Hypnotherapist, doctor, psychologist, psychotherapist: who to see, and when?

Four professions, four frameworks

You have not slept properly for weeks, anxiety is taking up more and more room, or you finally want to quit smoking. You are looking for help, and the titles all sound alike. Yet in Quebec, the law draws a very clear line between these professionals.

The doctor

Your doctor is your point of entry. A family doctor, a doctor at a clinic or a family medicine group (GMF), or a psychiatrist, who is a specialist physician: they examine you, make a diagnosis, order tests, prescribe medication and, when needed, refer you to a psychologist or another professional. Only a doctor can rule out a physical cause for a symptom: a sleep problem, fatigue or palpitations sometimes have a medical origin.

The psychologist

A psychologist is a member of the Ordre des psychologues du Québec, and the title is protected. They can assess mental disorders, an activity the law reserves for certain professionals, and they are authorized to practise psychotherapy. They, or your doctor, are the people to turn to for depression, an anxiety disorder, an eating disorder or the aftermath of trauma.

The psychotherapist

In Quebec, "psychotherapist" is not a free title. It requires the psychotherapist permit, issued by the Ordre des psychologues to members of other professional orders who meet its training requirements. Psychologists and doctors may also practise psychotherapy, under their own licence.

The hypnotherapist

The title of hypnotherapist is not regulated. A training course of a few days and one of several years give the right to use the same word. A hypnotherapist who is not a psychologist, a doctor or the holder of a psychotherapist permit cannot practise psychotherapy, even through hypnosis. They work in the field of well-being: relaxation, everyday stress, self-confidence, specific habits such as quitting smoking.

That is the case for the practitioners at Solutions Hypnose: they are not doctors, psychologists or psychotherapists, and they say so.

Who to see, and when?

Your doctor first, if you have:

• a physical symptom that worries you or has no explanation: pain, fatigue, palpitations, digestive problems, insomnia that is settling in;
• distress that lasts, takes over your days, or stops you from working or sleeping;
• an ongoing treatment, which only the person who prescribed it can change.

A psychologist, or a psychotherapist holding the permit, if you are going through depression, anxiety attacks, an eating disorder, the aftermath of trauma, or distress that will not ease. Your doctor can refer you; in the public system, access usually goes through them or through your CLSC.

A hypnotherapist can support you with a well-being goal: quitting smoking](/en/hypnosis-to-quit-smoking/), taming the stress of an exam or of public speaking, regaining self-confidence, getting past a specific fear such as flying, learning to relax through [self-hypnosis.

And both together? That is often the best option. If you are followed by a doctor or a psychologist, hypnosis can support that follow-up, to sleep better or handle stress better, for example. Talk to the professional who follows you, and tell your hypnotherapist that you are being followed: a serious practitioner will ask you anyway.