The Value of Choosing a Psychologist
“A psychologist studies how we think, feel and behave from a scientific viewpoint and applies this knowledge to help people understand, explain and change their behaviour”
Training
A Psychologist holds a Master’s and/or Doctoral degree that involves 7 to 11 years of university study and residency/internship on psychology's science and evidence-based practice.
Psychologists are uniquely qualified and ready to help you with their training in cognition, emotion, behaviour, and enacting behavioural changes.
Accountability
Psychologists are accountable to the public.
In Alberta, psychologists are regulated by the Health Professions Act and must follow standards established by the College of Alberta Psychologists.
To ensure public trust in the profession, psychologists must work within their area of competence and remain transparent about their qualifications.
A psychologist also must follow a Code of Ethics that ensures the dignity of the individual and fair treatment of those who use their service.
Trust
Psychologists are among the most trusted by the public to deal with mental health problems. (EKOS Research Report, 2011)
Expertise
Psychologists spend their extensive university training learning the science and practice of psychology.
They are trained as experts in psychological assessment and therapeutic modalities and the foundations of human behaviour, including development, learning theory, neuroscience, personality and motivation.
Psychologists also have extensive training in cognition, emotion, relationship evaluation, research, ethics, and how to effect behavioural change.
*Thank you to the Psychologists’ Association of Alberta for the content taken from their “The Value of Choosing a Psychologist” pamphlet.