Psychologist in Spanish

What it means

A psychologist is one of the mental health providers who have training to treat mental health disorders. According to MedlinePlus, psychologists generally have doctoral degrees but do not have medical degrees, and they cannot prescribe medicine unless they have a special license; some psychologists work with providers who can prescribe medicine. Psychologists may use one-on-one counseling and/or group therapy sessions. The National Cancer Institute dictionary describes a psychologist as a specialist who can talk with patients and their families about emotional and personal matters and can help them make decisions. The National Institute of Mental Health names psychologists among the professionals who offer psychotherapy, also called talk therapy. A psychiatrist, by comparison, is a medical doctor who specializes in mental health and can prescribe medicine.

Psychologist in Spanish

Spanish term: Psicólogo
Gender and article: masculine: el psicólogo (feminine: la psicóloga)
Pronunciation: see-KOH-loh-goh

Psicólogo is the word used by both MedlinePlus en español and the National Cancer Institute's Spanish dictionary, written with an initial ps and an accent mark on the first o. MedlinePlus en español uses the plural los psicólogos when it talks about the profession in general, and the NCI dictionary defines the word as an especialista who talks with patients and their families about emotional and personal matters.

Do not confuse psicólogo with psiquiatra (psychiatrist). MedlinePlus en español describes the psiquiatra as a médico who specializes in mental health and can prescribe medicines, while psicólogos generally hold títulos de doctorado (doctoral degrees) but not medical degrees. For a psychologist's work the same page uses sesiones de asesoramiento individual (one-on-one counseling sessions) and terapia de grupo (group therapy). The wider group is profesionales de la salud mental (mental health professionals), and "to prescribe medicines" is recetar medicamentos.

Phrases for an appointment

What a patient or a clinician might say, in English and Spanish:

Who	English	Spanish
Patient	I would like to see a psychologist who speaks Spanish.	Quisiera ver a un psicólogo o una psicóloga que hable español.
Clinician	Have you ever talked with a psychologist or another mental health professional?	¿Ha hablado alguna vez con un psicólogo u otro profesional de la salud mental?
Patient	I already have a psychologist; I see her every two weeks.	Ya tengo psicóloga; la veo cada dos semanas.
Patient	Can a psychologist prescribe medicine?	¿Un psicólogo puede recetar medicamentos?
Clinician	Usually not. The psychologist may work with a provider who can prescribe.	Por lo general, no. El psicólogo puede trabajar con un proveedor que sí puede recetar.
Clinician	Would you prefer one-on-one sessions or group therapy?	¿Prefiere sesiones individuales o terapia de grupo?
Patient	What is the difference between a psychologist and a psychiatrist?	¿Cuál es la diferencia entre un psicólogo y un psiquiatra?
Patient	Does the psychologist accept my insurance, and how long is each session?	¿El psicólogo acepta mi seguro, y cuánto dura cada sesión?

In 9 languages

Language	Term
English	Psychologist
Spanish (Español)	Psicólogo
Chinese (中文)	心理學家
Korean (한국어)	심리학자
Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt)	Nhà tâm lý học
Filipino (Tagalog)	Psychologist
Portuguese (Português)	Psicólogo
Thai (ภาษาไทย)	นักจิตวิทยา
Japanese (日本語)	心理士

Where you'll see it

chartEOBintake formtreatment plan

Related terms

Your right to an interpreter in the United States

If English is not your primary language and you have difficulty communicating in English, you may need an interpreter or a translated document when you visit a doctor or dentist, go to the emergency room or pick up a prescription. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights states that two federal laws, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, require programs that receive its funding to provide language access services free of charge.

You can ask when you make the appointment or at the front desk: "I need an interpreter, please." «Necesito un intérprete, por favor.»

More terms: Mental health

All terms in this area: Mental health — Salud mental

Sources

This page is a language reference. It is not medical advice.