Counselor vs Therapist?

What's the difference between a counselor and a therapist? I have always thought them to be one in the same but it seems on PC they are different.

In the field of mental health, specific titles are given by state licensing boards to people who have met specific education and practice requirements. Such titles include Licensed Professional Counselor and Marriage and Family Therapist.

In everyday speech, though, there is a lot of overlap, and therapist or counselor seem to be used informally and perhaps interchangeably to refer to a range of people who provide counseling or therapy (counselors, psychologists, social workers, psychiatrists, etc.).

Right. Exactly. I tend to use the word "shrink" because my therapist is also my psychiatrist and is also an psychoanalyst. In more formal settings I refer to him as "my analyst" but on here I don't because it doesn't seem that common.

These titles can be confusing. There is also the fact that social workers can also provide therapy as can psychologists, MFTs, and LPCCs. But counseling can also refer to peer counseling, pastoral counseling, life coach counseling, which is not to be called or considered therapy.

Counselor can refer to a number of things- for instance I was a Camp Counselor for a few years (which I did strictly as a summer job)

I'm not in the USA, but over here the term 'counsellor' is not legally protected.
Counselling is usually a short-term process with a situational focus (marriage, grief etc.) and it tends to be community based.

And over here, 'therapist' seems to be used informally to refer to psychotherapists and clinical psychologists most frequently. 'Clinical psychologist' and 'psychotherapist' are legally protected terms here. There is quite a lot of variation depending on the therapist's theoretical approach, but both professions tend to work with more severe emotional problems and treatment can be long-term.

I don't think that either of the terms are "legally protected" since we do have unlicensed people saying they are types of Therapists.

Psychotherapist is a "protected" job title in Sweden - you must have a licence issued by the govt authority of health to be allowed to practice - and I've been told that it's the same in some U.S. states and a few other countries as well. "Therapist" isn't protected though, nor is "life coach" or other similar job titles. So if somebody has a fanciful title it could potentially mean that they have no qualifications at all.

Well, but therapist is just a shortening of psychotherapist and is in the title of someone with a Marriage Family Therapy license. I don't think it is that usual for people to call themselves a therapist if they don't have a license. After all, that is fraudulent and they could get sued for practicing without a license. They could only do so if they specified it so that it was clear that they didn't have a license.

I think "counselors" in the United States usually have less training and education than "therapists" but I don't think that matters necessarily. If one has a specific problem, one might go to a counselor for help with that specific problem but "therapy" might be indicated for a more complicated or complex issue and one would thus probably go see a mental health "therapist".

While I see what you mean, technically speaking a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor actually has more training and education than others like MFTs or LSWs. They have to take extra coursework more like for a doctorate for psychology and they have to earn more hours in many more varied places. They do tend to call themselves therapists and not counselors though, probably because the meaning is stronger, but the degree is usually an MA in Counseling.

It depends on the state in terms of licensing but in general the terms counselor and therapist are used interchangeably. In Massachusetts for example, An LMHC or LMFT (licensed mental health/ family counselors) and MSW or LICSW (listened social workers) are all licensed to provide counseling/ therapy. insurance reimbursement for the Ts are what's most affected by the titles actually.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

This is was the thought in the past and there tends to be some rivalry between the two disciplines. The LMHC is a newer license (since the 1970's) and therefore the public has been less aware of what their education entails. Plus the term "counselor" is thrown around pretty loosely. A masters degree is required for both disciplines but the Masters in psychology is what's required for a Licensed mental health counselor, so the training in psychological theory is actually a little more intense than it is for the masters in social work.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That's just it. It would seem fraudulent because most people make the assumption that you just did. But it's not because in no jurisdiction (that I know of) is "therapist" on its own a protected title. "Massage therapist," "marriage and family therapist," "occupational therapist," "psychotherapist," are things you cannot generally call yourself if you are not licensed by a professional association/regulatory body that has specific requirements (education, supervision, ethical standards etc) for membership. But "therapist" or "counsellor" on its own is like "healer" or "practitioner"--in most places it means nothing and anyone can hang a sign outside their door and call herself that.

You should NEVER do therapy/counseling with someone that does not have a license.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I agree with Bill3 in that they're a range of people who provide counseling or therapy with different titles!

Well, while I agree that intensive psychotherapy should be with a licensed professional, some people who are spiritual/religious seek pastoral counseling. Sometimes the people have to have training, but not necessarily a license.

In the UK, clinical psychologist and counselling psychologists are protected names, in order to use them you need to he trained to a certain level, be registered with BPS and HPC to legally use those titles and practice

In my view counsellor is someone you go to short term when you have a life change ie death, separation etc etc and a therapist that may use treatment models that deal with more serious long term problems like depression, anxiety, eating disorders, trauma etc etc



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

In the U.S. there is an association for licensed pastoral counseling and they do receive extensive training and supervision, and they are licensed. However, I suspect there are plenty of religious leaders out there who provide counseling in a more informal, unlicensed setting. You have to know the individuals credentials.

There really is no difference. Here is Illinois you must be licensed to call your self a "therapist" or "counselor".

Thanks I was vaguely aware of programs and degrees in that area but not in the licensing. I know that Buddhists provide pastoral counseling after training but only with a master and not in a program. They are allowed to work in the hospitals even without a license but they don't do really intensive work or anything but maybe a visit or two.

The only reason I really know this is that my 2nd therapist happened to be a pastor in my church. He had gone through the licensing program and had shared his training experience with me. Actual sessions with him occurred in the pastoral counseling center at a different location. The program was not limited to any particularly denomination, or religion for that matter, and religion actually never came up in my therapy. They leave that aspect completely up to the client to direct.

Sorry, I'm thinking of only psychotherapy and not any other kind of counseling. Spiritual, academic and many others aren't subject to these rules. But in the instance of psychological counseling/ therapy, the practitioner should be educated at the Masters level and licensed by the state. Whatever you choose from there be it an LMHC, LICSW, PsyD, PhD (or for meds a psych nurse or an MD) is, depending on your diagnosis, your own preference.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It's kinda ironic that MDs have lots of power when they actually don't have the same kind of training necessarily, like tons of courses in psychology. They go to med school and then intern so I guess that's where they get the experience. I've just happened to see MDs, not necessarily due to meds but the fact the ones here do psychoanalysis and that is my preference. They do have training in that, lots of it. In fact, they have to undergo their own analysis regardless of how advanced they are. So there is even another title, that of an analyst and you can't really call yourself that unless you go to an institute and go through your own analysis plus do a supervised test case and usually write a thesis.

These seem like legitimate answers:

What is the Difference Between a Counselor and a Therapist? - Yahoo Voices - voices.yahoo.com

What is the difference between counseling & therapy? - Mental Health - Sharecare

I was just saying that 'psychotherapist' and 'clinical psychologist' (also 'counselling psychologist and 'registered psychologist' etc.) are legally protected terms where I'm from. Most often the word therapist is used to refer to one of those types of occupations, but of course 'therapist' is quite a general term. Psychotherapists and psychologists generally have more training than a professional counsellor.

Although counsellor is not a legally protected term here, someone seeking out a counsellor would usually look for someone who is registered with the counselling association all the same. But 'counsellor' can be used by non-professional counsellors as well, like with volunteer phone counselling.

I just thought originally that I'd share what the difference between the terms tends to mean in another country, as I often notice differences myself and find them quite interesting—and thought others might also. We don't have a clinical social work qualification here, but social workers can go on to train in psychotherapy, for example. And despite the fact that (those most often referred to as) therapists tend to have more training than counsellors, some people think that counselling takes a more positive approach by focusing more on social context and education, rather than interventions, psychopathologies, and personality reconstruction. In reality, there are so many theoretical approaches that can be taken by someone who is either a counsellor or a therapist that there really can be a lot of overlap between the two and it can be difficult to draw a distinct line between them.