The difference is considerable. It is a fair question and the distinction actually matters!

A psychiatrist is a medical doctor. That means four years of medical school covering the full breadth of human medicine, followed by four years of psychiatric residency with supervised clinical training across inpatient, outpatient, and specialty settings. During residency, psychiatrists receive formal supervised training in multiple therapy modalities including psychodynamic therapy and CBT, as well as exposure to a wide range of presentations including children, older adults, and people with complex medical and psychiatric overlap.

Psychiatric nurse practitioners can prescribe medication and provide care, and many are talented clinicians. But there is no standardization in NP training comparable to medical school and residency. A psychiatrist completes over 17,000 hours of clinical training versus 500 hours of clinical shadowing for a PMHNP. Claims of expertise across the lifespan are not recognized medical specialties in the way board certification in psychiatry is.

Many psychologists have doctoral degrees, either a PsyD or PhD, and may have done additional clinical specialty training. They do not complete medical school, and in most states cannot prescribe medication.

Therapists can come from many training backgrounds, including LMFTs, social workers, and many other pathways.

TL;DR: Psychiatrists first earn a bachelor's degree, then complete four years of medical school, combined with four additional years of residency training in psychiatry. Nurse practitioners, by contrast, complete a bachelor's degree in nursing then a two year master's degree in psychiatric nursing. Between the two exists a vast disparity in coursework, supervised patient care (17,000 hours for a psychiatrist and 500 for NPs), psychotherapy training, and academic rigor. The Physicians for Patient Protection website has more information about the difference between physicians and nurse practitioners.

At Austin Psychiatric Clinic, we are physician-led. You will only see doctors with an MD or DO degree.

Appointments can be scheduled at this link.

• Appointments can be scheduled for virtual visit (telemedicine) or in-office.

• In-office appointments can be made by contacting the office at 720-251-4711.

• The address for in-office appointments is 7200 East Hampden Avenue, Suite 207D Denver, Colorado 80224.

While each individual has different care needs, currently the costs for non-insured or cash-pay patients is:

• Initial office visit/consultation - $500

• Medication follow-up with therapy - $200

• Psychotherapy session (30 minutes) - $200

The above fees are examples of fees charged for specific services based on CPT coding structure. Exact rates are determined at time of service. These fees subject to change, and any changes will be discussed with you. Fees for other services (such as fees for patient-requested medical records) are by arrangement, and the above is not an all-inclusive list.