Psychological Specialties
Psychology, like medicine, is subdivided into specialties and subspecialties.
The American Board of Professional Psychology (www.ABPP.org) is the pre-eminent national certifying board for professional psychologists, and certifies psychologists in more than ten specialties, including Clinical Neuropsychology, Clinical Health Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Child and Adolescent Psychology, Forensic Psychology, Rehabilitation Psychology, and Psychoanalysis, among others.
Board Certification in professional psychology is a rigorous process that requires several years of subspecialty training, education, supervised practice, and passing intensive national written, oral, ethics, and practice examinations before an examining board in the discipline.
Persons suffering from more general psychological issues like depression, anxiety, personality issues and so forth, when these are separate from major medical and neurological conditions, most often consult with a general practice Clinical Psychologist for their treatment and care. General Clinical Psychologists are analogous to Family Practice physicians or Internists in medicine -- they see people for a wide variety of general issues and problems, though in the psychological arena.
Clinical Neuropsychologists are similar in some ways to Neurologists in the field of medicine: Neurologists are first trained in general medical practice, and then undergo specialty education and training for certification in brain diseases and disorders. Neuropsychologists are first trained in general clinical psychological practice, and then undergo specialty education and training for certification in brain diseases and disorders. The difference is that Neurologists are doctors of medicine who deal primarily with the structural and physical aspects of neurological conditions, while Neuropsychologists are doctors of psychology who deal with the functional aspects of the brain and the effects of neurological conditions on memory, thinking, language, behavior, emotions, and so forth.
Like neurologists, neuropsychologists are often sub-specialists. Dr. Schneiders' practices in specific neuropsychological areas that include epilepsy/seizures, movement disorders, brain tumors, MS, stroke, and complex neurologically- and medically-based memory disorders and dementias [e.g., Alzheimer's disease, PDD, FTD/frontal lobe dementia, vascular dementia].
Clinical Health Psychologists are clinical psychologists who have specialty training and education in the psychological aspects and treatment of medical disorders and conditions, outside of brain disease and disorders. They may work again more generally helping patients with various aspects of many disease processes, but sometimes also subspecialize as physicians do, for example, in fields like organ transplant, cancer/oncology, sleep disorders, pain disorders, etc.
Psychiatrists are doctors of medicine who specialize in treating persons with mental illness, predominantly prescribing medication as the primary mode of treatment these days, though some psychiatrists still are trained in and may occasionally also treat patients with psychological therapies for conditions other than major mental illness.
The American Board of Professional Psychology (www.ABPP.org) is the pre-eminent national certifying board for professional psychologists, and certifies psychologists in more than ten specialties, including Clinical Neuropsychology, Clinical Health Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Child and Adolescent Psychology, Forensic Psychology, Rehabilitation Psychology, and Psychoanalysis, among others.
Board Certification in professional psychology is a rigorous process that requires several years of subspecialty training, education, supervised practice, and passing intensive national written, oral, ethics, and practice examinations before an examining board in the discipline.
Persons suffering from more general psychological issues like depression, anxiety, personality issues and so forth, when these are separate from major medical and neurological conditions, most often consult with a general practice Clinical Psychologist for their treatment and care. General Clinical Psychologists are analogous to Family Practice physicians or Internists in medicine -- they see people for a wide variety of general issues and problems, though in the psychological arena.
Clinical Neuropsychologists are similar in some ways to Neurologists in the field of medicine: Neurologists are first trained in general medical practice, and then undergo specialty education and training for certification in brain diseases and disorders. Neuropsychologists are first trained in general clinical psychological practice, and then undergo specialty education and training for certification in brain diseases and disorders. The difference is that Neurologists are doctors of medicine who deal primarily with the structural and physical aspects of neurological conditions, while Neuropsychologists are doctors of psychology who deal with the functional aspects of the brain and the effects of neurological conditions on memory, thinking, language, behavior, emotions, and so forth.
Like neurologists, neuropsychologists are often sub-specialists. Dr. Schneiders' practices in specific neuropsychological areas that include epilepsy/seizures, movement disorders, brain tumors, MS, stroke, and complex neurologically- and medically-based memory disorders and dementias [e.g., Alzheimer's disease, PDD, FTD/frontal lobe dementia, vascular dementia].
Clinical Health Psychologists are clinical psychologists who have specialty training and education in the psychological aspects and treatment of medical disorders and conditions, outside of brain disease and disorders. They may work again more generally helping patients with various aspects of many disease processes, but sometimes also subspecialize as physicians do, for example, in fields like organ transplant, cancer/oncology, sleep disorders, pain disorders, etc.
Psychiatrists are doctors of medicine who specialize in treating persons with mental illness, predominantly prescribing medication as the primary mode of treatment these days, though some psychiatrists still are trained in and may occasionally also treat patients with psychological therapies for conditions other than major mental illness.