Who is a psychologist?
A psychologist is a trained mental health practitioner who uses talk therapy and psychological evaluations to assist individuals in managing mental health conditions, such as anxiety or depression.
Psychologists with doctoral degrees (EdD, Ph.D., or PsyD) spend more than seven years in education and training after completing undergraduate degrees and become holistic experts.
What are the different types of psychologists?
There are many different types of psychologists, but they typically fall under one of three following categories:
- Research psychologists: These professionals conduct experiments and studies with human and animal subjects. They often work for private businesses, universities, or government entities. Their research focuses on various areas within psychology, including neuroscience, cognition, development, personality, and social behavior.
- Mental health practitioners: These professionals work with people experiencing psychological distress and mental disorders. They can be counseling psychologists, clinical psychologists, and school psychologists.
- Applied psychologists: These professionals utilize psychological principles and research to solve real-world problems. They could be engineering psychologists, aviation psychologists, human factor psychologists, and industrial-organizational psychologists.
What do psychologists do?
Psychologists study and help treat their patients' emotional, cognitive, and social processes and behaviors. Their main goal is to understand and evaluate their mental status, thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. To achieve this, they:
- Study emotional and behavioral patterns
- Diagnose disorders
- Make referrals
- Come up with appropriate treatment plans like routine talk therapy sessions
Psychologists work with clients in various settings, such as schools, hospitals, rehabilitation centers, prisons, community health centers, and nursing homes. They can attend to individuals, families, or couples. Unlike psychiatrists, psychologists are not medical doctors, meaning they cannot prescribe medications or perform surgical procedures.
Psychologists work with clients to develop the best approach to address their problems. They can use various therapies, including cognitive-behavioral, humanistic, interpersonal, and psychodynamic therapy. If needed, they may also utilize these in combination with each other.
Conditions for which you should consult a psychologist near you
When it comes to mental health, waiting for the symptoms to be bad enough to warrant treatment is ill-advised. If you believe you need psychological assistance, trust your gut and seek care.
Following are some common concerns or experiences for which you must seek a psychologist's attention:
- Experiencing negative thinking patterns
- Going through a significant life change (break-up, divorce, moving to a new city, etc.)
- Having trouble sleeping
- Coping with a traumatic event
- Having difficulty concentrating on day-to-day obligations
- Struggling to achieve your goals
- Wanting to improve your relationships
- Seeking greater fulfillment and happiness in life
Specifically, a psychologist can address various mental and behavioral health conditions. These issues may manifest as either long-term or short-term challenges, which may necessitate mental healthcare. Examples of problems for which you might seek a psychologist's assistance include the following:
- Alcohol use disorder: This condition is marked by frequent or heavy alcohol consumption. Those who have this disorder find it challenging to cease drinking, even when it starts leading to emotional distress, problems, or physical harm to themselves or others.
- Anger issues: Anger represents an emotional response to a situation that prompts individuals to initiate changes. It activates the sympathetic nervous system and instigates various physical alterations. Psychologists employ anger management techniques or therapeutic modalities to address conditions provoking it. Cognitive behavioral therapy is often used for this purpose and can be conducted in one-on-one or group counseling sessions.
- Anxiety: It is a mental health condition in which individuals respond to particular stimuli and circumstances with fear and apprehension. Physical symptoms like an accelerated heart rate and sweating often accompany these feelings.
- Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD): It is a condition that distorts one's perception of their physical appearance. This often leads to obsessive thoughts and emotions that can consume individuals and influence their thoughts and actions. Over time, BDD can significantly impact one's quality of life and self-esteem.
- Depression: It is a common condition that induces persistent sadness and changes in an individual's thoughts, sleep patterns, eating habits, and behavior, among other things. It is typically treatable through talk therapy, medication, or both administered together.
Seeking assistance for mental health and behavioral conditions can be daunting and overwhelming. However, if needed, it is imperative to do so, as maintaining mental health is as crucial as ensuring overall physical well-being.
How do you find top psychologists near you?
Are you someone looking for trained and experienced psychologists? If yes, you have landed at the right place. With Zocdoc, you can book appointments with top psychologists in Newport Beach, California, in minutes. To begin with, register yourself for free on the Zocdoc website. Now, you can look for a doctor by entering your symptoms, the specialty you are looking for, the preferred location, insurance type, and appointment date.
A comprehensive list of in-network providers based on search criteria will appear. Zocdoc allows patients to know their doctors better and book the best for themselves. To enable this, all the providers on the Zocdoc platform have unique profiles. These include short bios, educational qualifications, certifications, accreditations, visit reasons, accepted insurances, and available appointment slots. Once you have shortlisted your providers, you can also go through verified patient reviews and user ratings to narrow your search results to compare and choose the one most suitable.
Some providers on Zocdoc may also offer video consultations. To book an online or video consultation, look for a purple icon on their profile or filter your search results by selecting video visit in visit type. Once you have finalized your provider, you can choose a convenient slot and book an appointment with just a click.
Booking appointments are easy, secure, and 100% free!
Statistics on psychologists and mental health issues in California, United States
According to the 2021 reports on occupational employment and wages published by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were around 13,800 psychologists in the United States. The corresponding figure for California was about 1,500. California ranks first with the highest number of psychologists.
Per the 2021 fact sheet published by the National Alliance on Mental Illness on Mental Health in California, approximately 1 in 5 US adults experience mental illness yearly. Around 1 in 20 US adults experience severe mental illness each year. Moreover, over half of Americans reported that COVID-19 affected their mental health.
The same reports also show that in California, around 5,566,000 adults had a mental health condition. That's more than six times the population of the state of San Francisco!
In February 2021, around 46.1% of adults in California reported experiencing symptoms of anxiety or depression. Further, about 21.9% of Californians reported not getting the required therapy or counseling.
Sources
WebMD
American Psychological Association
Cleveland Clinic
Verywell Mind
National Alliance on Mental Illness
US Bureau of Labor Statistics
