[GingerbreadWoman]

I just started seeing an LPC. I never really considered that a practitioner's credentials mattered much since I've seen horrific PhDs in the past, meaning attaining the highest level of education definitely does not make one a "better" therapist than the other guys.

Now I'm wondering if the "counselor" designation means what he is providing me is very different than what another type of provider would give me. Does a counselor work with clients on a much shorter term or more impersonal basis? All of the terminology and credentials get so confusing!

[tealBumblebee]

I may be wrong but i'm thinking they are the same thing as far as working with clients, except that a Psychiatrist can prescribe medication. My T is an LPC/NCC (among other initials) and I think she will do short term, but she is a believer in a firm/long term relationship with 'maintenance' sessions as needed after that.

[HazelGirl]

The term counselor is less regulated, meaning people without degrees can use it. Therapist, on the other hand, have to have a degree. As for those with degrees, (an LPC would indeed have a degree, for example), it means the same thing.

[stopdog]

The legal distinction in terms depends upon jurisdiction.

Here are explanations from a quick google search:

?Counseling? vs ?Therapy? Is There a Difference Between a Counselor and a Therapist? ? Marriage and Family Center

http://www.drstevenlazarus.com/2011/...-vs-counselor/

http://www.drpatrick.com/faq.htm

http://www.portland-counseling-thera...the-difference

My current (and most helpful by FAR!!) t is an LPC. the first 2 were PhD's, one of which I didn't even make it through the first session before walking out on the jerk, and the 2nd I stuck with for maybe 6 months, she was nice enough but we never had any type of connection at all I just stopped going. I've been talking to current t for almost 3 years now (the first year in person, then she moved and we've done only phone sessions for almost 2 years now. hard to believe.) Current t is amazing.

[GingerbreadWoman]

Originally Posted by artemis-within

My current (and most helpful by FAR!!) t is an LPC. the first 2 were PhD's, one of which I didn't even make it through the first session before walking out on the jerk, and the 2nd I stuck with for maybe 6 months, she was nice enough but we never had any type of connection at all I just stopped going. I've been talking to current t for almost 3 years now (the first year in person, then she moved and we've done only phone sessions for almost 2 years now. hard to believe.) Current t is amazing.

Hah-sounds like my experience with PhDs. Maybe it's because their primary focus isn't on therapy but on research-based initiatives. Who knows. The first one I saw, outside of childhood therapists, was such a mean woman. I can't believe she has clients at all. I actually really like my LPC too. I think that's why I'm wondering if his counselor designation means he intends to kick me out after a couple of months or so!

Thank you for sharing those links, stopdog. I will now read them.

[ThisWayOut]

it's different in terms of educational concentration, licensing, and professional affiliations. Most times, a counselor can be anyone at least with a BA, and then certificate courses. Therapists are required to have at least an MA. Psychologists must have a PhD or PsyD. Licensed Clinical Psychologists must have completed more "clinical" hours than the average Liciensed Psychologist, meaning they needed more emphasis on client contact than on research. Both PhD programs and PsyD programs can offer clinical experience, but most PhD Psych programs focus on research.
You can get a degree in education with a concentration in counseling and mental health. This generally leads to a career in guidance counseling, though it can be used to get LPC credentialing for provate or community practice not related to education.
Generally, substance abuse counseling only requires a certificate program for the client-level of care, but a higher degree is needed for administrative positions in the field (clinical director of a program, etc).
Education and requirements vary greatly by state or region of the country in the US. I have found quality of providers also varies greatly due to this. In FL, you can get a certifficate in counseling or substance abuse and still be elligable for licensing as an LPC. This is not the case in CT, where you must at least have a BA/BS in social work, an MA/MS in psychology, or a PhD in Education to get the same letters after your name, but again, they mean different things. Different levels of supervision are required with each credential, so you get different skill-levels.

[Perna]

The initials behind their name is only one part of what they should have to be a good therapist:

How to find a good therapist 11

[NoddaProbBob]

Some of what has been previously posted here is right and some is wrong.

Counselors are not less regulated. Anyone can take on the name Counselor or Therapist. There are life coaches who call themselves counselors and spiritual advisors who call themselves therapists. Neither of these people have (in most cases) a degree.

What needs to be looked at is the difference between fields. For instance, there are different types of therapists. Massage therapists, respiratory therapists. But those individuals are not mental health practitioners. Most people in the mental health field will call themselves a therapist. In reality, a lot of these people hold different titles based off their degrees. Social workers do this a lot. They are considered therapists but really, they're Social Workers with clinical mental health training. Some psychologists and psychiatrists call themselves therapists as well. So really, the term therapist is an umbrella label given to practitioners.

Technically, the only individuals who are by their degree called counselors are LPCs (Licensed Professional Counselor) and LCPCs (Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor) The same goes with the term therapist. MFT's are Marriage and Family Therapists by title.

Now, let's talk about the difference between counseling and therapy.

They are SIMILAR but not exactly the same. They have the same goal, to help the client, but are different in both schools of thought and training.

Therapy recognizes that an individual comes in seeking treatment in order to return to a prior, more positive, level of functioning. These individuals are often seen in the eyes of a medical model, meaning that therapy sees individuals as having a "problem" that needs fixing. In essence, it is about restorative function.

Counseling on the other hand sees the person in a different way through the eyes of a wellness and wholeness model. Counseling sees the individual as a whole and not just as the presenting concern or issue. Counseling would seek to point out the positives and does not see the individual as broken and in need of fixing. An individual is seen as being on a journey and at some juncture required help to continue on in their life journey. It's about making meaning of whatever is going on in that individual's life.

LPCs, LCPC's, Psychologists, Psychiatrists, LSW, and LCSWs are all trained differently and hold different ideas as to how they believe is the best approach to mental health treatment.

Generally, Psychiatrists are the only individuals allowed to prescribe medications, aside from primary MDs. In some states with additional training, some Psychologists are allowed to prescribe medication, but that is a fairly new trend.

If you want to know more about the treatment you are receiving, my advice is to see individuals with at least a Masters degree. Check out their credentials and licenses and see what those credentials and licenses mean. And then look and see how each of these credentials and licenses are trained and what they believe is the best approach to mental health treatment. They are all different and distinct.

Many mental health practitioners themselves do not know the difference between therapy and counseling. We have to be in charge of our care. We know what works best for us.

[GingerbreadWoman]

Originally Posted by NoddaProbBob

Some of what has been previously posted here is right and some is wrong.

Counselors are not less regulated. Anyone can take on the name Counselor or Therapist. There are life coaches who call themselves counselors and spiritual advisors who call themselves therapists. Neither of these people have (in most cases) a degree.

What needs to be looked at is the difference between fields. For instance, there are different types of therapists. Massage therapists, respiratory therapists. But those individuals are not mental health practitioners. Most people in the mental health field will call themselves a therapist. In reality, a lot of these people hold different titles based off their degrees. Social workers do this a lot. They are considered therapists but really, they're Social Workers with clinical mental health training. Some psychologists and psychiatrists call themselves therapists as well. So really, the term therapist is an umbrella label given to practitioners.

Technically, the only individuals who are by their degree called counselors are LPCs (Licensed Professional Counselor) and LCPCs (Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor) The same goes with the term therapist. MFT's are Marriage and Family Therapists by title.

Now, let's talk about the difference between counseling and therapy.

They are SIMILAR but not exactly the same. They have the same goal, to help the client, but are different in both schools of thought and training.

Therapy recognizes that an individual comes in seeking treatment in order to return to a prior, more positive, level of functioning. These individuals are often seen in the eyes of a medical model, meaning that therapy sees individuals as having a "problem" that needs fixing. In essence, it is about restorative function.

Counseling on the other hand sees the person in a different way through the eyes of a wellness and wholeness model. Counseling sees the individual as a whole and not just as the presenting concern or issue. Counseling would seek to point out the positives and does not see the individual as broken and in need of fixing. An individual is seen as being on a journey and at some juncture required help to continue on in their life journey. It's about making meaning of whatever is going on in that individual's life.

LPCs, LCPC's, Psychologists, Psychiatrists, LSW, and LCSWs are all trained differently and hold different ideas as to how they believe is the best approach to mental health treatment.

Generally, Psychiatrists are the only individuals allowed to prescribe medications, aside from primary MDs. In some states with additional training, some Psychologists are allowed to prescribe medication, but that is a fairly new trend.

If you want to know more about the treatment you are receiving, my advice is to see individuals with at least a Masters degree. Check out their credentials and licenses and see what those credentials and licenses mean. And then look and see how each of these credentials and licenses are trained and what they believe is the best approach to mental health treatment. They are all different and distinct.

Many mental health practitioners themselves do not know the difference between therapy and counseling. We have to be in charge of our care. We know what works best for us.

Thank you for this and to everybody else for their helpful input! Reading this made me realize a lot of things I didn't really recognize at first about my therapy/counseling experiences. Now that you mention it, the PhDs I've seen HAVE treated me as more of a mentally ill patient, whereas my LPC spoke to me like I was mostly healthy and normal. In fact, he said that to me a lot lol. He kept saying that I'm having a hard time now but it gets better.

He does have a Master's Degree in addition to the LPC. I'm glad that's a good thing haha.

[NoddaProbBob]

You are welcome! Once you know the differences between the various mental health providers you start to see how they work with you and how you respond to their approach.

It sounds like your T has his credentials which is great! And as long as your relationship with him is good, you will succeed in whatever work you're doing. The stronger the relationship, the greater potential for you to succeed!

[feralkittymom]

Originally Posted by GingerbreadWoman

Thank you for this and to everybody else for their helpful input! Reading this made me realize a lot of things I didn't really recognize at first about my therapy/counseling experiences. Now that you mention it, the PhDs I've seen HAVE treated me as more of a mentally ill patient, whereas my LPC spoke to me like I was mostly healthy and normal. In fact, he said that to me a lot lol. He kept saying that I'm having a hard time now but it gets better.

He does have a Master's Degree in addition to the LPC. I'm glad that's a good thing haha.

Just to add one more level of complexity to this topic: the difference in philosophy between counseling and therapy extends throughout degree levels and additional training can create quite a bit of overlap between the two. My T held a PhD in Counseling Psychology, awarded by a dept of psychology, not a school of education. He also was a Diplomate, (ABPP,) which is a board certification awarded by the APA through a process of oral and written tests and the submission of a portfolio reflecting extensive case analysis, typically taking a year of preparation, similar to board certification or diplomate standing in the medical field. His degree required extensive supervised clinical hours, internships, and personal therapy. Licensing in most states also requires continuing education credits. So while a PhD may be a research degree in both preparation and practice, it can also be a clinical degree. PsyD places a greater emphasis on clinical hours instead of the dissertation requirement of a PhD, and is a bit less generalist in its study of psychology as a field.

So it isn't that the degree leads to a good T, but it is the experiences that lead to the degree and the philosophy of practice that is important to find a good fit.