Psychologist: HSA Eligibility

What is a psychologist?

The most commonly recognized type of psychologists are clinical and counseling psychologists. They provide psychotherapy and may administer and interpret psychological tests. There are other types of psychologists who focus on research, education, and other aspects of psychological. In terms of psychologists that a medical patient will interact with for treatment, a clinical or counseling psychologist will almost always be the type involved. Psychologists are recognized in different ways across the United States, and state law governs specifics of psychological education and some types of research. The term psychologist holds different legal and professional meanings in other countries as well (Verywell Mind).

Psychotherapy is the primary practice of clinical and counseling psychologists in the United States. There are many types of psychotherapy, and psychologists commonly specialize in one more varieties.

Varieties of psychotherapy include behavioral, cognitive, humanistic, existential, psychodynamic and systemic. Psychologists typically do not prescribe any medications because they are not legally able to do so, however some states in the U.S. have introduced legislation to allow psychologists qualified via additional educational and certification requirements to prescribe limited forms of medication. One major convenience of this change will be to allow a psychologist to provide psychotherapy through individual sessions without having to refer a patient out to a medical doctor or psychiatrist in order to receive medication, which may be an additional burden of time and resources on the patient, and may not otherwise be qualified under the patient's healthcare plan (they might have to choose between being reimbursed for medication and being reimbursed for psychotherapy) (American Psychiatric Association).

The title of psychologist in the United States is granted through a graduate degree in psychology in addition to being granted a state license or meeting other requirements, which vary by state. There are limited numbers of school psychologists, research psychologists, and academic psychologists who have obtained their credentials through other paths and are generally focused on environments outside of a clinical setting.