PSYCHOLOGISTS, AND WHAT WE ARE

A psychologist is a behavioural scientist. So, a psychologist is not necessarily a therapist/counselor. (S)he might as well be a neuropsychologist, a researcher, a data miner, a human resources representative, user interface specialist...etc. As psychologists are living on a planet infested by creatures with behaviour, there is quite a bit of vocations where the education comes handy.

Psychologists are not psychiatrists, neither are psychologists medical doctors. That means that psychologists do not have the rights to administer drugs or medicines for people. There is a reason for this: psychologists do not study pharmacology or toxicology. We, as a default, thus have no clue whatsoever as to what may or may not happen with a certain combination of drugs within a persons body. So do not take drugs from psychologists.
:-P
However, at least the psychology graduates I know, many are quite well aware of symptoms and dynamics of different psychological disorders, and may well be accurate in their hypotheses of the diagnosis a person having a certain group of symptoms will get. And yet, psychologists are not allowed to make diagnoses and brand people with them. That is generally the job of psychiatrists.

So what's the point of psychologists? What can they do then? Well. At least in my studies I had quite a bit of cognitive neuroscience, neuropsychology, behavioural neuroanatomy, personality studies, statistics, developmental psychology, courses in testing, psychopathology, mental disorders, hypnosis...these are a surprisingly good toolbox in any environment, with humans in it. These learnings will also be very handy when those humans are mad. (That being said, if I could choose again, I would propably go and study to be a computer science major. I did not because a diploma engineer in the 80's told me that computer programmers are a passing vocation, who will make crappy money and will not be needed in the 90's. I believed him. I was very young and foolish at the time.)

Then another note. One of my psychologist post-grad friends had drinks, was emotional, and was immediately branded as uncapable of being a psychologist by a girl who has not graduated from anywhere. Sigh. An explanation: when a psychologist is not acting as a therapist by vocation, or is having fun off-hours, (s)he usually feels, acts and thinks like any person may do. Examples, (s)he might get drunk, laugh a lot, cry and hug people (and laugh at the same time), have a sense of humour, be emotional, have hardships in being utterly objective and unemotional about matters concerning personal matters or loved ones, take part in debates...etc.
This does NOT automatically mean that they are uncapable of doing their work when they are at the office, being psychologists. It just means that they too are members of the human species and thus behave in various human ways.

If this seems strange to you, please consider some other examples: school teachers I know do not want to be seemingly frigid punching bags for your children in their free-time. They want to be normal people with feelings, and a life. Similarly, all police personnel are probably not catching criminals all of their free time, but sometimes go to movies, eat and drink like other people do. (with Jack Bauer of course being an exception. ;-])

Yet another issue keeps popping up, along the lines of: "Oh my GOD, I heard that that girl has herself had a depressive episode when she was young, how can she now work as a psychologist, 20 years later?!?!?".

Basic facts of life: doctors also can get ill. If a doctor has in his/her life been ill, is (s)he now incapable of being a doctor? If you want to find a doctor for yourself, who is immune to all forms of disease...good luck in your search. Same applies to psychologists. A psychologist (or a psychiatrist, A DOCTOR! OMG!) may have personal experiences (from him/herself, or members of family) of psychological symptoms. They still can be good at their work, possibly even better because of practical experience on the matter. Of course if they have an acute episode that would affect their capability to work, they must not try to treat other people. But no, a person who has had psychological symptoms during his/her life is not automatically handicapped for life. The brain, like the rest of a humans body, is quite capable of changing during a persons course of life, and with it, a persons mental health.

And last but not least: if you want to use a psychologists knowledge for mental health guidance, we will possibly (even likely) agree and tell you all we know and direct you to an actively counseling mental health professional (possibly, but not necessarily one of our bunch) to the best of our ability. But as we also are human beings who want to have a life, warn us in advance and give us a chance to make a choice whether we are prepared to give you counseling for free when we are having a break for a pint or a pizza. We actually don't have to do that, not really.

That being said, at least I aim for the well being of all people around me. All of you.

Yawn. Thanks for reading. Carry this new-found wisdom in your heart and be an enlightened person. Go ye now, listen a John Cleese podcast and be merry.