Psychiatrists can prescribe medication (I think the "ch" are related - psychiatry and chemical?). They can do what I'd call "conversational therapy" but they're main job is dealing with medication.
Psychologists are usually more of a traditional conversational therapy - and there's different forms of that, CBT, DBT, etc.
Social workers - I'm not 100% sure but in my experience they're more of a "intermediary" - they diagnose and refer you to an appropriate therapy. That or they're more of a "general psychologist" say with a school. I don't think you really meet with them regularly. There's a huge shortage of Psychiatrists/Psychologists at least here in Michigan, and a becoming a social worker requires less schooling I believe.
(I've suffered from depression for years, I've met many doctors, social workers, etc. and currently see a Psychologist and Psychiatrist regularly)
You've got this somewhat wrong. It's true that many psychiatrists these days focus on med management rather than therapy, but until maybe 30 years ago psychiatrists were actually the only mental health professionals who were allowed to become psychoanalysts, the folks who more or less pioneered talk therapy.
Also CBT/DBT are not forms of psychodynamic therapy (which is what people usually think of when they think of talk therapy). That's why they're called "behavioral" therapies.
My answer is based on what I find true today and from my experience. I'm only 20 so that explains that part.
Not sure what you mean by "CBT is not a form of talk therapy". The first sentence according to the Mayo Clinic is "Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a common type of talk therapy (psychotherapy)." [0]. Are you confusing CBT with CBD?
I'm just using a phrase that the average joe understands (And is also used by the Mayo Clinic). We can agree to disagree if you want, but to be fair what I call it doesn't really matter, I'm but a young lowly programmer :)
It matters in the sense that the difference between a "list" and an "array" matters. I'm just trying to clarify the language so anyone who reads is on the same page. When most people think of talk therapy I think that they think of lying on a couch and not stuff like CBT but perhaps I'm wrong.
All three have talk therapy within their scope of practice, and "the talking cure" originated with 19th century German doctors. Until the middle of the 20th century it was exclusively the domain of MDs.
In modernity, insurance reimbursement policies incentivize psychiatrists to focus on medication management, but there are still many of the old guard (and cash-only practices that set their own rates) who will perform psychotherapy. Additionally, in certain states, Licensed Psychologists (PhDs and PsyDs) who have completed additional training in psychopharmacology are allowed to prescribed a limited set of psychotropic medications in collaboration with a fully licensed MD (not necessarily a psychiatrist). Also in the prescribing realm are PMHNPs, mid-level providers trained in the nursing model who focus on psychiatric care. As with psychiatrists, they tend to focus on medication management, but are able to provide talk therapy as well.
Psychologists (PhDs and PsyDs) are Doctoral level providers trained in research, talk therapy, and administering psychological assessments such as personality inventories, IQ tests, and capacity determinations for forensic purposes.
Licensed Clinical Social Workers, Counselors, and Marriage & Family Therapists are all Masters-level providers trained to provide talk therapy. There are different histories and underpinnings that have created these distinctions and is reflected somewhat in the specifics of their graduate studies, but it's largely irrelevant to you as a client; much like engineering, therapy is as much art as science, and most of the "real" training comes once you have graduated and begun working in the field.
The current trend in outcomes research indicate that the license and professional background is not a significant factor in the efficacy of psychotherapy. To quote Irvin Yalom, a giant in the field of talk therapy (and a psychiatrist by training), "it is the relationship that heals".
Psychologists are usually more of a traditional conversational therapy - and there's different forms of that, CBT, DBT, etc.
Social workers - I'm not 100% sure but in my experience they're more of a "intermediary" - they diagnose and refer you to an appropriate therapy. That or they're more of a "general psychologist" say with a school. I don't think you really meet with them regularly. There's a huge shortage of Psychiatrists/Psychologists at least here in Michigan, and a becoming a social worker requires less schooling I believe.
(I've suffered from depression for years, I've met many doctors, social workers, etc. and currently see a Psychologist and Psychiatrist regularly)