"Psychologist" is an academic, occupational or professional title describing individuals who are either:

• social scientists conducting research or teaching psychology in a college or university;
• employed by the government in psychology positions;
• professionals who apply psychological findings and ideas to "real-world" problems, questions and issues, most typically in health care services or in business and industry.

There are many different types of psychologists, as is reflected by the 56 different divisions of the American Psychological Association (the APA). Psychologists are generally described as being either "applied" or "research" oriented. This major division is also described as the difference between scientists and practitioners or scholars and professionals. The training models endorsed by the APA require that practitioners be trained as both scholars and professionals and to possess advanced degrees.

Most typically, people encounter psychologists and think of the discipline as involving the work of clinical or counseling psychologists, professionals who are concerned with helping people live healthy and productive lives - professionals who help people solve problems of living or resolve mental health problems. Although clinical psychology is a commonly identified professional role, it remains a subset of the field of psychology. Scholars and academicians (conducting research and teaching in universities) constitute a substantial and foundational position in the definition of a "psychologist."

United States and Canada

The American Psychological Association has issued a guideline that only those who hold a Ph.D. or Psy.D. degree in psychology or a closely related field should call themselves psychologists. This of course applies to both research psychology and applied psychology.

Outside of government and academia, a professional in the U.S. or Canada must also hold a psychology license to either practice psychology or use the title. The most commonly recognized psychology professionals are clinical and counseling psychologists, those who provide psychotherapy and/or administer and interpret psychological "tests."

Licensed psychologists, in virtually every jurisdiction and state in Canada and the U.S., are required to have obtained academic doctoral degrees (typically a Ph.D. or Psy.D.). These academic programs typically take four to six years of postgraduate work to complete and offer some combination of rigorous training in scientific research and clinical practice. As part of this training, students contribute to the body of scientific knowledge in the form of a dissertation. In this sense, the Ph.D. in professional psychology is a hybrid academic/professional degree (with a greater focus on academics related to clinical practice), and university programs in professional psychology are not only academic but are also training programs typically characterized by rigor and intensity. A Ph.D. psychologist is trained to be both a scientist and practitioner of the profession. Some psychologists have a professional degree in psychology (Psy.D.), which focuses more on clinical practice, and includes similarly rigorous coursework, supervised professional training, internship, and developing the ability to conduct and interpret academic research. The majority of Psy.D. programs also require a dissertation, which can include quantitative or qualitative research, theoretical scholarship, program evaluation or development, critical literature analysis, or clinical application and analysis.