Psychologist is a university profession that requires a degree and can also prescribe medication. Psychotherapist, on the other hand, is a further education profession. "Psychologist vs. psychotherapist" are therefore different professions. This is because this profession can be practiced after completing four to six years of in-service training. After this, you can treat people with mental disorders and illnesses by means of therapeutic counseling. The difference between "psychologist vs. psychotherapist" therefore lies in the training.

It is possible to run your own psychotherapy practice after completing comprehensive training. However, independent practice requires a license in all cantons, and professional knowledge is also checked. An alternative is employment in psychosocial institutions such as psychiatric clinics, counseling centers, hospitals, homes, special educational institutions or in supervision after a psychotherapy course.

A federally recognized psychotherapist can undergo further training as follows:

• Psychotherapists are legally obliged under the PsyG to undergo regular further training
• Courses and conferences offered by further education institutions, associations, universities of applied sciences, universities and clinics on the individual psychotherapeutic methods
• Offers from universities of applied sciences and universities at postgraduate level

A psychotherapist can carry out the following activities after completing psychotherapy training:

• diagnose people's individual psychological problems by asking about the patient's personal circumstances and problems
• Define therapy and its goals and build a relationship of trust
• provide support in the event of unmanageable difficulties in the partnership, with one's own personality and state of mind or in working life
• Treat depression, trauma disorders, addiction and compulsive disorders, psychosomatic illnesses, listlessness, personality, anxiety, behavioral and developmental disorders as well as psychotic disorders
• apply psychotherapeutic methods - systemic, cognitive-behavioral and body-psychotherapeutic or depth-psychological methods

Psychotherapy training comprises the following four integral elements, which must be coordinated within the framework of a recognized psychotherapy method:

• Theory
• Self-awareness
• Practice
• Supervision

Theoretical knowledge on these topics is imparted in further training in psychotherapy:

• Ethics
• Anthropology
• Sociology
• Psychology
• Personality, development and systems theory
• Disorder theory
• Child psychotherapy
• Intervention theory
• Treatment technique and diagnostics

With regard to psychotherapy training, the following requirements apply for admission to the federally accredited further training courses as a non-medical practitioner in psychotherapy:

• Master's, licentiate or diploma degree in psychology with sufficient achievements in clinical psychology and psychopathology from a university or University of Applied Sciences or equivalent degree (equivalence test)
• Suitability assessment

Further information can be obtained from the professional associations or the training institutes.

There are the following types of psychotherapy:

• Behavioral therapy
• Couples therapy
• Psychoanalysis
• Gestalt therapy
• Music therapy
• Depth psychology-based psychotherapy
• Analytical psychotherapy
• Systemic psychotherapy
• Delegate Psychotherapy
• Psychodynamic psychotherapy
• Talking psychotherapy
• Psychotherapy for children
• Body psychotherapy - body-centered psychotherapy

As you can see, there are numerous types of psychotherapy available to help with mental health problems.

Graduates of a psychotherapist training program must have the following skills:

• Constant monitoring of the therapeutic process and your own role
• Assessing progress and regression and adapting therapy accordingly
• Reflect on the feelings, thoughts and experiences experienced during therapy in conversation
• Bring about stability or at least relief
• Practicing your profession conscientiously
• Know the limits of your own skills
• Involve other experts if medical or psychiatric support is required
• Interested in further training - as legally obliged to undergo regular further training