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Mental Health Professionals

Have you ever wondered about the difference between a social worker and a psychologist? Are you confused about when to reach out to a psychologist and when to contact a psychiatrist? See below for a list outlining the most common types of mental health providers, how they differ, and what services they provide. This article is meant to provide general information. It is not comprehensive.

Licensed mental health professionals may practice psychotherapy in similar ways but their schooling and training experiences vary.

Mental Health Professionals

Types of Mental Health Professionals

Masters Level Clinicians

Mental health counselors (MHC), social workers (MSW) and marriage and family therapists (MFT) typically attend a two year master’s program to receive their professional degrees. Mental health counselors typically receive coursework and practicum training focused on working with clients in a clinical setting. Social work programs often include coursework on policy and case management to guide them in helping clients navigate systems and connect them with community resources. Marriage and family therapy training programs typically focus more on family therapy and couples work. Both mental health counselors and social workers need 3,000 supervised clinical hours to sit for their clinical licensing exam, which allows them to practice independently outside of supervision. Marriage and family therapists need somewhere between 1,500 (in NY) to 3,000 (California) clinical hours before they can take their licensing exam. Once social workers, mental health counselors, and marriage and family therapists pass their licensing exam they become licensed to provide therapy in a given state or multiple states. At that point, their credentials change to licensed mental health counselors (LMHC), licensed clinical social workers (LCSW) or licensed marriage and family therapists (LMFT).

Medical Providers Involved in Psychiatric Care

Psychiatrists

Psychiatrists (MD/DO) complete medical school and then specialize in psychiatry for their residency years. Most psychiatrists focus on psychiatric assessments, prescribing medication, and medication management. They often collaborate with psychologists and other mental health professionals who work clinically with their patients. There are some psychiatrists who complete training in psychotherapy and provide therapy as well.

Clergy

Rabbis and Pastoral Counselors

Rabbis and other clergy members are trained as leaders in religious guidance. Sometimes they are also trained in pastoral counseling. While their scope of practice includes halachic counsel, spiritual inspiration and leadership, and community engagement, they may not have completed intensive courses in understanding human psychology or completed formal practicum hours. These are not regulated positions, so there are no uniform requirements for training or clinical qualifications  to meet prior to becoming a member of the clergy. They can be wonderful guides to speak to and seek advice from.  However, they do not provide therapy. At times, mental health providers and rabbis or other religious leaders may work together to help an individual.

Coaches

Life Coaches

Life Coaches are sometimes confused with therapists. Life Coaches are NOT therapists. Life Coaches do not require any academic education nor formal qualifications. They are not allowed to treat mental illness nor can they provide psychotherapy. Another important factor to consider is that all therapists are required to follow a code of ethics and adhere to HIPAA regulations regarding confidentiality. These privacy rules protect your personal health information, and ensure that your therapist cannot share your information without specific written consent from you. Life Coaches are not bound by these rules and regulations.

View the AOJP Psychologist Directory to find the right person for you!

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