Frank Luzza: What a practicing psychologist does

Frank Luzza: What a practicing psychologist does

Practicing psychologists like Frank Luzza have the clinical skills and professional training necessary for them to help people learn to cope with and overcome life and mental health problems more effectively. They receive a license from their states after several years in graduate school and years of supervised training. Once licensed, they may be able to offer multiple services, including psychotherapy and assessments.

They help people by using a variety of techniques based on the latest and best research available, while taking into account a person's unique characteristics, values, circumstances, and goals.

Psychologists with a doctoral degree (either EdD or PsyD) achieve one of the highest levels of education among all health care professionals and spend an average of 7 years in education and training after receiving their bachelor's degree.

What psychologists do

Psychologists help a wide range of people and treat a range of health problems. Some people consult a psychologist because they have felt anxious, depressed, or angry for a long period of time; or they need help for a specific chronic condition that is affecting their physical health or personal life. Other people may have short-term problems that they need help to overcome, such as: B. Grief over the death of a loved one, loss of a job, or any other type of sadness, loneliness, or failure. They can help people overcome stressful situations, cope with addictions, control chronic illness, and overcome barriers that prevent them from achieving their goals.

They are also trained to perform and interpret multiple assessments and tests that help diagnose certain medical conditions or reveal more about the way a person thinks, behaves, and feels. Such tests can assess cognitive weaknesses and strengths, neuropsychological functioning, intellectual abilities, personality traits, career preferences and aptitudes.

How psychologists help

To help individuals improve their lives, psychologists use a range of treatments based on evidence. Most often, psychologists use psychotherapy, which is also known as talk therapy. There are a number of different therapy styles, but the professional will be the one to choose which type is best suited to the individual problems. He will choose what best suits a patient's preferences and characteristics.

Some of the most common types of therapy are behavioral, interpersonal, cognitive, cognitive-behavioral, psychodynamic, humanistic, or a combination of two or more styles.

Therapy can be for a single person, couples, an entire family or other groups. Some psychologists have been trained in hypnosis, which has been shown to be effective for a range of conditions, including mood disorders, pain and anxiety.

For certain medical conditions, medication plus therapy is a treatment combination that works best. For those who benefited significantly from medication, psychologists

For people who benefit from medication, psychologists work with primary care physicians, pediatricians and psychiatrists on their overall treatment. Two states, New Mexico and Louisiana, have laws that allow licensed psychologists with additional, specialized training to prescribe medications from a list of medications that improve emotional and mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety.

Alternative practitioner psychotherapy

The best place to find alternative practitioners psychotherapy is in our free alternative practitioner directory. To view all alternative psychotherapy practitioners, please click here.