What is The Difference Between a Child Therapist and a Child Psychologist?

Many parents cannot judge whether to seek child therapists or child psychologists for their child's mental and emotional well-being. To them, both look similar, but things like training, treatment modalities, and areas of specialization are somehow different. This knowledge better equips parents to determine who is best to help their children with their needs.

What Is a Child Therapist?

Child therapist is a broad term encompassing any qualified professional who provides psychological or emotional assistance in therapy sessions for children. These therapists have training in psychological sciences (counselling, social work, or marriage and family therapy).

They also provide cognitive behavioural therapies to help the child manage and regulate their emotions, learn helpful coping skills against some behavioural problems, and offer interventions at schools, clinics, private offices, or even community programs.

What Is a Child Psychologist?

A child psychologist can comprehend how a child thinks, behaves, and feels with professional training to understand development, psychopathology, cognitive assessments, or interventions. They use evidence-based practice to carry out various treatment approaches.

Education and Training

To become a child psychologist, one must complete an accredited psychology course and a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology or Educational Psychology.

Child therapists can qualify in various disciplines according to their practising therapy. For example, a play therapist may have initial training in education or social work but then have a particular qualification concentrating on therapeutic methods for children.

Scope of Practice

Child psychologists are much broader in terms of scope of practice and have choices available for the assessment and treatment planning of complex mental health conditions.

Conversely, child therapists use emotional support and developmental interventions within therapeutic relationships. They could be working with children suffering similar distress in trauma, anxiety, or behavioural problems.

Type of Problems They Deal With

Child therapists and child psychologists are there to address an array of issues, including topics such as low self-esteem, school refusal, family issues, grief and bereavement and social difficulties. A psychologist's role is the diagnosis of developmental disorders or the management of complex mental problems.

Where They Work

Child psychologist employers include NHS services, special education schools, hospitals, research institutions, special educational needs areas (SEN) or mental health care.

Some child therapists might work independently in private practice, charities, schools, or local authorities. They usually spend quite a long time with the children in therapy and tend to employ creative, child-friendly means of engagement.

Making the Right Choice for Your Child

Whether to choose a child therapist or a child psychologist depends on the child's problem. A child therapist seems to be a good option to support emotional issues such as anxiety or grief. However, a child psychologist is best for developmental delay cases, learning difficulties, or other complex problems.

Conclusion

While the differences lie in the training backgrounds and methods of the child therapist and child psychologist, both would ensure the child's overall mental health and emotional development. Such knowledge empowers the parents to make the optimal selection for the benefit of their children.