Is Harley a psychologist or psychiatrist?

[Captain Smith]

There is quite a difference. The first is a PhD or PsyD. The latter is an MD or medical doctor. I've seen both. IIRC, I once saw her yell at Dr. Fate for not being a real doc when someone was hurt and she took over. A psychologist wouldn't say that.

[Vakanai]

The answer is - most people, and most comic book writers, don't know the difference anyways. It's one of those easily confused things, and doesn't matter much to the larger continuity. It goes back and forth depending on the whims or little fallacies of any given writer.

[Phoenixx9]

I thought she was a psychologist, but I could be wrong.

[Arnoldoaad]

from what I know one of the most important differences between Psychologist and Psychiatrist is that a psychatrist can precribe drugs, a psychologyst cannot.
judging by the fact that Harley worked on arkham asylum which maybe would imply the necesity to prescribe drugs for threatment to certain patients maybe she could be a psychatrist

[Ilan Preskovsky]

There's also the question of therapy. I think it's a bit more common in the States than it is here in South Africa but, traditionally psychologists administer talk therapy, whereas psychiatrists are more there to administer drugs and to specifically tackle the psychological pathologies themselves. I actually assumed she was a psychiatrist.

[Harpsikord]

She's Dr Quinzel. She's a psychiatrist.

[Nite-Wing]

Doctor Harleen Quinzel
She is a psychiatrist by trade although I doubt anyone who has been writing her really cares whether she has her doctorate or not
Although that Doctor Fate joke is funny in context

[Jackalope89]

And apparently was a therapist for Jason Todd at some point (mentioned in a little blurb during Red Hood Rebirth).

[Astroman]

Well, according to Wikipedia, a Batman Adventures graphic novel has her as an actual MD Psychiatrist.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harley_Quinn

"The 1994 graphic novel The Batman Adventures: Mad Love recounts the character's origin story. Written and drawn by Dini and Timm, the comic book is told in the style and continuity of Batman: The Animated Series. It describes Dr. Harleen Frances Quinzel, MD as an Arkham Asylum Psychiatrist who falls in love with the Joker and becomes his accomplice and on-again, off-again girlfriend. The story received wide praise[10] and won the Eisner and Harvey Awards for Best Single Issue Comic of the Year.[11] The New Batman Adventures series adapted Mad Love as an episode of the same name in 1999. It was the second "animated style" comic book adapted for the series, with the other being "Holiday Knights"."

[Frontier]

A psychiatrist makes more sense to work at Arkham.

[Digifiend]

Well, according to Wikipedia, a Batman Adventures graphic novel has her as an actual MD Psychiatrist.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harley_Quinn

"The 1994 graphic novel The Batman Adventures: Mad Love recounts the character's origin story. Written and drawn by Dini and Timm, the comic book is told in the style and continuity of Batman: The Animated Series. It describes Dr. Harleen Frances Quinzel, MD as an Arkham Asylum Psychiatrist who falls in love with the Joker and becomes his accomplice and on-again, off-again girlfriend. The story received wide praise[10] and won the Eisner and Harvey Awards for Best Single Issue Comic of the Year.[11] The New Batman Adventures series adapted Mad Love as an episode of the same name in 1999. It was the second "animated style" comic book adapted for the series, with the other being "Holiday Knights"."

Since that story is by Harley's creators, we can take that as being the intent.

[Restingvoice]

And apparently was a therapist for Jason Todd at some point (mentioned in a little blurb during Red Hood Rebirth).

That has to be when he was really little. They can afford it?

[Vakanai]

That has to be when he was really little. They can afford it?

Maybe it was when he was still Robin? Can we prove Bruce doesn't give the kids the best in medical and mental care outside of just him being him?

[kjn]

From Mad Love and Harleen, I'd say that she studied as a psychologist. In Mad Love she is mentioned as having a degree from the Psychology Department of Gotham State University, and Alfred says she seemed to be headed for a career as a pop psychologist with a line of self-help books. In Harleen, her door plaque says "Dr Quinzoll", unlike the chief psychiatrist "Hugo Strange M.D", so there she is a Doctor of Psychology.

A place like Arkham is likely to have a slew of psychologists, psychiatrists, psychotherapeuts in residence, so I'm not likely to care that much if she is a psychologist or psychiatrist or some other form of mental health professional in any specific backstory. Superhero comics tends to be rather vague in these kinds of matters anyway.

[BaneBreaker]

In Harleen, she refers to herself as a psychiatrist.