Considering terminology
There are many confusing words used in this field of work, and it can often be difficult to differentiate between them. I have written about some of them below, but it is by no means an exhaustive list. If there is anything you think I should add, please let me know by telling me, email or Facebook and I will add them.
Psychology
Psychology is the study of mind and behaviour. It is an academic discipline and an applied science which seeks to understand individuals and groups by establishing general principles and researching specific cases. In this field, a professional practitioner or researcher is called a psychologist and can be classified as a social, behavioural, or cognitive scientist. Psychologists attempt to understand the role of mental functions in individual and social behaviour, while also exploring the physiological and biological processes that underlie cognitive functions and behaviours.
Psychodynamic Therapy
Psychodynamic psychotherapy is a form of depth psychology, the primary focus of which is to reveal the unconscious content of a client's psyche in an effort to alleviate psychic tension. In this way, it is similar to psychoanalysis. It also relies on the interpersonal relationship between client and therapist more than other forms of depth psychology. In terms of approach, this form of therapy uses psychoanalysis adapted to a less intensive style of working, usually at a frequency of once or twice per week.
Psychotherapy
Like counselling, the term "psychotherapy" is sometimes used to refer to talking therapies in general. However, psychotherapy is also a specific type of therapy. It may also be described as psychoanalytic or psychodynamic.
Psychotherapy is a more in-depth form of therapy than counselling, and it can be used to address a wider range of issues.
A psychotherapist can help you explore your thoughts, feelings and beliefs, which may involve discussing past events, such as those from your childhood.
They will help you consider how your personality and life experiences influence your current thoughts, feelings, relationships, and behaviour. This understanding should enable you to deal with difficult situations more effectively.
Psychiatry
Psychiatry is a medical field concerned with the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mental health conditions. A doctor who works in psychiatry is called a psychiatrist. Unlike other mental health professionals, such as psychologists and counsellors, psychiatrists must be medically qualified doctors who have chosen to specialise in psychiatry. This means they can prescribe medication as well as recommend other forms of treatment.
Psychoanalysis
Psychoanalysis is a set of psychological and psychotherapeutic theories and associated techniques, created by Austrian physician Sigmund Freud and others. Over time, psychoanalysis has been revised and developed in different directions. Under the broad umbrella of psychoanalysis there are at least 22 theoretical orientations regarding human mental development. The various approaches in treatment called "psychoanalysis" vary as much as the theories do. The term also refers to a method of analysing child development.
Freudian psychoanalysis refers to a specific type of treatment in which the "analysand" (analytic patient) verbally expresses his or her thoughts, including free associations, fantasies, and dreams, from which the analyst infers the unconscious conflicts causing the patient's symptoms and character problems, and interprets them for the patient to create insight for resolution of the problems. The analyst confronts and clarifies the patient's pathological defenses, wishes and guilt. Through the analysis of conflicts, including those contributing to resistance and those involving transference onto the analyst of distorted reactions, psychoanalytic treatment can hypothesize how patients unconsciously are their own worst enemies i.e. how unconscious, symbolic reactions that have been stimulated by experience are causing symptoms. Freudian psychoanalysis relies on the concept that it is only after having a cathartic (e.g. healing) experience can a person be "cured" and aided.
Psychopathology
Psychopathology is the scientific study of mental disorders, including efforts to understand their genetic, biological, psychological, and social causes; effective classification schemes (nosology); applies across all stages of development; manifestations; and treatment.
The word psychopathology has a Greek origin: 'psyche' means "soul", 'pathos' is defined as "suffering", and '-ology' is "the study of". Wholly, Psychopathology is defined as the origin of mental disorders, how they develop, and the symptoms they might produce in a person