What you (mostly) need to know about mental health professionals...
The title is quite long, but it is important to draw your interest to the point of this post. I find more often than not, people are confused about what certain mental health professionals do. It is important to know who is who so you can get the BEST care! Let’s start with the basics (which is mostly what you nee to know). Please reach out if you have questions! (And yeah, you could google this, but why not hear it from someone in the field?)
Now, let me start with defining every professional you could encounter in the psych world. Just for the record, a PhD is wonderful, however, it is not needed to do clinical work. Thus, a Masters degree is a clinical degree. The trick is to understand what each profession studies so you can decide who best fits you.
A psychologist; a person who has a PhD level degree, who is specifically trained in testing and diagnosing complex disorders. The way I like to think of it is: if you’re not sure what’s wrong and you need more quantitative information, this is a very good option. Plus, they have tons of training and knowledge.
A psychiatrist; a professional who has an M.D. level degree, so they prescribe medications. So, most of the psychiatrists I have known are there to help you decide what kind of medication to take. Some are well versed in Naturopathic alternatives, however, be aware that unless you are very vocal about your needs, they are going to want to give you medication. This is helpful if you are suffering from severe anxiety, depression, BiPolar Disorders I & II, Schizophrenia, ADHD, Autism, and others.
A Licensed Professional Counselor: a Masters level therapist who practices a wide range of interventions. The training, to me, is diverse.
A Licensed Clinical Social Worker: a Masters level professional who are trained briefly in many different areas of therapy. In my experience, they are strong in community life and resources, meaning they usually go into professions that require lots of “behind the scenes”; connecting individuals and families to the best resources to fit their needs.
A Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist: a Masters level therapist, heavily trained in family systems. This means, taking the individuals’ environment into account, and looking at dynamics, patterns, and cycles of interactions that impact his or hers functioning.
With all of this said, each therapist has a different background of experience and knowledge. I knew a psychiatrist who studied Marriage and Family Therapy systems and styles of interventions! I know many LPC’s who go into the same fields as most LMFT’s. It’s all one happy community. No one is better than the next, but it’s important to know the difference so you can keep that in mind while you’re seeking a therapist. Ask them what kind of models they use and what aspects of therapy they enjoy! Happy healing!
