What's the difference between a therapist, a psychologist, a psychiatrist, a social worker, a psychotherapist, a counselor and whatever else there is?
One of the most common questions that gets asked by people who are considering mental health treatment is about the distinction between all of the different provider options. There are so many different acronyms, titles and names that get thrown out there that it can get really tricky. Additionally, different states have different regulations, standards and acronyms for what is ultimately the same thing - so this can add a lot to the confusion.
The goal here is to try to simplify it as much as possible for the client who is looking to get a general idea.
The first thing to understand is there are different degrees that lead to different licenses. Each of these licenses, ultimately lead to being a mental health provider.
These degrees and corresponding licenses generally are:
PhD - Clinical Psychologist.
A provider who holds a PhD in clinical or counseling psychology (don’t worry about that distinction for now) is a clinical psychologist. A clinical psychologist can provide psychotherapy, diagnose, administer psychological and personality tests and in some cases (very dependent on state and training) prescribe medication. While you may hear people say that PhD programs are only for people who do research, this is more often not the case. PhD programs in clinical psychology vary tremendously in focus but will always provide extensive training in psychotherapy.PsyD - Clinical Psychologist
A provider who holds a PsyD in clinical or counseling psychology is for all intents and purposes, the exact same thing as above. The only sometimes discernible difference is that many PsyD programs are less focused on conducting research, but again, this can vary a lot depending on the program.EdD - Clinical Psychologist
Some psychology programs will offer a doctorate of education in clinical or counseling psychology. These providers are the same as listed above.MSW - Clinical Social Worker
A provider who holds a MSW (master of social work degree), can provide psychotherapy, diagnose and perform assessments. Where they differ from psychologists is that clinical social workers are not trained to administer psychological and personality tests. There are different levels to the social work licensure process but somebody who has obtained the highest level of licensure will usually have the acronyms “LCSW” (licensed clinical social worker) after their name.MA/MS Counseling - Professional Counselor
A provider who holds a masters in degree in professional counseling can for all intents and purposes do the same as mentioned for the clinical social worker listed above.MA/MS Clinical Psychology - Professional Counselor
A provider who holds a masters in degree in clinical psychology can in some states do the same as what was mentioned for the clinical psychologist. However, in most states, they perform the same functions as the other masters level clinicians listed above.MFT - Marriage and Family therapist
A provider who holds a masters degree in marriage and family therapy can once again, do the same things as the other masters level clinicians listed above. It should be noted that despite the name of this degree, marriage and family therapists are trained to work with individuals as well.MD - Psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a provider who completed medical school and is trained to prescribe medication. Psychiatrists usually focus on prescribing psychiatric medication, although some provide psychotherapy as well.
It should once again be noted that a lot can vary from state to state when it comes to these different providers and what they are called, their scope of practice etc.
Lastly, when it comes to the more general terms of therapist, counselor, psychotherapist etc. you may find that some try to make a distinction between them, but most mental health professionals in the field will use these terms interchangeably. All of the mental health providers listed above generally have the ability to use any of these titles and it usually will come down to personal preference.
When looking for a mental health provider, our recommendation is to reach out by phone, or ask for an initial session to get a feel for the provider’s area of practice, education, training, personality and whether or not they have experience addressing the issues looking to be addressed.At Dinovitz Counseling - we get how confusing and rigorous this can be. That’s why we offer the unique service of a free initial session so that our clients can learn more about us while exploring how we can meet their needs.