[sweepy62]

Is there a difference as far as therapy goes between reg LCSW and psychologist phd?

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[unlockingsanity]

The price tag!!

[Karrebear]

yeah, what they said!

[IndieVisible]

One can be a Social Worker with just a BA in psychology but they are probably working for their masters. To be a psychologist is harder and more years. It gets kind of confusing with psychologists and psychiatrists because often both have Phd's. Social workers are the ones getting started.

[Jdog123]

Social worker - minimum of Bachelor's degree, sometimes/often Masters (MSW). Many therapists stop after this point, so there are plenty of social workers with decades of experience.
Psychologist - PhD (about 7 years after Bachelors, including a dissertation and extensive coursework and supervised counseling experience)
Psychiatrist - MD, authorized to prescribe medication. A small number also will do therapy; most focus on medication management

What does this all mean? Psychologists have more training and education, which sometimes means that they are better equipped to be therapists to people with mental illness. Social workers tend to have less training, depending on where they are in their career. For me, someone with 2 mental illnesses, it's important that I see a psychologist and one with years of experience. In terms of money, with insurance the copay might be slightly higher for PhDs.

[eskielover]

LCSW - only have a BS degree & may be working on a masters
therapists - usually have a masters degree
Psychologist - has to have their PhD - cannot prescribe medications as they are NOT medical Doctors.
Psychiatrists (who prescribe psych meds).....have to have be medical doctors with their specialty being psychiatry vs other MD's who have other types of specialties & or general practitioners (GP's)

[Lauliza]

It's prestige more than anything and they tend to lean toward research and academia, at least where I live. Social workers who are licensed to practice therapy have a Masters in Social Work and can bill insurance companies. Same with Masters level counselors. I've seen both a psychologist, social worker and an LMHC and have found the letters after their name have no bearing on the quality of their work. My best for T has been an MSW.

I'm in a psychology masters program and I've wracked my brain trying to figure out the purpose of the psych d or phd, since they really don't net much more money in the end. A masters level psychiatric nurse makes more and can prescribe meds.

[Rapunzel]

Psychologists have a PhD and are trained in academia and research besides the clinical practice of psychology. They can have any of a number of specialties such as clinical psychology, counseling psychology, school psychology, social psychology (which is a research field - social psychologists don't generally do therapy), and any number of specialties within those groups. Psychologists have specific training in testing and clinical assessment. There are some who only do testing and assessment. Others are therapists. Some teach.

Bachelor's level social workers can do case management and other types of social service work, but in most states are not licensed to do therapy. Master's level social workers have more training in social service (the field is sociology not psychology), and do not usually have academic training in therapy but can take electives or do internship in therapy and learn that way. They can be licensed to do therapy.

Mental Health Counselors have specific training to be therapists. This is a master's level profession (and is my degree and license). We have some training in assessment also and can develop a specialty in this area. The degree is based on psychology clinical practice.

There are also marriage and family counselors, who are trained similarly to mental health counselors, with more emphasis on couples and family counseling. They are also licensed at the master's level. They might typically have an undergraduate degree in child and family development. Although there is variation in all of the groups as to undergraduate studies, and any might have an undergraduate degree in any of these fields (psychology, social work, or child and family development), or in anything else really as long as prerequisites were met.

Psychiatrists are medical doctors and usually have focused their studies on biology. They have training in general medicine first and then specialize in psychiatric medicine. They don't have much if any training in therapy and usually no training in psychological testing. They are trained primarily to prescribe medication. If they do therapy, they may have learned those skills in a practicum or internship setting. They are medical doctors, so they are allowed to do pretty much anything they want.

There are also APRNs (advanced practice registered nurses) who have specialties in using psychiatric medicine and sometimes have training in counseling. There are some who have degrees in counseling as well as nursing. They usually prescribe medicine mostly, but may also do therapy. PAs (physician's assistants) are a similar category and work under the direction of a medical doctor. I think that APRN and PA are usually master's level but sometimes are PhD. Some states also allow psychologists to get extra training and be licensed to prescribe medication too.

Those are the main differences in training between different licenses and professions. Beyond that, individual experience and specialties vary quite a lot.

[stopdog]

Over my therapy lifespan, I have seen 3 lcsw's -all had master's degrees and one phd. The basic way therapy was done was the same with all of them. The differences were due to personality, not their degrees, in my experience

[ScarletPimpernel]

Ditto what other people said about the education part of it. The actual successfulness of the T has nothing to do with the degree.

For me:
T1: Don't really remember her
T2: Ph.D.; supposedly an expert...was complete s***!!!!!!!!
T3: Don't know her degree, but she was awesome
T4: Don't know her degree, but she was s*** too.
T5: LCSW; she was awesome...she helped me more than anyone
T6: College Intern...big mistake!!!!! She was probably the worst.
T7: Ph.D.; was s***
T8: Ph.D.; so far she's awesome!!!
_________________________________________________
Totally random:

Depending on your cultural background, a Ph. D. in clinical psychology stands for a) Piled High and Deep b) Pretty Heavy, Dude c) Psychic Healing Dispenser d) Psychologically Heavily Disabled

Psychiatry: The care of the id by the odd.

Where to Publish Your Paper
1) If you understand it and can prove it, then send it to a journal of mathematics.
2) If you understand it, but can't prove it, then send it to a physics journal.
3) If you can't understand it, but can prove it, then send it to an economics journal.
4) If you can neither understand it nor prove it, then send it to a psychology journal.
5) If it attempts to make something important out of something trivial, then send it to a journal of education.
6) If it attempts to make something trivial out of something important, send it to a journal of metaphysics.

[unaluna]

Originally Posted by sweepy62

Is there a difference as far as therapy goes between reg LCSW and psychologist phd?

Amount of study and training could be an issue. Do they understand the effects your experiences had on you, how they changed or stunted your growth, and then how to create a safe place for you to heal in? Or however you or they might describe the job ahead. I would worry about their depth, for you. About being able to contain you. (So maybe your so-called negative list isnt such a bad idea, as it isnt really just about the transition to a new t, but about betrayal in general.)

[brillskep]

Which is more expensive?

Originally Posted by unlockingsanity

The price tag!!

For some issues, it probably doesn't make much, if any, difference. There are wonderful, effective therapists with a variety of education and training.

For me though, with everything complicated by bipolar disorder and meds and hospitalizations, etc., I have been glad my therapist is a PhD. with specialized study into all of the above, including psychopharmacology. His expertise has been invaluable to me. I did not have that kind of specialized support with my other therapists who did not have that level of education and training. They were wonderful therapists about certain aspects of my life, but they were somewhat lacking in specialization. I've made MUCH more progress with my current therapist very much due in part to his level of education and training.

[sweepy62]

The reason I ask is because this is who my t is referring me to, she is a psychologist masters phd and I feel very intimidated, as t1 was a social worket lcsw and t2 masters in family, marriage, and inividual therapy. I read that psychologists analyze you more.

[nicoleflynn]

At 67 (because of what I wrote about my life), i won a scholarship and am a Sophomore (social work). I am also one of the moderators of an abused survivors' group. It has taken me 7 years and I have a long way to go to get my BS, and THEN my Master's in counseling; I will have to be 107, LOl, LOL

I agree, I would rather work with someone who has knowledge, first-hand instead of book-learning. In other words, a phrase I like: "Don't take me where you haven't been." I know a lot of Ph.D's----no common sense; they give that up upon receiving the certificate.

[unaluna]

Originally Posted by sweepy62

The reason I ask is because this is who my t is referring me to, she is a psychologist masters phd and I feel very intimidated, as t1 was a social worket lcsw and t2 masters in family, marriage, and inividual therapy. I read that psychologists analyze you more.

I would feel better knowing you were seeing someone with more education. You bring a lot to the table with your drawings and your questions and the work you do on yourself outside of session, like reading. You also put up with a lot from your "housemates" so that's a lot of assault on your boundaries all the time. You have a lot of stuff going on. But you also have a lot to offer as a client, if that makes sense. We may not bd easy clients, but we are rewarding to work with. We're not slouches. We deserve the best. And you really do. You should not be intimidated, believe me. We may not know all the fancy words, but we know whats happening.

[sweepy62]

Hankster: thank you so much for remembering what I go through daily, you have worded it perfectly, and I do have alo of unfinished business that my current t, would like me to start slowly introducing to this new t, to start this excruciating process again of telling, is unimaginable, plus dealing with general life stressors.

the new t will have my recorda and will be kept up to speed but they usually want to hear it from the client, oh hankster, im in alot of emotional pain.

[unlockingsanity]

Originally Posted by brillskep

Which is more expensive?

Psychologist. Here where I live, it is double what a social worker therapist makes. At least double.

[Lauliza]

[QUOTE=sweepy62;3512195]Is there a difference as far as therapy goes between reg LCSW and psychologist phd?

There is no difference in therapy. The extra education needed for a PhD is of the clinical and diagnostic nature. They also do a good deal of clinical research. So the additional education gives them specific expertise, especially where testing and assessment is concerned. In my state, a licensed mental health counselor can treat, but cannot diagnose, a mental illness like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. Psychological testing can only be administered by a psychologist. They can either be a PhD or a Psych D (doctorate in psychology).

But just for therapy, a psychologist (Psych D or PhD) is not preferable over a Counselor or Social Worker simply because of their degree. Their training does not encompass extra time for therapy. That is where the counselor comes in. Mental health counselors have training in psychological theory and have some diagnostic training, but their expertise is the actual skills involved in therapy. That is why you'll get the stereotype of the more dry, pragmatic phd and the touchy feely counselor. The training is quite specialized for each. In your case the psychologist may just have more expertise in the specific areas of therapy that you are working on.

[Lauliza]

[QUOTE=amee200;3513668][QUOTE=sweepy62;3512195]Is there a difference as far as therapy goes between reg LCSW and

[learning1]

I think they shouldn't leave us feeling like they're analyzing us, they should help you feel comfortable. In my experience, I didn't think the PhDs analyzed too much. I like the therapists with other degrees, not social work. I don't dislike the social workers but I didn't feel like they knew what they were doing as much, they tend to just fill in the time with random conversation a lot, where the therapists with other degrees seem more able to understand the reasons I'm coming to therapy.

[sweepy62]

Thank you so much for all this information my t is wonderful and caring, making sure that I'm left in good hands, unfortunately it does not get rid of abandonment feelings.

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[ScarletPimpernel]

Sweepy, my current T has a Ph.D. She's been practicing since 2005 (and she's only 30!!!). Anyways... my T and I get along great. She's very relaxed with me, open, honest, caring, understanding, etc. I do not feel like she over-analyzes me. I feel like she truly accepts me for me and where I am at.

I know that some people think a higher degree gives them more knowledge. That is not true. In the end, the degree really doesn't make a difference (and honestly neither does the type of therapy). What matters more than anything else is YOUR relationship with the T and if you find the therapy beneficial. The rest doesn't matter beside people having their own opinions.

I have had good and bad experiences with T's who have a Ph.D. I had only good experiences with LCSW but only because I really only remember one with that degree. I even had a T with a Ph.D. tell me I was smarter than her and to NEVER view myself as less than someone because I don't have a degree. My current T is 1yr younger than me, but even she views me as smarter than her (but not in the psychological field ) My advice is to really concentrate on the relationship and if the T is providing you what you need.