Whats the difference between, say, a Ph.D. and an L.C.S.W.
in a therapy setting?
Aretherapy and counselingthe same thing?
TAKAY / Trunk Archive
How do you pick?
After interviews with multiple psychotherapists and counselors, I can confidently say, GOOD QUESTIONS.
With that in mind, lets get started.
OK, now think of those distinctions as overlapping into four quadrants.
A mental health professional will be somewhere in one of those four quadrants, Dr. Howes tells SELF.
It could also mean the reverse.
It depends on the level and bang out of degree someone gets.
Heres how that breaks down.
So, program length is one clear difference between a masters and a doctorate.
In turn, program length can influence the depth and scope of a clinicians specialty.
On the other hand, masters-level clinicians are often a lot more accessible.
Doctorate-level folks are going to cost a lot more usually and sometimes have less availability, he adds.
All of that said, heres a common misconception thatEric Beeson, Ph.D., L.P.C.
To say that one is just a lesser version than the other isn’t accurate.
Counselors are focused on questions like: How do we fix this?
How do we get your needs met?
What can you start doing today?
Psychotherapy typically focuses on the theoretical side.
Why do you feel that way?
Where did that come from?
What’s the origin of this attitude or habit or problem?
A supervisor once explained it to me this way, says Dr. Howes.
A client in session says, I think there are people outside the door listening to us.
A psychotherapist asks, Why do you think that?
Do you feel this way often?
A counselor walks over and opens the door.
Both theoretical and practical!
In a lot of ways, its all semantics.
Well get into this in more detail below, but basically, you need a Ph.D. or Psy.D.
to call yourself a psychologist.
On the other hand, any mental health practitioner can call themselves a therapist, counselor, or clinician.
Were doing thesame worktheyre welcome to call it whatever they want.
You should look at their interests and specialties to check that they align with your goals for therapy.
Here are the most common professionals youll probably run into while searching for an individual therapist.
Keep in mind that this isnt an exhaustive list.
Clinical psychologists:Clinical psychologists are mental health professionals with a Ph.D. or Psy.D.
programs, which focus more on providing psychological services.
Licensed Mental Health Counselors (L.M.H.C.)
and Licensed Professional Counselors (L.P.C.
):These are masters-level clinicians with counseling degrees.
According to Dr. Beeson, L.M.H.C.s and L.P.C.s are nearly identical in training.
They mainly differ by license title state by state, so Im lumping them together.
The scope of an L.M.H.C.
Licensed Clinical Social Workers (L.C.S.W.
):These are counselors with masters degrees in social work.
Because of their bureaucratic experience, social workers are rockstars when it comes to resources, he says.
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists (L.M.F.T.
):And lastly, we have the masters-level/therapy quadrant.
These are mental health professionals trained and licensed in therapy and family systems.
Contrary to the name, L.M.F.T.s offer individual therapy, too.
Its really about finding the right person, not finding the right degree.
Its about whether you feel comfortable with them and vibe with their personality and therapy style.
The search could involve narrowing down possible therapists and counselors by their degree, but it also might not.
See more from ourGuide to Caring for Your Mental Health here.
