The public's perception of psychotherapy and counseling: Differential views on the effectiveness of psychologists, psychiatrists, and other providers

Abstract

This study examined the public's perceptions relative to the effectiveness of psychotherapy and counseling, expectations of treatment efficacy for different PERCEPTION OF RELATIVE EFFICACY AMONG PROVIDERSIn most states, psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, counseling psychologists, counselors, marital and family therapists, and social workers are licensed to provide mental health services and are reimbursed by third party

Perceptions of Effectiveness Among College Students: Toward Marriage and Family Counseling and Therapy

“…Consistent with the findings of Richardson and Handal (1995), the students in the current study did not perceive MFTs to be involved-or particularly qualified-as mental health professionals who are capable of diagnosing and treating mental disorders. The most immediate implication with regard to this finding is that significant work is needed to educate the general public, especially students, about the identities and qualifications of MFCs or MFTs.…”

“…According to Richardson and Handal (1995), consumers have supposed that psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, and counseling psychologists would be capable of handling the most severe disorders, while professional counselors were thought to be capable of handling moderately severe cases of psychiatric disorders. MFCs or MFTs, however, were perceived to be specifically capable only in addressing therapeutic issues pertaining to marriages and the family, and self-help groups were thought to be the most effective with drug and alcohol treatments.…”

Intentions to see a psychologist for weight management: A cross‐sectional study investigating beliefs about psychologists, psychological services and obesity

“…Psychologists were rated as the third most preferred, and fourth most qualified, providers of weight loss support, and as trustworthy and helpful in lifestyle intervention. They were exceeded only by other specialist services, that is dietitians, exercise physiologists and weight loss consultants, which is a trend reported in other research on service provider preferences (Angermeyer et al, 2017;Richardson & Handal, 1995). Psychologists were also more highly endorsed than GPs, reflecting findings in the mental health context (Angermeyer et al, 2017), and perhaps the view that GPs may be perceived as having comparatively less time to offer weight management support (Tan et al, 2006).…”

“…However, ratings of psychologists in this study were also similar to the findings of Tol et al (2014) with respect to dietitians. To minimise this potential bias in future studies, forced‐choice options could be employed, or rankings of professionals or services (Hansson et al, 2010), to account for the general preference for specialists reported in past studies (Angermeyer et al, 2017; Richardson & Handal, 1995). In addition, a broader range of specialist health professionals (e.g., psychiatrists and endocrinologists) and other providers (e.g., personal trainers) would be valuable to include in future studies to gain a stronger understanding of attitudes towards the broad range of providers working this context.…”

“…It is not surprising, then, that psychologists have been recommended within multidisciplinary obesity management teams to promote health behaviour change and well‐being (BPS Obesity Task and Finish Group, 2019; National Health and Medical Research Council, 2013; Yumuk et al, 2015). However, despite studies examining how psychologists are perceived in mental health settings (Angermeyer et al, 2017; Richardson & Handal, 1995), little is known regarding beliefs about psychologists in the context of obesity, which is important for service uptake.…”