A primary care physician is usually the first medical contact for health care. Family practitioners, general practitioners, and pediatricians are primary care physicians. A primary care physician can prescribe medications and treat most general medical disorders and will refer patients to a specialist when necessary. The following describe these types of specialists:
Holistic and Alternative Medicine Physician
An alternative medicine physician is a specialist in complementary and alternative medicines, holistic medicine, nutritional medicine and herbal medicine treatments. As physicians, these doctors are capable of prescribing standard medications but often choose different approaches that may combine natural medicines with mental health therapies such as CBT. Once the physician determines the appropriate wellness plan/treatment they may refer the patient to a mental health therapist such as a life coach, psychologist or psychoanalyst.
Psychologist
A psychologist is trained to provide professional counseling on psychological and emotional issues and may also specialize in areas such as marital counseling, relaxation therapy, stress management, or sex therapy. A psychologist does not have the ability to prescribe medications.
Psychoanalyst
Psychoanalysts follow Freud's theories that painful childhood memories contained in the subconscious are the cause of emotional disturbances. Psychoanalysts are like psychologists in that they usually deal with emotional issues and do not prescribe medication. However, their approach is different from that of conventional psychologists. Psychoanalysis is a method of searching through a person's subconscious memories for the source of their current difficulties, rather than focusing on conscious memories. Psychoanalysts also tend to meet much more often with their clients. Rather than meeting only once a week (as is common with psychologists), they usually prefer to meet as often as three to five times a week.
Psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the treatment of mental, emotional, or behavioral problems. A psychiatrist can prescribe medications and may establish therapy sessions to treat the patient. |
