Clinical, counselling or registered psychologist: what the titles mean

Every psychologist is fully qualified

Under the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003, nobody can call themselves a psychologist in New Zealand unless they are registered with the New Zealand Psychologists Board and hold a current annual practising certificate. The usual New Zealand route is a master's degree or higher in psychology and at least 1,500 hours of supervised practice, and psychologists trained overseas register through equivalent approved routes. Every registered psychologist works to the Board's competencies and the Code of Ethics, and must keep their skills up to date every year.

The Board registers each psychologist in a scope of practice, which reflects the training pathway they completed. When someone is described simply as a Registered Psychologist, they are usually registered in the general psychologist scope. Clinical Psychologist and Counselling Psychologist are scopes with their own postgraduate training routes.

A title tells you which path someone took. It doesn't rank psychologists, and it doesn't tell you how skilled or experienced a particular person is.

The scopes, and the training behind them

The Board currently prescribes eight scopes: five psychologist scopes, two training scopes and, since 9 July 2026, a Psychology Assistant scope. Each psychologist scope has its own accredited training route.

• Psychologist (general scope): applies psychological knowledge and skills with individuals, groups and organisations. Many work as therapists with adults, supporting the same kinds of difficulties as their clinical and counselling colleagues; others work in health, community or organisational settings.
• Clinical psychologist: trained through a clinical programme focused on the assessment and treatment of emotional, mental and behavioural difficulties.
• Counselling psychologist: trained through a counselling psychology programme focused on personal, social and vocational wellbeing, using therapy, assessment and prevention. There is a lot of overlap with clinical work.
• Educational psychologist: works on learning, academic performance and emotional development, usually with children, young people, families and schools.
• Neuropsychologist: specialises in assessment and rehabilitation after brain injury or in neurological conditions.
• Intern psychologist: a student in an accredited programme practising under supervision while completing training.
• Trainee psychologist: someone completing the supervised practice required for registration, under a registered psychologist's supervision.

What matters more than the title

For adults looking for help with anxiety, low mood, OCD, trauma, relationships or stress, psychologists in the general, clinical and counselling scopes all do this work every day. What makes the difference is the individual: what they have trained in, what they have experience with, how they work, and whether you feel comfortable with them.

So rather than asking which title someone has, it helps to ask:

• Do they have specific training or experience in what you need? For OCD, for example, look for training in exposure and response prevention (ERP).
• Which therapies do they use, and do those suit the way you like to work?
• Do they often see people with concerns like yours?
• Do you feel you could talk openly with them? The relationship with your psychologist is one of the most consistent predictors of how well therapy goes.

A few areas do belong to particular scopes: cognitive assessment after a brain injury is a neuropsychologist's work, and learning difficulties in children are an educational psychologist's.

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Other words you will see on profiles

A few terms cause confusion:

• Dr may mean a PhD or a clinical doctorate (DClinPsych), not a medical degree. Psychologists are not medical doctors and do not prescribe. Psychiatrists are.
• Intern or trainee means the person is registered in a training scope while they complete an accredited programme or Board-approved supervised practice. The work is supervised by a fully registered psychologist.
• Psychology assistant is a scope added in July 2026. Psychology assistants are registered with the Board but are not psychologists.
• Member of NZCCP or NZPsS refers to professional associations (the College of Clinical Psychologists and the Psychological Society). Membership is voluntary and separate from Board registration.
• Therapist, counsellor and coach are not psychologist titles. Our profession comparison explains the differences.

A helpful profile tells you someone's title, confirms they are registered, and describes the therapies they use and the areas they work in.

How to check the register in two minutes

The Psychologists Board runs a free public register at searchregister.psychologistsboard.org.nz. Type the person's name and you will see whether they are registered, which scope they hold, and whether their practising certificate is current. If a name does not appear, ask the practitioner about it before booking; there may be a spelling difference, or they may not be a psychologist.

The register will not tell you how experienced someone is or what they focus on. For that, read their profile, look for training in the approach you need, and ask.

Psychologists at Mindwell

Mindwell's team includes clinical psychologists, counselling psychologists and registered psychologists, and every one of them is registered with the New Zealand Psychologists Board. What matters to us, and what we'd encourage you to look at, is the person rather than the title.

Each profile on our team page sets out the areas they work in and the therapies they use, so you can choose the psychologist who suits you. Sessions are online across New Zealand for adults 18+, and you can choose a psychologist or be matched with the first available.

Related support: Counsellor vs psychologist vs psychotherapist · Psychologist vs psychiatrist · How to choose a psychologist · How to see a psychologist in NZ