In the world of wellness and mental health treatment, there are many different professional titles.  This guide will attempt to explain who is who.  (Please write in if you have any suggestions or corrections that you think would be helpful.)

To start off with, let’s look at types of credentialing.  Credentialed professionals have been approved by the state as meeting standardized levels of competency.  The law requires on-going training and ethical standards to protect clients/patients and keep the professionals up to date in their area of expertise.  There are two types of credentialing.

Certification and Licensure are provided by a state or federal governmental agencies.  The government validates that the provider has met the standardized requirements for the delivery of a specialized service.  For example, most states have established the standard for Drug and Alcohol counselors to be certified.  A medical doctor is licensed.

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Generic Terms for Mental Health Practitioners

Counselor: Counselors are trained to diagnose and treat thinking, emotional, and/or behavioral problems.  Among counselors, some are specialists, such as grief counselors, financial counselors, marriage counselors, drug and alcohol counselors.  If you chose to work with a counselor, be sure to check for their specialty or specialties and for their level of education.   The term counselor is not regulated by law.  Some are extremely skilled with doctoral degrees, while other “counselors” have little or no formal training.  Certified Drug and Alcohol Counselors require many months of specialized training and hundreds of hours of on the job training.  They also must pass an examination before they become state or federally certified.  However, pastoral counselors or marriage counselors might have very little drug and alcohol training or perhaps a lot.  The term counselor is very nonspecific.

Therapist: The term therapist is very generic and is not regulated by the law.  So anyone can call themselves a therapist.    Different professions have therapists:  physical therapy, psychotherapy, aroma therapy, hypnotherapy,  etc… Psychotherapists treat mental health problems.

Psychotherapist: The term psychotherapist is not regulated by law, so anyone can call themselves a psychotherapist.  Some psychotherapists have little or no training, while others may have extrodinary amounts of training and experience.  So, you are advised to check to see what the person has for a level of education and training.  You are also strongly advised to see what is the professional’s area of expertise.   Perhaps they are also certified or licensed in another area or several areas of specialty.  Certified or licensed therapists are trained to treat symptoms by treating their root causes as well as to help remedy contemporary emotional, thinking and behavioral disorders.

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Levels of Education

Associates Degree (A.A.):  An associates degree is typically a 2 year degree, an entry level degree, reflecting basic knowledge.

Bachelors Degree ( B.A. or B.S.):  A Bachelors Degree is typically a 4 year degree, reflecting basic knowledge and some advanced concepts.

Masters Degree (M.A.): Typically, this is a 6 year degree and in the area of mental health, this typically also requires an additional masters thesis, and at least, a 6 month internship at a mental health center.

Doctor (M.D., D.O., Ed. D, or Ph. D.):  A doctor could be a medical doctor (M.D./O.D.,) a doctor of education (Ed. D.,) or a doctor of philosophy (Ph. D..)

Some professionals have a combination of degrees and certificates.  Be sure to check to see if their specialty training meets your treatment needs.

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Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, D.O.: D.O. is an academic degree offered in the United States. It is a graduate-level first professional degree for physicians and surgeons, requiring four years to complete. Holders of the D.O. degree are known as osteopathic medical physicians. D.O.s are trained much in the same way as M.D.s, with the addition of osteopathic manipulative medicine techniques. In the United States, the D.O. and the M.D. are the only two degrees permitting licensure as medical physicians. D.O and M.D. physicians have similar training (both requiring four years of training in the basic and clinical sciences and the successful completion of licensing exams).

Drug and Alcohol Counselor: In some states, this is a 2 year certificate program with an additional 6 to12 months of on the job training.  Some states require that a person has a bachelors degree before they can take the D & A training.  Certified D & A Counselors must pass a stringent exam and undergo extensive training and supervision.   A CADC is a certificate available to those who do not have graduate or post-graduate degrees, but have completed specialized coursework in addictions.

LCSW: A Licensed Clinical Social Worker is required to have a 4 year bachelors degree and 3000 hours of supervised clinical training and field work before they can sit for their state licensing exam.  These professionals can have various areas of specialization, but they typically are skilled in identifying and obtaining social/community resources, and they are licensed to conduct private therapy.

MA/MMA/MS: MA/MMA or MS typcially refers to a masters degree in counseling psychology, clinical psychology, or child development and family relationships. A Masters degree is typcially a 6 year degree that requires at least 6 months of supervised clinical training.

Medical Doctor: Following the completion of an undergraduate degree, the MD degree is typically earned with an additional four years. Following the awarding of the MD, physicians who wish to practice in the United States are required to complete at least one internship year (PGY-1) and pass the USMLE Step 3. In order to receive Board Eligible or Board Accredited status in a specialty of medicine such as general surgery or internal medicine, then undergo additional specialized training in the form of a residency. Those who wish to further specialize in areas such as cardiology or interventional radiology then complete a fellowship. Depending upon the physician’s chosen field, residencies and fellowships involve an additional three to eight years of training after obtaining the MD. This can be lengthened with additional research years, which can last one, two, or more years.  Specialists for treating physical illness, many medical doctors have also become adept at understanding and treating community mental health disorders.  Medical Doctors who specialize in mental health are call psychiatrists.  Psychiatrists are perhaps the most adept professionals for treating mental health disorders which require medication maintenance.

MFCC: A Marriage, Child and Family Counselor (MFCC), has received a master’s degree in psychology or counseling, with an emphasis on private counseling.  Typically, MFCCs are specifically trained in the area of family systems and developmental psychology.

MFT: Marriage and Family Therapists (MFT) are empowered by the state in which they practice to conduct private therapy. An MFT must complete 3000 hours of supervised work prior to obtaining licensure.  Additionally, an MFT  must have a master’s degree.   However, there are some essential differences between the MFT and LCSW classification. An LCSW receives a master’s degree in social work, called an MSW.

MSW: The Master of Social Work is the professional terminal degree in social work.  The MSW requires two years of graduate study, in combination with two years’ internship, also called field experience. While some students obtain a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) before pursuing a Master’s, most MSW programs accept applicants with undergraduate degrees in a broad range of liberal arts degrees.  Most MSW programs allow students to choose a clinical track, which focuses on direct practice with clients, or a community practice track, with a focus on political advocacy,  community organizing, policy analysis and/or human services management. While the clinical track tends to be more popular, there has been a resurgence in community practice concentrations recently. There are also opportunities at many universities to obtain joint degrees, such as an MSW and a Public Administration degree, MSW and Public Health, or MSW and Law. The MSW practice scope has broadened in recent years to include the specialty practice areas of geriatrics and veterinary social work.

Physician: Physician is another word for medical doctor.

Psychiatrist: A psychiatrist is a medical doctor who specializes in mental health medications and mental health therapy.

Psychiatric Nurse: A psychiatric nurse is a nurse who has specialized in mental health.

Psychologist: A psychologist is a practitioner of the systematic investigation of the mind, including behavior, thinking and emotion. The two major categories of psychologists are those who conduct scientific research and those who work in an applied psychology area.  Applied psychologists are further subdivided into a number of mental health and other professions, the most well-recognized being clinical and counseling psychologists. Doctoral level trained psychologists are also the experts in the provision/administration and interpretation of psychological tests and assessment.   The term psychologists is regulated by law.  To be a psychologist, on must have completed a 4 year degree and an additional 4 years of specialty training in the area of mental health and social science.  A pre-doctoral internship is required as well as a post-doctoral internship, a dissertation, and one must pass the state licensing/law and ethics exams.  Although for many years, all psychologists have been required to complete some training in the area of substance abuse, like other disciplines, psychologists tend to specialize in certain areas such as in working with children, school psychology, or the treatment of anxiety disorders.  Patients are advised to inquire about the specialty areas of the professional before committing to treatment.

Wikipedia provided this concise explanation about the differences between psychiatrists and psychologists: “In most western countries, including the U.S, licensed/registered psychologists hold a doctorate in their field, while licensed psychiatrists hold a medical degree with a specialty in psychiatry. Psychiatrists are physicians who have earned an M.D. or a D.O professional degree, whereas psychologists have earned a doctoral degree Ph.D., Psy.D., or Ed.D. Psychiatrists generally spend shorter periods of contact time with clients/patients, and the principal method of treatment is psychopharmacology. Conversely, clinical and counseling psychologists generally rely upon psychological assessment and the use of psychotherapy to relieve psychological distress. It is not uncommon for people suffering from mental illness to combine these services to maximize their impact. Psychologists in the U.S. military and two states (New Mexico and Louisiana) have prescription privileges, combining psychosocial and psychopharmacological interventions. Many psychologists conduct research-based, standardized cognitive and projective testing to guide the diagnosis of intellectual disabilities, behavioral/mood disorders, and personality disorders; these test results also inform treatment approaches. Administration and interpretation of the majority of these standardized test instruments require specialized Doctoral level training in psychology.”