Understanding Mental Health Credentials: Who to See for What? A Guide to Understanding Psychologists, Counselors, Therapists, Psychiatrists, Social Workers, and More.
This blog was written by Joel Schmidt, LMCH and Owner of Float On Counseling.
The Tampa Bay area is pretty well saturated with mental health professionals, which is good news if you’re looking to work on your mental and emotional health - but it can be confusing to know who to see for what and where to start. You might, for example, be struggling with anxiety but not sure where to go in terms of who to reach out to or where to find them. Here, I’ll break down some of the different mental health credentials and what to do so you’re best equipped when you start your search.
While there may be additional nuances to the differences beyond what I’ve outlined here, this should provide you with a broad enough understanding to know what you need in order to find a therapist who can help.
Medication vs. Therapy/Counseling
We’ll first start by separating Psychiatrists from everybody else. People who don’t live in the world of mental health understandably often confuse Psychiatrists with Psychologists. The difference is quite simple. Although Psychiatrists and Psychologists are both at doctoral levels of education, psychiatrists are medical doctors (who have gone to medical school) and they prescribe medication for mental health conditions. They may also offer therapy, but more often than not they focus on medication management.
Psychologists, on the other hand, more often focus on addressing, assessing, and treating mental health issues through therapy and/or other behavioral interventions. Although Psychologists have an advanced-level of education and also use the title “Doctor” - they are not medical doctors unless they just so happen to have also completed medical school. This means if you’re specifically looking for medication management for a psychological condition, you might start with a Psychiatrist.
Phd Level, Master’s Degree-Level, and Interns
If you’re instead looking for talk-therapy, psychotherapy, or counseling (these words are often used interchangeably), there are a variety of professionals with varying credentials that can all essentially do the same thing.
Broadly speaking - although there are some exceptions - a Mental Health Therapist needs to have at a minimum a Master’s degree in Counseling, Marriage and Family Counseling, Social Work, or another related field in order to be able to practice therapy or counseling. They then need to be licensed (and above the intern level) in order to practice independently and without supervision. Licensure among all credentials requires extensively logged clinical hours, a period of supervision (often at least 2 years), and successful completion of an exam.
Here is a list of different credentials in the State of Florida that can all offer counseling/therapy and some of the differences between them. Keep in mind, that although there are some unique differences between them in terms of level of education and focus of courses, any of them can provide therapy/counseling/psychotherapy).
Category 1: Psychologists:
A Psychologist has received their Ph.D or Psy.D in Psychology along with postdoctoral clinical experience, supervision, and any necessary exams to qualify for the ability to practice as a Psychologist.
Category 2: Licensed Therapists/Counselors
A Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) has received at least a Master’s Degree in Mental Health Counseling or a related field.
A Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) has received at least a Master’s Degree in Social Work or a related field.
A Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) has received at least a Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy or a related field.
All of the above categories of mental health professionals will have successfully completed post-graduate clinical hours, supervision, and licensure exam.
Category 3: Interns and Pre-Licensed Professionals
You may see titles such as RMHCI, RCSWI, or RMFTI or provisionally licensed Psychologist. These are all “registered interns” or pre-licensed counselors for the professions above. There is often some confusion around the word “intern” and many states have instead opted for titles such as “associate” instead when referring to therapists who are not yet fully licensed. We might think of an intern as someone who is minimally qualified, brand new, or there to “help out” and gain experience. This is not the case for mental health interns, as an intern in this field will have already had a significant amount of direct clinical experience. All graduate programs - whether Master’s or Doctoral-level require a set amount of hours working with clients to even complete the program.
For example, in order to graduate from a Master’s program in Mental Health Counseling in Florida (and most other states) and to qualify to even become a registered intern, a student needs to complete approximately 700 hours of practicum and internship counseling experience. Because of this you can be confident that interns - although newer to the field - will have already spent a lot of time counseling. Because they are also required to continue regular supervision for at least 2 years before getting their full license, you can be confident that they are getting any additional support they might need in the work they are doing. Although it’s reasonable to seek a licensed person with more experience, there are plenty of well-educated, eager, compassionate, and well-skilled “interns”.
The Importance of the “Fit”
When choosing between a psychologist, a licensed counselor (LMHC, LCSW, LMFT), a registered intern, or any other pre-licensed professional, the credentials (although relevant to consider) are often less important than the PERSON! We want to strike a good balance between the therapist being qualified to treat what you need help with and their style and personality being a good fit for you. As I’ve referenced in many blog posts before, the quality of the therapeutic relationship is one of the most important factors for predicting successful outcomes.
Equally as Important: Specialty
Beyond credentials and the right fit, what’s equally important is that you’re working with someone who is specialized and knowledgeable in the type of issue you want to work on. Since all therapists are trained in the field of mental health, one might assume that any of them can help you with the issues you are wanting to work on. It’s important to note that because of how vast the scope of mental health is, most therapists choose to select a specific niche. One therapist, for example, might work exclusively with anxiety disorders while another might focus on treating ADHD or relationship issues by offering couples counseling. This is similar to how medical doctors often choose specialized fields within medicine, such as cardiology, dermatology, rheumatology, and so on. Narrowing in on a specialty allows medical and mental health professionals to become experts in their scope of practice.
How to Search
Now that we’ve broken down the difference between the different credentials within the therapist community and established the importance of finding a good fit (not just in terms of personality but also specialty), we can now talk about where to start in terms of finding a therapist that can help.
While you’re here, you might first check out our awesome therapists who offer virtual counseling (to anybody in the State of Florida) and in-person counseling to people in the Tampa Bay area. Check out their bios, what they do, and who they help. If any of them seem like they might be a good fit, we would be happy to help get you scheduled. Send us a message or call 813-515-9602 so that Summer - our Client Care Coordinator - can walk you through the steps to get started.
Outside of that, you might browse national directories such as Psychologytoday.com, TherapyDen, or Good Therapy. These directories allow you to search by location, specialty, insurance, and more.
"Understanding Mental Health Credentials: Who to See for What? A Guide to Understanding Psychologists, Counselors, Therapists, Psychiatrists, Social Workers, and More" was written by Joel Schmidt, LMHC and owner of Float On Counseling. Our therapy services here at Float On are available for clients to see their therapists virtually or in-person at our Tampa office located in Carrollwood. For more information or to schedule, visit our "Contact Us" page or call 813-515-9602. You can also view our therapists by visiting our therapists page.