Many outpatient mental health clinicians are not physicians but advanced practice nurses--Nurse Practitioner (NP).  Many of them have done an extra research project, giving them the title “Doctor of Nurse Practitioner”--DNP.  In that case they call themselves “DOCTOR.” However, they are not physicians.  They are “doctor” the way people with PhD’s call themselves “doctor.”  Psychiatrists are physicians, MD’s who have gone to 4 years of medical school, 4 years of residency, and may have additional subspeciality training after that.

The difference in training between Nurse Practitioners (NP, DNP)  and MD Physicians like psychiatrists is considerable as illustrated below: