FAQs

1. What are the differences between a nurse practitioner (NP) and a psychiatrist (MD)?

   Both a psychiatrist and a nurse practitioner can diagnose a condition, and do psychotherapy and prescribe medication.  The difference is in the path they took to get their training.

   A psychiatrist is a physician who went to medical school and then did training in psychiatry afterwards.  A nurse practitioner began as a registered nurse, and then later returned to school to get advanced training and education to be able to practice independently.

2. Can a Nurse Practitioner (NP) prescribe medication?

   Yes! A Nurse Practitioner has undergone years of training beyond a registered nurse for this purpose.  A Nurse Practitioner can do an evaluation, prescribe medications, order diagnostic tests or labs, and do psychotherapy as well.

   At RIVIA Mind, we have a team of psychiatrists overseeing all of our cases.  So a supervising psychiatrist is always available if there is a question you feel your Nurse Practitioner cannot answer, or if you would like a second opinion.

3. What is an LMSW and an LCSW?

   LMSW stands for ‘Licensed master of social work’ and LCSW stands for ‘licensed clinical social worker’.  Social workers with either license can do an evaluation and psychotherapy.  The difference is in the training hours.  An LCSW requires more hours of clinical experience.

   At RIVIA, all social workers, whether LMSW or LCSW, are supervised by a team of psychiatrists who ensure the quality of care.

4. What services does a LMSW or LCSW provide?

   All social workers with either license can do an evaluation and psychotherapy under the proper supervision.

5. What's the difference between a psychiatrist, a psychologist, a psychotherapist and a psychoanalyst?

   Psychotherapist — any professional who is trained to treat people for their emotional problems. Depending upon their academic degree, a psychotherapist can be a psychiatrist, psychologist, or social worker.

   Psychiatrist — has a medical degree (MD), can prescribe medication and practices psychotherapy.

   Psychologist — has a Ph.D. in psychology, practices psychotherapy, and has training in neuropsychological testing.

   Psychoanalyst — some psychotherapists go on to extensive special training in an in-depth therapy modality that helps people get to the root of their problems.  Experiences that might cause us to repeat harmful patterns might be out of our awareness and rooted in our unconscious.

6. What is neuropsych or neuropsychological testing?

   A neuropsychological evaluation is a test to measure how well a person's brain is working. The abilities tested include reading, language usage, attention, learning, processing speed, reasoning, remembering, problem-solving, mood and personality and more.