I don't really find it alarming at all. My therapist has started getting additional training in psychopharmacology and has worked closely in training with the psychiatrist in his office. Our state hasn't started this yet, but I suspect he'd be very good at it. My understanding is, like with NP's, they work under direct supervision of licensed physicians. The benefit of his training has been that he's been hugely helpful to me in dealing with medication questions. He has better background than most therapists in meds, so he can talk knowledgably about meds and is more aware of when problems I'm having may be due to medication issues versus psychological issues and has steered me toward my pdoc at exactly the right times. He doesn't give med advice per se, but he is very astute at weeding out med issues vs. therapy issues which can be pretty complicated when you are dealing with bipolar disorder or other mental illnesses that may require both therapy and meds at the same time. That kind of discernment has been invaluable for me.