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Originally Posted by Starflower 
First the differentiations on the docs:
In the US, a counselor can be someone with an MA in psychology or social work. The may be able to different types of therapy but do not prescribe meds. Likely, they could be someone to talk with and may refer you to a someone for further diagnosis if they suspect bipolar or such.
A psychologist would have either a PhD or a PsyD (specific doctorate in psych/counseling) and can do many types of therapy. They also do not prescribe meds. I'm not sure if they can diagnose or not. If not, they would refer you. (I had a psychologist refer me to a psychiatrist for diagnosis of OCD, depression and panic disorder.) They would also refer out if they thought you could benefit from meds and were open to the idea.
A psychiatrist is a medical doctor who can diagnose and can prescribe meds. They also see patients for return visits to check up on how their meds are working. I think some of them also do talk and behavior type therapies etc. They usually cost more here than a psychologist. I do not think they can force you to take meds.
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A masters' level psychologist can diagnose, as long as they have a license.
A Phd/PsyD level psychologist can also diagnose. In a handful of states, a PhD/PsyD that has taken additional training can prescribe medications. (For a bipolar diagnosis, it's common to refer to a psychiatrist 1) to confirm and 2) to get medication. There's not much a PhD/PsyD can do for a biopolar if they don't have prescribing privileges.)
A master's level Nurse Practitioner can also prescribe meds. A family doctor can also prescribe meds. In my area, it's hard to get into a psychiatrist. There's a 6-12 week waiting list. It's pretty common for someone to see a psychologist (MA or Phd/PsyD) for counseling and see her family doctor or NP for medication.
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