Similar to other medical fields, mental health practitioners use professional terms.  There are a variety of terms and abbreviations which can be both confusing and misleading to anyone unfamiliar with our field.  This guide is our attempt to provide some clarity, so you have at least a basic "roadmap" with which to navigate counseling terms you come across.

Terminology and Titles 

A very important point to make is that use of the listed terms is severely under-monitored.  The state boards that are responsible for enforcing this matter simply do not have the money or person-power to effectively monitor and regulate the appropriate use of titles and terminology.  We will define terms and titles as they should be used, but must point out that it is not uncommon to see these terms used inappropriately.  We will try to point out any defining features.

Counselor – See mental health counselor.

Couples and Family Therapist – See marriage and family therapist.

Marriage and Family Therapist – A marriage and family therapist is a mental health practitioner who is educated and trained as a mental health provider, and has earned a masters or doctoral degree in some form of mental health, though their degree will typically be from a marriage and family therapy program.  The term "marriage and family therapist" may also be a more specific indication that a mental health practitioner associates her-/himself with the political or theoretical ideals of the field of marriage and family therapy.  In more recent years some programs have renamed this specialty to be referred to as "couples and family therapist," to cover not only marriage but other romantic partnerships, though essentially they are one in the same.

Mental Health Counselor – The term mental health counselor is often shortened to simply "counselor." A counselor is a mental health practitioner who is educated and trained as a mental health provider, and has earned a masters or doctoral degree in some form of mental health, though their degree will typically be from a mental health counseling program.  The term "counselor" may also be a more specific indication that a mental health practitioner associates her-/himself with the political or theoretical ideals of the field of counseling.  To confuse matters, the generic term ‘"counselor" is one that is used in a variety of settings, such as by lawyers or customer service representatives, for example. The term "counselor" is also one of several terms that is often misused in regards to the mental health field (such as by people who engage in some sort of practice without a masters or doctoral degree).

Mental Health Practitioner – A mental health practitioner is a person who is educated and trained as a mental health provider, and generally is engaged in the provision of mental health services.  To be using the term mental health practitioner, one should have a masters or doctoral degree in some form of mental health.

Mental Health Professional – See mental health practitioner.

Mental Health Associate – A mental health associate is typically a person who possesses some education and training in the mental health field, but has not obtained a masters or doctoral degree.  They will typically have a bachelor’s degree, and should be under the supervision of one or more mental health practitioners.  Mental health associates will typically provide more streamlined services, such as assessments.  The term "associate" may also be used more casually or informally to refer to fellow mental health practitioners.

Psychiatrist – A psychiatrist has earned a medical degree.  Psychiatrists are trained primarily as medical doctors, and typically receive mental health training as part of their residency which they complete following medical school.  Because psychiatrists are medical doctors, this means they are different from all of the other mental health practitioners in that they can prescribe medication.

Psychoanalyst – A psychoanalyst is a mental health practitioner who has completed additional specialized education and training from a psychoanalytic institute.  Although training and qualifications may vary between psychoanalytic institutions, it is common that psychoanalysts must meet a prerequisite of having obtained a doctoral degree prior to the start of their specialized post-graduate training.  Also see psychoanalysis.

Psychoanalysis – Pscyhoanalysis is a psychological theory and framework which is largely grounded in the work of Sigmund Freud and/or Carl Jung, and is typically associated with the analysis of dreams.

Psychologist – A psychologist is a mental health practitioner who has earned a doctoral degree in some form of psychology.  Psychologists are not all trained in the provision of mental health services, and this depends on their specialty (for example, some psychologists may be trained solely to provide research).  The term "psychologist" may also be used to indicate an association with the political or theoretical ideals of psychology.  The most common psychologists who practice psychotherapy are clinical and counseling psychologists. 

Psychotherapist – The term psychotherapist is similar in nature to the term mental health practitioner.  A psychotherapist is a mental health practitioner who is educated and trained as a mental health provider, and has earned a masters or doctoral degree in some form of mental health.  The term "psychotherapist" may also be a more specific indication that a mental health practitioner associates her-/himself with the political or theoretical ideals of a psychodynamic approach.  The term "psychotherapist" is often shortened to simply "therapist."

Social Worker – A social worker is a mental health practitioner who is educated and trained as a mental health provider, and has earned a masters or doctoral degree in some form of mental health, though their degree will typically be in social work.  The term "social worker" may also be a more specific indication that a mental health practitioner associates her-/himself with the political or theoretical ideals of the field of social work.

Therapist – The term "therapist" has become popularly associated with mental health practice, and is often used as a more casual reference to a mental health practitioner.  However, this can become confusing due to the large number and variety of therapies that exist (i.e. physical therapy, occupational therapy, etc.).  Technically, a therapist is any qualified person who practices any type of established therapy.

Title Abbreviations and Degrees

It would be nice if colleges and universities were all on the same page, but this is not the case.  As a result, there are a wide variety of degrees within the mental health field.  While some distinctions can be made, there is a wide range of diversity in what programs offer and what degrees colleges and universities provide to their graduates.

Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor (CADC) – This title indicates that a person has completed some state certified level of alcohol and drug training.  Alcohol and drug training has an even greater variance between states when compared to licenses.  In some states alcohol and drug counselors may be required to also be mental health practitioners, while in other states alcohol and drug counselors may not be required to possess any mental health training.  States also may have a wide variety of ways to label alcohol and drug counselors, so actual letters and titles may vary greatly between states.  In some cases states may denote levels, for example CADC I or CADC II.  Higher levels typically indicate a higher number of documented hours doing alcohol and drug work.

Doctor of Education (EdD) – The EdD degree is equivalent in education and training to the doctor of philosophy degree, and essentially denotes an early trend in the university system to placing psychology programs within the school of education instead of the school of philosophy.  See doctor of philosophy for additional information.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) – The PhD degree is probably the most common doctoral degree possessed by doctoral level mental health practitioners.  Not all PhD graduates are necessarily trained to be mental health practitioners.  It is important to note what program the graduate is from, and that the graduate obtained their degree in a program that focused on the provision of mental health services.  PhD programs typically require a significant amount of research, as well as the writing and publishing of a dissertation.  However, some programs may place a stronger emphasis on mental health practice, and may be more in line with doctor of psychology programs.

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) – The PsyD is also a doctoral level degree possessed by mental health practitioners.  The PsyD is a more recently developed doctoral degree that typically denotes an emphasis on the education and training of mental health practice.  PsyD programs typically require less research then their PhD counterparts, and may not require a dissertation.  Some programs may be devoted entirely to the practice of psychotherapy.  Generally PsyD graduates are considered to have received the highest level of preparation for mental health practice.

Licensed Couples and Family Therapist (LCFT) – This title indicates that a practitioner has been licensed by the state licensing board for couples and family therapists.  LCFT is simply an updated title replacing LMFT.  As states licenses vary, there may be differences in the titles used between states.

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) – This title indicates that a practitioner has been licensed by the state licensing board for marriage and family therapists.  As states licenses vary, there may be differences in the titles used between states.

Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) – This title indicates that a practitioner has been licensed by the state licensing board for professional mental health counselors.  As states licenses vary, there may be differences in the titles used between states.

Licensed Social Worker (LSW) – This title indicates that a practitioner has been licensed by the state licensing board for social work.  As states licenses vary, there may be differences in the titles used between states.

Master of Arts Degree (MA) – The MA degree is a general type of graduate degree that may be associated with a wide variety of specializations.  Possessing an MA does not necessarily mean one is trained to be a mental health practitioner, as someone may possess an MA in creative writing or economics, for example.  It is important to note what program the graduate is from, and that the graduate obtained their degree in a mental health program.  When compared to an MS mental health program, an MA program may be focused more on the provision and practice of mental health, though this is not always the case.  In some cases the difference between an MS or MA degree at different universities simply has to do with the college or department the program was placed in, and has no bearing on the program’s content.

Master of Education (MEd) – The MEd degree is basically the same as the MA degree, and has been subject to the same history as the EdD degree.  See Master of Arts and Doctor of Education degrees for more information.

Master of Science Degree (MS) – Much that was said about the MA degree is true also for the MS degree.  While an MS degree might suggest a higher level of emphasis on mental health science or research as opposed to mental health practice, this is not always the case.  See Master of Arts Degree for more information.

Master of Social Work (MSW) – The MSW degree is a more specialized type of graduate degree that focuses solely on the study of social work.  Barring atypical circumstances, anyone possessing an MSW is trained to be a mental health practitioner. 

Medical Doctor (MD) – An MD degree indicates that a person has gone through medical school.  Typically psychiatrists are the only mental health professionals that possess an MD.

Qualified Mental Health Practitioner (QMHP) - This is a title granted by some counties to mental health practitioners who work in organizations that provide public mental health services which receive public funds.  To receive this title practitioners are typically required to provide certain documents to the county which verify their background and training, and practitioners may also be required to attend a county seminar focusing on county mental health practices.  The QMHP title may only be used by practitioners while working in these settings.  So a mental health practitioner who works solely in private practice, for example, would not use this title, even if he/she previously was a QMHP through the county.

Did you find this guide helpful?  Do you have ideas on how to make it better?  Send us an email and let us know!