How to Find a Good Therapist (part II)
Hi there!
Welcome back to the MoodiNews. Every Thursday, we discuss a variety of matters related to mental health and self-improvement.
I’m so glad you’re here.
Today’s post is a continuation of a four-part discussion* in response to the question: HOW DO I FIND A GOOD THERAPIST?
Last week, we discussed how to distinguish between the different types of providers that offer mental health services in general—not just therapy.
This week (week two), we are going to discuss how to identify which providers offer or specialize in therapy specifically.
One of the most common complaints I hear from people is that it’s very confusing to know what to look for when trying to find a new therapist.
Part of the problem is that people have a hard time navigating through all of those mind-numbing credentials after a therapist’s name!
So, that’s what we are going to talk about today—I will break down some of those confusing acronyms into more digestible, understandable bits.
Before we start—there are quite literally dozens of combinations of letters that can come after a therapist’s name, so please don’t be discouraged! Credentials may not matter to you, but I am discussing them here because they indicate that someone has received proper professional training and thus meets the gold standard for qualified practice in psychotherapy.
A therapist’s credentials are typically written as follows. In order to decipher a therapist’s credentials, adhere to the following formula:
Name, DEGREE(s), LICENSE(s), Extra certification(s)
For an example, here’s my professional title:
Ann Duevel, MSW, LICSW, LADC
Broken down, that’s:
Name (Ann Duevel)
DEGREE (MSW – means ‘Master of Social Work’)
LICENSES (LICSW – ‘Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker’; LADC – ‘Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor’)
Here’s what you need to know—once you’ve identified how a person has been educated (i.e., what their degree is), you can work your way out from there.
For example, in the United States, there are five ‘types’ of providers who can offer psychotherapy to the general public, based on their education. These five groups are listed below, along with some common acronyms you might see for their respective credentials:
Master’s level or higher Social Workers
o Typical credentials: MSW/LMSW/DSW (degrees); LICSW/LCSW(-R/C)/LCSW-C/LSCSW/LISW(-CP)/CSW(-PIP) (licenses)
Master’s level Counselors or Psychologists
o Typical credentials: MS/MA (degrees); LPC(-MH/MHSP)/LMHC/LCPC/LPCC/LCMHC/LMHP/LIMHP/LMLP/LPMHC (licenses)
Master’s level or higher Marriage and Family Therapists
o Typical credentials: MA/MS/DMFT (degrees); MFT/LMFT/LCMFT/LIMFT (licenses)
Doctorate level Psychologists
o Typical credentials: PhD/PsyD (degrees); LP/LCP (licenses)
Doctorate level Psychiatrists or Psychiatric (Mental Health) Nurse Practitioners (NPs)
o Typical credentials: MD/DO/DNP (degrees); ARNP/ARPN/PMHNP (licenses are for NPs only)
Unfortunately, the nomenclature (verbiage) behind therapist credentialing varies by state, which is why there are so many different acronyms representing equivalent qualifications in the examples above. (If you live outside of the US, the acronyms for the therapists in your area are likely to be drastically different as well.)
Additionally, here’s a few final—but important—things to note:
1. The possession of a degree alone does NOT mean that a therapist is licensed to practice. In order to be a qualified practitioner, a therapist needs to have both a graduate degree AND a license. (Medical doctors are an exception to this rule.)
2. School Counselors (NCSC) and Substance Abuse Counselors (LADC/ADC) are NOT considered therapists, unless they also have graduate-level training. For example, in some states, Master’s Level Certified Addiction Professionals (MCAP) or Alcohol and Drug Counselors with a master’s or doctorate-level degree (LAADC, LCADC) can also practice therapy. Otherwise, if someone wishes to offer psychotherapy as a school and/or substance abuse counselor, they will also need to obtain one of the licenses listed above.
3. All of the licenses listed above are for fully qualified, independently-practicing therapists. In contrast, individuals who have only recently graduated often require a few more years of supervised practice experience before they can become fully independent—these folks will have different, provisional credentials after their name.
4. It is most common for therapists to list their degree(s) first, license(s) second, and then any specialization(s) last. Credentials of specialization indicate that a person has undergone special training and is certified in a certain style of therapy—for example, Art Therapy (ATR-BC) or Sex Therapy (CST).
5. Please note that a lot of the acronyms listed above are very similar—hopefully, this will help alleviate some of your overwhelm when first exploring your options. The most common tweaks you will see are when the letters ‘L’ or ‘C’ are either added, omitted, or moved around—‘L’ typically stands for ‘Licensed’ and ‘C’ typically stands for ‘Clinical.’
6. Variations to a therapist’s acronyms are based on the state in which they practice (more on this next week). Providers can be licensed in more than one state, but you will want to know what the qualifications are for therapists in the state where you live—this will help you identify which providers are available to you that have also met your state’s credentialing requirements.
7. When looking for a therapist, you can choose from any of the five professional categories listed above—in my experience, how or where a therapist has been educated offers little insight into how good they actually are in practice. That’s something you’ll have to decide once you meet them—and we will discuss this point further during week four.
Thanks for sticking around to learn about these different aspects of the psychotherapy profession! If you find this information overwhelming, don’t worry—over time, it will come together.
Next week, we will discuss how to locate a therapist in your area—and why location matters—as you narrow in on your search to find a new provider.
*Please note - None of the ideas discussed in this series are intended to substitute for a clinical referral or replace the recommendation(s) of a doctor/healthcare provider who knows you personally. These insights are based solely off of my personal experience as both a clinician and a client myself, and people may disagree with me about what good therapy looks like—that’s okay.