A common misunderstanding in the therapy realm has to do with all those confusing alphabet soup of letters after the providers name- LMFT, PsyD, PhD, MS, MSW, MD, NP, MFT, LPC, PLPC, LCSW... and so on. Even as someone who went through years of school, multiple graduations, and career highlights, admittedly my family still mislabel my title and don't understand the work I do.
So what do all these letters mean and why does it matter to you as a person seeking mental health services? Many people frequently get confused about whether they were seeing a psychologist or a psychiatrist, which can lead to a lot of frustration and disappointment when they are expecting an hour long psychotherapy session, but instead get a doctor's appointment that lasts 5 minutes and are given a prescription for antidepressants, or vice vera. Well, for starters these letters are basically indicators of their years of education, specific degree, specialization. They may even tell you about the philosophy and values of that profession. Your Medication Prescribers MD- Your psychiatrist is usually and MD. They went to medical school and specialized in studying the brain and its impact on mental health. Visits with a Psychiatrist are usually 5-15 minutes once a month or every few months for adjusting medications based on symptoms. Occasionally you will find old school psychiatrists (think Fraser Crane, Dr. Freud, or the dad in Growing Pains) that still do psychotherapy on top of prescribing meds, but that is far less common these days. GP -or general practitioner also has an MD and also frequently prescribes basic medications for anxiety for depression or anxiety in cases that are less complicated. NP - Your nurse practitioner is a nurse (RN) with specialized clinical training that can often prescribe meds for mental health and usually works in conjunction with an MD. Your Testers, Forensic Evaluators, High level Administrators, Psychotherapists PhD- This is where you typically find Psychologists. These individuals have doctoral degrees usually in clinical psychology, Marriage and Family Therapy, Education, Social Work or a related field. They have typically 10+ years in academia after high school completing their education with scientific research components, teaching, and writing/publication. Clinical Psychologists may provide psychotherapy, but often you find them doing a host of other jobs. They are highly trained in diagnosis, testing, and various forms of evaluation. There also other Cognitive Psychologists and Industrial/Organizational Psychologists who specialize in other areas of psychology, but do not usually provide therapy. PsyD or EdD- These individuals also have a doctorate in either psychology or education, or counseling usually, but their programs were more clinical and less research focused. They have 10+ years in education, but their training was highly specialized to working with clients or students in the field rather than the research lab. Your Master's level Therapists/Psychotherapists/Counselors These folks make up the bulk of who is providing therapy today MA means they have a Master of Arts degree MS means they have a Master of Science degree MSW- These folks have a Master's degree in Social Work- They have a 4 yr Bachelor's degree + 2-3 year Master's degree with a strong social justice component. LCSW- These folks are Licensed Clinical Social Workers- They have a 4 yr Bachelor's degree + 2-3 year master's degree with a strong social justice component but they also have added clinical training and experience to work with clients and have passed their licensing exam. They usually are opposed to diagnosis, but in practice diagnosis is often required to billing purposes. LMFT ( or MFT of FT in some states)- These folks are Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists. They have a a 4 yr Bachelor's degree + a 3 year Master's degree in therapy interventions with a specialization in relational and family system therapies. They have specialized clinical training and passed their licensing exam. PLMFT- These folks are provisionally Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists. They have a 4 yr Bachelor's degree + a 3 year Master's degree with a specialization in relational and family system therapies. They have passed their licensing exam, but have not yet completed their required 2+ years of clinical training prior to being fully licensed. They work under the license of a supervisor. SMFT- These folks are working toward their provisional License as a Marriage and Family Therapist. They have a 4 yr Bachelor's degree +a 3 year Master's degree with a specialization in relational and family system therapies. They have not taken/passed their licensing exam yet, and have yet to complete their required 2+ years of clinical training prior to being fully licensed. They work under the license of a supervisor. LPC- These individuals are Licensed Professional Counselors with a 4 yr Bachelor's degree + 2-3 year Master's degrees in Counseling or a related field. They have very similar education requirements to MFTs, but they tend to focus more on the individual, so they don't usually have the additional specialized training for working with kids/couples and families unless they sought that out separately. PLPC- is a Provisionally Licensed Professional counselor who has completed their Master's degree and have passed their licensing exam, but are working on completing their 2+ years of post-degree clinical experience. Bachelor Level support workers BA Bachelor of Arts- 4 year degree BS Bachelor of Science- 4 year degree Your Case Worker or Support worker or Tech usually will fall into this category. They don't have a license or any specialized clinical training beyond education and work experience. These are the "trench workers" who usually work very hard, for little pay, and see high volumes of clients. Certificate holders A Lifecoach is a person that helps direct a person to make important decisions in their life. They have no specialized education/degree requirements, no exams, nor is their a governing regulatory body that gives that a license or oversees them to guarantee ethical practice. They typically receive a certificate as a life coach and often train under another life coach. This area is over controversial because the lack of oversight and lack of public knowledge their is a concern that people may be taken advantage of individuals that label themselves lifecoaches, but may in fact be doing their clients harm. Conversely, many licensed therapists also double over as lifecoaches and offer coaching as a separate part of their practice. Some people who find mental health stigmatizing may shy away from "therapists" but may proudly seek out a "lifecoach." Lifecoaches should avoid diagnosis and attempting to provide therapy. Their work is usually skills and decision based and should not involve diagnosis, or attempts at therapy. Hopefully after reading this you have a better sense of the kind of provider you are seeking or seeing (and maybe what label you should actually call your family member). Sidenote, though it may seem like these words are interchangeable, it's actually illegal/unethical for these professionals to call themselves by a title that does not belong to them so as not to misrepresent themself. A psychologist cannot call themself a psychiatrist and a lifecoach cannot call themselves a therapist unless they have a Master's degree and clinical license. As you become a savvier consumer, the more likely you will ensure you have the satisfactory treatment experience you are expecting. by Megan Garza, MA, LMFT
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AuthorSMegan Garza, MA, LMFT is a certified Specialist in Treating Trauma at a Supervisory level and is Licensed as a Marriage and Family Therapist. She specializes in work with sexual abuse survivors. Archives
November 2024
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