Mental Health Series Part 3
As a former psychology student, current mental health professional and user of psychological services, I have come to notice that there tends to be confusion surrounding the different psychological professionals and their scopes of practice. I have come to notice that there seems to be a basic unawareness regarding the kind of work professionals within the mental health field actually do in terms of their jobs.
The two questions that have circled around in my head when realising this include: If there is confusion regarding the services each professional offers, how is the general public meant to begin looking for help? Do people in need of psychological services know which particular professional to contact?
These questions have lead me in wanting to provide a space for easy access to some much needed information, that is simple to understand and that can provide potential answers and direction through this blog post.
So with that being said, I want to create a small ‘guide’ to spread awareness on the different scopes of practice for some available psychological professionals, as best I can. I hope to help those in need of services to better reach out to the appropriate professionals and to make informed decisions. I hope that this blog post can maybe help others navigate their way through their experiences in an easier way and begin their mental health journey’s.
What is important to note before the information in this blog post is shared, is that because mental health professionals have different scopes, they therefore have different purposes. It is said that professionals should work within a network of other professionals in order to refer their clients to the appropriate services according to the needs of the client. It is important for professionals to work within their scope, stay within their differing roles and adhere to ethical rules and legislation. It is therefore essential for one to be able to work within the form of a multi-disciplinary team. I believe this is why it is necessary, for the public and the potential users of psychological services, to be aware of the following information.
I would also like my readers to note that the majority of the information in this blog post comes from documents provided by the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) who is responsible for “regulating the health professions in the country of South Africa in aspects pertaining to registration, education and training, professional conduct and ethical behaviour, while ensuring continuing professional development and fostering compliance with healthcare standards.” “The HPCSA is committed to promoting the health of the South African population, determining standards of professional education and training as well as setting and maintaining excellent standards of ethical and professional practice in order to protect the public and professionals themselves.” The following link will take you to the official HPCSA website if you are requiring more information.
The following information will highlight 11 professionals, along with their differing roles to help facilitate a better understanding regarding their scopes of practice, services and areas of expertise.
Registered Counsellor (RC): The role of a Registered Counsellor is to essentially make psychological services more accessible to the people of South Africa. In simpler language, the role of a RC was created as a form of ‘first line’ psychological support since the availability of psychological professionals such as psychologists, are often scarce, especially in disadvantaged areas.
The main aim of a RC’s scope is therefore to provide short-term, primary psychological and preventative interventions, that focus on supporting and promoting the enhancement of an individuals wellbeing in various community contexts. This includes working with individuals, families, groups and communities. This means that RC’s mainly focus on providing help that is short-term, supportive and preventative.The scope of a RC excludes psycho-therapeutic This means that RC’s are not involved in diagnosing, assessing or intervening with psychopathology (the presence of mental disorders), therefore RC’s do not provide therapy. RC’s instead will perform basic psychological screening for mental disorders and refer to the appropriate health care professionals according to their client’s needs. For more information, use the following links: Policy regarding Registered Counsellors and Practice framework (pages 3-4)
Counselling Psychologist: The role of a Counselling Psychologist mainly involves assessing, diagnosing and intervening in clients who are facing life challenges and developmental problems to get the most out of an individuals psychological wellÂbeing. Counselling Psychologists assess cognitive, personality, emotional and neuropsychological functioning in relation to various life challenges and developmental problems. They assess the developmental processes through an individuals life cycle and ability to adjust thereof. They identify psychopathology and diagnose disorders, while applying appropriate psychological interventions.They usually perform long-term therapeutic counselling interventions. This means that they provide therapy, while referring clients to the appropriate professionals for further assessment or help according to their client’s needs.
For more information, use the following link: Practice Framework (pages 8-10)
Clinical Psychologist: The role of a Clinical Psychologist includes assessing, diagnosing, and intervening in clients dealing with life challenges, particularly those with developmental and forms of psychological distress and/or psychopathology. They mainly identify psychopathology in the form of psychiatric disorders and psychological conditions, therefore applying the appropriate long-term psychological interventions, while referring clients to appropriate professionals for further assessment or help according to their client’s needs.
For more information, use the following link: Practice Framework (pages 6-8)
Educational Psychologist: The role of an Educational Psychologist includes assessing, diagnosing, and intervening in order to maximise human functioning in learning and development. They assess cognitive, personality, emotional and neuropsychological functioning of people related to learning and development. They identify and diagnose psychopathology and any potential barriers in relation to learning and development. They apply psychological interventions to enhance, promote and facilitate optimal learning and development, performing therapeutic interventions and referring clients to the appropriate professionals for further assessment and help according to their client’s needs.
For more information, use the following link: Practice Framework (pages 10-11)
Industrial Psychologist: The role of Industrial and Organisational Psychologists involve planning, developing, and applying paradigms, theories, models, constructs and principles of psychology in the work environment in order to understand, modify and enhance effective individual, group, and organisational behaviour. They perform psychometric and other assessments in order to determine the potential and/or suitability for training, development and employment and to determine individual, group and organisational effectiveness. They also refer clients to appropriate professionals for assessment and help according to their client’s needs.
For more information, use the following link: Practice Framework (pages 13-15)
Research Psychologist: The role of a Research Psychologist involves planning, developing and applying psychological research methods. They perform assessments relevant to the development of research for research purposes, including the development of psychological measures, researching, monitoring and evaluating psychological interventions.
For more information, use the following link: Practice Framework (pages 11-13)
Neuropsychologist: The role of a Neuropsychologist involves assessing, diagnosing, and intervening in the psychological disorders of people experiencing neuropathology or compromised functioning of the central nervous system. They diagnose and evaluate psychological disorders caused by neurological conditions and differentiate them from other psychological and non-neurological disorders. They are involved in treating and rehabilitating the psychological disorders of people suffering from central nervous system dysfunction, while also referring clients to appropriate professionals for further assessment and help according to their clients needs. For more information, use the following link: Practice Framework (pages 15-16)
Forensic Psychologist: The role of a Forensic Psychologist involves conducting psychological assessments, diagnoses and therapeutic interventions, mainly within the criminal justice system. They also refer their clients to appropriate professionals for further assessment and help according to their client’s needs.The primary aim of a forensic psychologist mainly involves protecting individual human rights, ensuring justice and enhancing wellbeing by applying psychological concepts to legal issues.
For more information, use the following link: Psychology School Guide
Psychometrist: The role of a Psychometrist is to make psychological assessments more accessible in order to promote the psychological wellbeing of the diverse South African population. Psychometrists take full responsibility for the adequate knowledge, understanding and ethical use of psychometrics, testing and assessment as well as the interpretation of test results and feedback. Psychometrists are professionals who specialise in the use and development of psychological tests, performing of assessments and procedures in a variety of contexts.
For more information, use the following links: Psychometry and Practice Framework (pages 5-6)
Social worker: Social workers mainly support individuals and their families through challenging times and ensure the safety of people considered to be ‘vulnerable’, often including the elderly, children and adults. Their role is to help improve the standard of living and outcomes in people’s lives.
For more information, use the following link: Prospects
Psychiatrist: Psychiatrists focus on the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mental, emotional and behavioural disorders.A psychiatrist is considered to be a medical doctor who specialises in mental health, including substance use disorders. Psychiatrists are the only qualified professionals to assess both the mental and physical aspects of psychological problems. They are able to offer psychotherapy as well as prescribe medications and other medical treatments.
For more information, use the following link: American Psychiatric Association
I hope my readers find this blog post to be enlightening and the information regarding the 11 professionals, their roles and their scopes of practice to be rather informative and useful.
If there are any professionals or aspects of their scopes of practice that I didn’t mention and are of importance or are needing more of an explanation, please feel free to comment down below and share further information, especially if you are a professional yourself.
Thank you for reading xx
