What is a psychologist?
A psychologist is an individual who is trained to work with people—individuals, families, groups and organizations. Not all psychologists provide all services, and some branches of psychology (e.g., Social Psychology) are more academic than applied or clinical.
In Ontario, psychologists are governed and regulated by The College of Psychologists of Ontario. There are also voluntary organizations on the provincial and national level (Ontario Psychological Association, Canadian Psychological Association, American Psychological Association).
Psychologists will often be members of other organizations that help understand and promote specific areas of knowledge. These could include a specific domain of psychological research or treatment. Psychologists will confine their services to domains in which they have training, experience and ongoing education, in order to deliver state-of-the-art service.
In virtually all jurisdictions, psychologists cannot prescribe medication. With your written consent, a psychologist can share information with your family physician or psychiatrist in order to better inform pharmacological treatment.