Psychologist vs. psychiatrist vs CBT Therapist: what’s difference? And who to choose?
- Heidi Ashley
- Jun 8
- 4 min read
When you’re looking for private mental health support, trying to navigate a sea of professional titles when you already feel vulnerable can be overwhelming.
In the NHS, these decisions are usually made for you. Your GP assesses your needs, and you’re directed to a specific tier of care.
But in the private sector, you become the decision-maker. This brings a lot of freedom. But it also introduces complexities; even risks.
Understanding the differences in training, regulation, and approach is the best way to make an informed, safe choice.
To help you find a good fit, let’s unpack the roles of five key mental health professionals and look at their typical fees in the Glasgow area at time of writing (summer 2026).
Perhaps you’ll read this and realise you don't need to see someone with my level of training! In which case, I’ll still feel that I’ve been quite useful to you!
Clinical or Counselling Psychologist
Specialty: Depth and breadth of clinical expertise. Able to work right across the spectrum of severity but often become specialists in particular areas.
Credentials: Doctor of Psychology. Regulated by law via the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
Average fee in Glasgow (2026): £120 – £150+ per session
Approach: Six to eight years of rigorous academic and clinical training. Psychologists are "scientist-practitioners” meaning we both consume and contribute to the evidence base behind therapy. For counselling psychologists, extensive personal therapy is part of training to build self-awareness. Psychologists specialise in psychological formulation: the ability to make sense of complex, lifelong patterns by drawing on extensive knowledge of several models and theories. Psychologists can tailor a highly individualised treatment plan that is specific to you and evaluate its impact on your problems (i.e. establish whether we’re helping you!).
Advanced specialisms (e.g. schema therapy): Many psychologists pursue years of post-doctoral training to qualify in an additional specialist model. This could be becoming an EMDR Consultant or Advanced Level Schema Therapy who can safely navigate deep-rooted, lifelong emotional and relational patterns. Others might specialise in neurodevelopmental assessment e.g. ADHD or autism.
Typically treat: Almost any issue but usually focus on complex or long-standing difficulties e.g. complex trauma/CPTSD, chronic relationship patterns, childhood emotional neglect.
2. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) Therapist
Specialty: Goal-oriented, structured. Provide practical tools for targeted, current difficulties.
Credentials: Typically accredited by the BABCP (British Association for Behavioural & Cognitive Psychotherapies).
Average fee in Glasgow (2026): £70 – £95 per session.
Approach: CBT is a highly structured, evidence-based therapy that explores how thoughts, feelings, physical sensations and actions interact. It’s usually time-limited e.g. 12 sessions. It upskills clients with practical tools e.g. cognitive restructuring. Many CBT therapists have prior backgrounds in nursing or occupational therapy. Achieving BABCP accreditation means possessing high levels of competence within the CBT model.
Typically treat: Mild-to-moderate problems and discrete present-day difficulties, acute episodes of anxiety or depression, OCD, specific phobias, single-event traumas (such as car accident).
3. Psychotherapist (psychoanalytic or psychodynamic)
Specialty: A deep dive into the unconscious influences on our lives
Credentials: Typically registered with the UKCP (UK Council for Psychotherapy).
Average fee in Glasgow (2026): £60 – £120 per session
Approach: Explores how past experiences and unconscious factors influence how we behave and feel today. While it shares some conceptual roots with schema therapy, the experience in the room is quite different for the client. Psychotherapy offers an open, unstructured space, with close attention paid to exploring the immediate relationship between therapist and client to uncover important hidden patterns. (Note: Confusingly, the term "psychotherapist" is sometimes also used by CBT therapists).
Typically treat: Deep-seated emotional patterns, existential crises, identity or relationship issues explored over a longer timeline.
4. Counsellor
Specialty: Empathic, present-focused support through specific life transitions and hurdles.
Credentials: Usually, a diploma; occasionally a Masters level degree. Typically registered with the BACP (British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy).
Average fee in Glasgow: £50 – £90 per session.
Approach: Provides a compassionate, non-judgmental space to process immediate stressors. High importance placed on an authentic, human-to-human therapy relationship. Counsellors are highly skilled at helping you access your internal resources, clarify your feelings, and navigate a difficult period.
Many counsellors and CBT therapists work together with psychologists, referring clients between services depending on the level of complexity required.
Typically treat: Grief, loss and bereavement, relationship breakdowns, job transitions, immediate situational stressors.
5. Psychiatrist
Specialty: Medical diagnosis and pharmacological (medication) management of mental illness.
Credentials: Regulated by the General Medical Council (GMC); Member/Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists (MRCPsych).
Average fee in Glasgow (2026): £350 – £950 for initial diagnostic assessment; £150 – £300 for follow-up medical reviews.
· Approach: Psychiatrists are medical doctors who have further specialised in psychiatry. They view mental health primarily through a biological and diagnostic lens. They diagnose complex psychiatric conditions and prescribe and manage medications (such as antidepressants, antipsychotics, mood stabilisers, or ADHD medication). Most psychiatrists do not provide talking therapy but refer on e.g. to psychologists.
Typically treat: Conditions requiring diagnosis and/or medical or psychiatric oversight e.g. psychosis or severe treatment-resistant depression.
Summary: how do you choose?
Choosing the right professional often comes down to matching the nature of your struggle with the framework and training of the practitioner. For example:
If you’re dealing with:
- discrete difficulties
- with a recent onset
- for example, you have struggled with low mood for a few months but usually you manage well
- or you are experiencing acute anxiety after a specific event
- a BABCP-accredited CBT therapist provides excellent, targeted, evidence-based tools to help you move forward, often quite quickly.
However, if:
- your struggles are tethered to lifelong repeating patterns
- you have difficulties in several areas of life e.g. relationships / work / how you feel about yourself
- you’ve tried therapy before, but its impact was limited or short-lasting
- a difficult or complex or unhappy childhood seems at the root of your issues
- you often find yourself right back at square one, feeling increasingly hopeless
- your difficulties seem very stubborn, almost part of who you are
… then a Clinical or Counselling Psychologist e.g. with advanced specialised training in a model like Schema Therapy can provide the depth required to treat these deep-rooted difficulties safely and effectively. (Read my blog on why working with a fully trained ISST-certified schema therapist can be important).
If you would like to explore whether my specific background as an HCPC Registered Psychologist and Advanced Schema Therapist aligns with what you are experiencing, please feel free to get in touch to discuss your needs.
