COUNSELING AWARENESS MONTH: Therapist Licenses & Degrees
In honor of April being Counseling Awareness Month, I wanted to share some information regarding different counseling license and degree types and what they mean. If you’re searching for a therapist, you may notice that they have different letters listed after their name, and unless you work in the mental health field, you may not have a clue what they mean. Understanding this information can help increase your awareness of the counseling profession, and could also help make an informed decision if you’re searching for a therapist.
There are many additional certifications that a therapist may acquire relating to their specialties, such as for trauma, substance abuse, marriage counseling, or therapy groups, but for the purposes of this post, I am focusing on the general licenses, degrees, and certifications.
Keep in mind that licenses are regulated by each individual state, so the actual license title may vary depending on location, while degrees and national certifications are the same across the country. I live and practice in Georgia so the licences discussed in this post are representative of that state.
Master’s Level Licenses Clinicians at this level complete a 2 year master’s program (in addition to a 4 year bachelor’s program) and each program (and each state) has requirements for postgraduate work, such as internships, supervised experience, and written exams. Most programs require upwards of 3,000 supervised hours following the completion of their program.
LPC- Licensed Professional Counselor LPCs provide mental health and substance abuse care for individuals, couples, families, and groups that are experiencing mental, behavioral, and emotional problems. They can work in a variety of settings such as hospitals, private practices, universities, community mental health centers, veteran centers, and more.
In other states, they may be referred to as Licensed Mental Health Counselors (LMHC), Licensed Professional Clinical Counselors (LPCC), or Licensed Clinical Professional Counselors (LCPC).
LAPC- Licensed Associate Professional Counselor Many states have a tiered licensing process for those working towards full licensure. A LAPC is a provisionally licensed counselor, who has completed their master’s program and state exam, and is working towards attaining a designated amount of supervised clinical hours. In Georgia, this process takes a minimum of 3 years.
LMFT- Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist While LMFTs can see the same type of clients as a LPC (including individual clients), their training is more focused on the context of a family and social perspective.
LCSW- Licensed Clinical Social Worker There are a wide variety of specializations that a LCSW may have, and that can be therapy (similar to LPCs and LMFTs), or it can be more focused on social, health, and/or community support.
MS- Master of Science, MA- Master of Arts, MDiv- Master of Divination These letters are all indications of a type of master’s degree, which can be focused on counseling or another mental health-related field.
Doctoral Degrees Clinicians at this level complete a doctoral degree program, sometimes in addition to a master’s program and/or in addition to having a counseling or social work license. A doctorate can also allow an individual to become a licensed psychologist. Psychologists can provide counseling similar to the master’s level clinicians, as well as provide psychological testing or participate in research efforts.
PhD- Doctor of Philosophy: in Psychology, Counseling Psychology, or Counselor Education & Supervision
PsyD- Doctor of Psychology
EdD- Doctor of Education in Counselor Education & Supervision
*It is unethical for a therapist to advertise having a degree if it does not relate to the mental health field. For example, if I got in a PhD in Chemistry (unlikely!), then I could not ethically list PhD in my credentials as it would be misleading.
Other Certifications
CPCS- Certified Professional Counselor Supervisor This means that a counselor is certified to provide supervision to other counselors.
NCC- National Certified Counselor This is a voluntary national certification that allows counselors to be board-certified at the highest standards of practice.
CAC- Certified Addiction Counselor, CAADC- Certified Advanced Alcohol & Drug Counselor There are several various certifications for substance abuse counselors. Some are for master’s level clinicians, while some are for bachelor’s level or below.
There is clearly a significant overlap between the licenses, degrees, and certifications within the mental health field. There is no one designation that is considered “the best” or better than the others, but rather, they all have some differences and can all offer ethical, knowledgeable, and effective treatment.
Now you can figure out my credentials! Meredith Hrebenak, MS, LPC, NCC
