Therapists Are Often Asked Questions That Are Beyond Their Scope Of Expertise

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When I was in college years ago, one of my professors, who was a psychotherapist, told the class that therapists are often asked questions that are beyond their scope of expertise. For example, therapists, such as clinical psychologists and clinical social workers, are often asked by their clients about psychiatric medications and psychiatric medicine. The thing is, psychologists and social workers are trained in psychology and many are trained therapists. However, they're not trained in psychiatric medicine. Instead, those who are trained in that area are psychiatrists and psychiatric nurse practitioners. Psychiatrists and psychiatric nurse practitioners are trained in both psychiatric medicine as well as psychotherapy. Clinical psychologists and clinical social workers are trained in therapy, but not in psychiatric medicine. They're not experts on medication and cannot prescribe medication like psychiatrists and psychiatric nurse practitioners can.