital faction" also hold psychological teaching tasks in medical schools, so the use rate of the term "hospital faction" is not as high as that of the "academic school". The "academic" and "hospital" expert professors eventually laid the foundation for the training and certification of psychological counselors.
University psychology teachers are generally divided into professors (senior titles), associate professors (deputy senior titles), lecturers (intermediate titles) and teaching assistants (junior titles).
Please note: Only professors or associate professors can be called psychologists, and those with other titles cannot be called experts.
Psychology teachers, like psychologists, are vaguely titled. In the social population, the concept of "teacher" and "teacher" is difficult to distinguish, resulting in a great reduction in the accuracy of the title. Psychological teachers are more likely to refer to an honorific title for psychological workers, or educators engaged in psychoeducation and psychological maintenance in primary and secondary schools;
Secondary school psychology teachers are divided into special level teachers, senior teachers, middle school level one, middle school level two, etc.;
Primary school psychology teachers are divided into primary education special level, primary teaching advanced, primary teaching level one, primary teaching level two, etc.
Key qualifications of psychology teachers: teaching in formal colleges and universities;
Senior Psychology Teacher Key Qualifications: Senior Teacher Title and/or Occupational Counselor Qualification.
In the primary and secondary education system, from a strict point of view, those who have graduated from the psychology major of formal colleges and universities, have been engaged in the psychological industry and have senior (including deputy senior) teacher qualifications can be called experts.
5. Psychological counselor
Psychological counselor refers to the use of psychology and related knowledge, follow the principles of psychology, through the technology and methods of psychological counseling, to help the helper to relieve psychological problems of professionals, psychological counselor composition is more complex, including personnel from all walks of life with a certain level of education. The process of professionalization of psychological counselors is roughly as follows:
In April 2003, the first unified appraisal of national psychological counselors was carried out. The first batch of consultants in China was officially born.
On May 20, 2018, the last national examination for psychological counselors. Counsellors are no longer included in the official national vocational qualifications. Previous (including) eligibility is still valid. After 2018, all so-called "psychological counselors" are not nationally certified qualifications.
There are two levels of psychological counselor professional certification, two levels, level two, level two counselors can practice alone, and level three cannot practice alone.
Key qualifications: Level II or III psychological counselor qualification (issued by the Ministry of Labor).
6. Psychologists
Psychological experts, in the early stage of the development of psychological undertakings, specifically refer to those who have received higher education in formal national colleges and universities, specialized in psychopsychology and medical education, and engaged in psychological education in formal colleges and universities, and have senior or deputy senior professional titles.
Some counselors may have senior titles, but their education is not a psychology major and is generally not recognized as an expert in the industry. Of course, this is not to say that some people's professional skills are not high.
As for those who have changed careers with senior titles in other disciplines (generally considered to be non-scientific backgrounds) to engage in psychological counseling, there are also some people with high professional skills.
7. Psychological mentor
Psychological tutors are generally in the "hospital" and "academic" professional fields, specifically referring to those with senior professional titles (including deputy seniors) who meet the conditions for guiding graduate students. Of course, mentor has other meanings, which I will not list here, such as "instructor" is often understood in society.
VIII. Psychologist
Psychologists are only suitable for those who have achieved great academic achievements and great social significance, such as Freud, Jung, Watson, etc. Non-state certification qualifications.
9. Psychological supervisors and psychological supervision experts
Psychological supervision is a professional guidance for the professionalization process of psychological counselors and psychotherapists who have been engaged in psychological counseling or psychotherapy for a long time, and is a working mode to assist psychological professionals to improve their work ability and psychological quality. It refers to the process in which learners complete psychological work, improve their professional level and achieve self-psychological growth under the guidance of experienced supervisors; it is also a learning process in which peers in the psychological industry share knowledge, clarify ideas, and improve skills.
Psychological Supervisor: Non-state certified qualification. Refers to a counselor or psychotherapist who conducts psychological supervision of a counselor or psychotherapist. Psychological supervisor is not an officially certified professional qualification, and it is common in the industry to refer to the supervisor as a psychological supervisor.
Psychological supervision expert is not an official certification professional qualification, for a long time, because the supervisors in the industry are mostly "hospital faction" and "academic" with senior (including deputy senior) national certification professional qualifications, so it is also known as psychological supervision experts. In general, a counselor or therapist is more willing to receive guidance from these specialists.
10. Academic qualifications, degrees and titles
Medical, pedagogical, and psychological professionals, as long as they are trained by formal national universities, most of them have relevant academic qualifications and/or degrees, including bachelor's, master's, doctoral, etc., representing the level of education they have received, and these personnel are commonly known as "science class" or "science class origin". It should be noted that before the establishment of psychology professional education in colleges and universities, most of the relevant teaching content is undertaken by pedagogical professionals.
Whether it is "academic" or "hospital", the level of education is quite important, but the gold content of academic qualifications varies with different years. However, among these "science class" personnel, it is generally believed that the value of academic qualifications is lower than the level of professional titles, because the professional title level not only represents the quantity and quality of knowledge possessed, but also represents the ability to apply knowledge and the level of scientific research.
11. Classes and non-classes
In any profession, the background of the class is very important. Psychology graduates generally refer to those who have graduated from a national formal college or university majoring in medicine or psychology and have a bachelor's degree or above.
Non-science classes refer to non-medical or psychology graduates of formal colleges and universities, and turn to psychological practitioners.
As for the terms "chief", "senior", "gold medal" and so on in society, they are generally described by the psychologist himself or the institution to which he belongs, and the "adjective" is used.
In short, psychology is a rigorous science, we should treat it with a rigorous attitude, in the professional title the author suggests that it can be more rigorous and more professional.