So many different credentials, all those initials. How do I make sense of them? How do I know which type of counselor or therapist is best for me?
Mental and behavioral health care comes under many labels, many brands, so to speak. LPs, LPCs, LMFTs, LCSWs, LMHCs, just to name a few. If you are struggling to make a choice about which direction to go, know this: It really doesn’t matter much. You likely won’t notice the difference once we are in the room together. Though we may approach the work differently, there is far more overlap between these professions than most people realize.
With one exception — prescribing medication.
If you want or need medical management of symptoms, you will need to see a medical doctor. Options here include your primary care physician or a psychiatrist. Appointments with these folks will likely be brief, around 15-20 minutes, and more costly. An initial consult with a psychiatrist might run $300 or more. (Your insurance will help you cover some, or maybe a lot, of this cost.)
But if you don’t want or need medication, what might matter most to you is how well you click with your counselor. How well he or she “gets” you. You must feel comfortable speaking and sharing very personal information. You need to trust them. To feel understood. To feel they know what they are doing.
Aside from that, you might not notice much difference between a psychologist, social worker, clinical mental health counselor, or marriage and family therapist. Yes, each of these professions has its own emphasis and specialty. Traditionally, LPCs have emphasized individual counseling, LMFTs relationship and family systems, and social workers the interaction between individuals and their broader social environment. But there is considerable overlap between all three professions. Each shares a common background in education and training. Common topics of study for each profession include:
- Human growth and development
- Assessment and diagnosis
- Counseling techniques
- Crisis intervention
- Psychopathology
- Substance Abuse
- Multiculturalism
- Ethics
But when you sit in a chair across from one of us, you’ll likely notice more difference in us as people than as professionals with different types of training. Ultimately, the healing relationship is about human connection, not where you went to school or what you studied.
The bottom line is this: find someone you can talk to honestly. Someone you feel safe with. Someone who seems to understand you.
The relationship matters more than the initials.