The Mind Body Connection

Here at Lighthouse Health Group, we have both a psychiatrist and psychologist on staff. Many people have a difficult time deciding if they need assistance from a psychiatrist or a psychologist. Lucky you, here’s some clarification to help you decide: A psychiatrist is someone whose training is in medicine and specializes in mental health issues. They focus on the biological nature of an illness. In other words, how is someone’s biology contributing to his/her current symptoms. Dr. Edward Zawadzki, Lighthouse Health Group psychiatrist, notes, “It is particularly important to examine and consider all possible causes of psychiatric symptoms. A psychiatrist has advanced training in the evaluation and management of psychiatric illnesses and medication management to help reduce those symptoms.” A psychologist’s training involves the behavioral and relational underpinnings of mental illnesses. A psychologist is also a doctor and receives their doctorates in philosophy and/or psychology. Therefore, psychologists employ talk therapy to help an individual understand the root of their symptoms and find ways to address these symptoms with different and innovative coping skills. Dr. Ali Mandelblatt, Lighthouse Health Group psychologist, adds, “One of the main curative factors in therapy is a patient’s ability to be heard and understood by their psychologist. Additionally, clients can use the guiding advice of a psychologist outside the therapy room.”