Ph.D., Psy.D., MSW, NCC etc etc? What are the credentials of people who conduct counseling and psychotherapy? This question has come up so many times, but the answer can still be pretty complicated.
In some professions, the types of training that are possible to get to that profession are very narrow. There might be differences in how professional training and service are approached, but there is only one or a small number of possible credentials for a person delivering certain services. For example, I know of very few professional degrees that lead to the practice of law. As listed at http://education-portal.com/types_of_law_degrees.html, the pathway to law practice is fairly narrow. The most common credential is the J.D., though there are a few others that are seen much less often. The path to medical practice is at least as narrow (at least in this country). According to http://healthcareers.about.com/od/medicalschooldoctors/p/MedicalDegrees.htm , the MD and DO are the two degrees that lead to a conventional, licensed, Board certified medical practice.
Most of the legal regulation of professional mental health practice occurs at the state level (as opposed to the federal level). For example, some states regulate any use of a title that includes “psychology” or related phrases. I’ll say a bit more below about the credentials of psychologists. The profession of counseling has also gained some turf and expanded legal endorsement in many states. You may expect to see a range of academic credentials from professional counselors. At both the Master’s and doctoral level, professional counselors are well trained and will have a variety of specific degrees such as the M.S., M.Ed., Ph.D., and Ed.D. The “NCC” designation is a strong credential that refers to a “Nationally Certified Counselor,” and it is a good thing to see in a person who is marketing her/himself as a counselor.
The well-established profession of social work has licensed professionals with credentials that usually end in ‘_SW,’ such as MSW, LCSW, and DSW. Psychiatrists (MD or DO, with an appropriate residency) represent another major component of the mental health system. Beyond these mainstream credentials, one need only look at office fronts or phone books to see that there are plenty of other people who are offering services that appear to be similar. In addition, good quality personal consultation can come from people who are not specifically identified as mental health care providers. For example, pastoral care can be a context in which a great deal of comfort and assistance can be provided above and beyond the assistance that comes through specific spiritual teachings.
In psychology in particular, a licensed professional might have a degree ranging from a Masters level to a doctorate. There is a strong trend to discontinue licensing for Masters level practitioners, but there are still plenty that are working. At the doctoral level, one might see an Ed.D., Sc.D., Ph.D., or Psy.D. as the main credentials. Sometimes the difference in credential only means that the training institution happens to house a program within an area of the school that just gives a particular type of degree. There is some difference between the Ph.D. and Psy.D., in that these two degrees represent some differences in training emphasis. The Ph.D. (“Doctor of Philosophy”) is a degree that comes from what is called a “scientist-practitioner” or “Boulder” model. The Psy.D. (“Doctor of Psychology”) is a degree that more strongly emphasizes practice.
Despite the differences among all of these degrees and academic credentials, it is not correct to assume differences in clinical skills. My view is that there are wide differences within each type of degree and the question of how to pick a therapist is not at all eliminated by simply picking a professional with the right credential.
One other note: you might see other letters after a person’s academic credentials. In the medical profession, you might see “M.D., FACS” or something like that. It’s important for the smart consumer to be careful of these other notations. In psychology, the American Psychological Association (www.apa.org) recognizes the American Board of Professional Psychology (www. abpp.org) as providing a legitimate post-doctoral credential. As the Board notes, “Board certification by the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP) provides peer and public recognition of demonstrated competence in an approved specialty area in professional psychology.” Other things that might be noted after degree are referred to as “vanity” degrees or credentials. Some of these may be secured by simply mailing in a payment and represent nothing other than a professional attempting to pad the appearance of their credentials. A professional person who secured a vanity credential for a house pet demonstrated the ease of doing this.
This relatively brief list has not at all covered all of the possible things that a person might see in the credentials (or alleged credentials) of persons who are marketing their services. What makes matters worse is that a professional degree and even a professional license do not mean that there will be good chemistry between you and the person with whom you consult. I’ll write about choosing a professional in the next day or so. Stay tuned. . .
Important Note: Dr. Mills’ comments are based on a combination of his professional review of relevant public and academic sources, 20+ years of clinical experience, and his own views of the world. Comments here do not represent the views of anyone other than Dr. Mills himself. You may contact Dr. Mills at drjamills@yahoo.com. However, while he is licensed as a psychologist in Delaware and Pennsylvania, you should not contact him to get individual, professional clinical consultation. Electronic mail is generally not considered to be a secure means of communication, and this discussion forum does not create or imply a professional clinical relationship.
