4 answers
Danielle
Student
Raleigh, North Carolina
1
Question
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What are the true differences between licensed therapists or counselors, such as; LMFT, LCSW, LCP?
I have recently done some research on this topic since it is where I would like my educational plans to go towards.
#clinical-psychology #psychology #lmft #lcp #lcsw #therapy #family-therapy #counseling #mental-health #mental-health-counseling #mental-health-support
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4 answers
Dr. Ray Finn
Mental Health Care Professional
76
Answers
Fort Worth, Texas
Updated
Dr. Ray’s Answer
Dear Danielle,
Since I am a psychologist my knowledge of the other licenses is limited but here is what I know:
LMFT stands for Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
LCSW stands for Licensed Clinical Social Worker
LPC stands for Licensed Professional Counselor
There are minor differences in how these people are educated but all of them require a master's degree and several (usually two) years of supervised experience in order to practice independently. In Texas, where Iive, the legislature has tried to combine all these professions' licensing boards into one,as they do much the same type of work, but the effort was not successful this year. Being licensed as a psychologist requires a Ph.D. degree and two years of supervised experience, so it is a more difficult route to follow. All of these professionals engage in psychotherapy and counseling, but only psychologists can perform psychological testing. They also tend to earn more than professionals with only a master's degree.
I hope this helps you sort out your career goals and decide on a path. Good luck in your career pursuits.
Ray Finn, Ph.D.
Since I am a psychologist my knowledge of the other licenses is limited but here is what I know:
LMFT stands for Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
LCSW stands for Licensed Clinical Social Worker
LPC stands for Licensed Professional Counselor
There are minor differences in how these people are educated but all of them require a master's degree and several (usually two) years of supervised experience in order to practice independently. In Texas, where Iive, the legislature has tried to combine all these professions' licensing boards into one,as they do much the same type of work, but the effort was not successful this year. Being licensed as a psychologist requires a Ph.D. degree and two years of supervised experience, so it is a more difficult route to follow. All of these professionals engage in psychotherapy and counseling, but only psychologists can perform psychological testing. They also tend to earn more than professionals with only a master's degree.
I hope this helps you sort out your career goals and decide on a path. Good luck in your career pursuits.
Ray Finn, Ph.D.
Linda Ann Robinson, Ph.D.
Industrial-Organizational Psychology & HR Consulting
198
Answers
Updated
Linda Ann’s Answer
Here's an addition to what has already been noted by the other responses to your question:
The differences lie in the credentialing (licensing - different licensing boards) and where within an institution the required curriculum will be found. For the LPC credential, for example, you could take coursework in a psychology department (masters level program) and then additional coursework (which is typically needed) in a graduate education department... For the LCSW, coursework would be taken in the Department of Social Work.
Not every school offers coursework for each of the credentials that you have mentioned. Licensing also varies by state (while for the LPC credential, there is a national licensing examination; the requirements that need to be met both before and after that licensing examination varies by state!). Note every state will reciprocate with licensing unlike driver's licenses...
Each institution and department will have different entrance requirements for their graduate programs. Those entrance requirements would generally involve specific coursework at the undergraduate level and GRE scores.
The differences lie in the credentialing (licensing - different licensing boards) and where within an institution the required curriculum will be found. For the LPC credential, for example, you could take coursework in a psychology department (masters level program) and then additional coursework (which is typically needed) in a graduate education department... For the LCSW, coursework would be taken in the Department of Social Work.
Not every school offers coursework for each of the credentials that you have mentioned. Licensing also varies by state (while for the LPC credential, there is a national licensing examination; the requirements that need to be met both before and after that licensing examination varies by state!). Note every state will reciprocate with licensing unlike driver's licenses...
Each institution and department will have different entrance requirements for their graduate programs. Those entrance requirements would generally involve specific coursework at the undergraduate level and GRE scores.
Nancy Hamp
Clinical Counselor
140
Answers
Chicago, Illinois
Updated
Nancy’s Answer
Hi, Danielle. I agree with Ray above. One point is that marriage and family therapists may not have the clinical background to be expert enough on mental illness to have their services paid for by insurance in some states. They may work on a fee for service basis, as a mental health diagnosis is not always appropriate in their specialty. Laws vary among states quite a bit. Some states have master's level psychologist licensure, and some do not. There will be different focuses in educational philosophy among each type of program, as well. Social workers may learn more about connecting clients to community supports. Counselors tend to study much about the counseling relationship, strategies and modalities, such as group, family and individual counseling, while psychologists may focus on one or a few psychological theories of behavior and how to apply them, such as behavioral interventions or humanistic strategies.
Stan Hutch
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT)
8
Answers
Los Angeles, California
Updated
Stan’s Answer
Good question, and there's a lot of confusion out there about the differences. Here's the honest breakdown.
The short version: at the licensed and practicing level, these credentials do nearly identical work. The differences are mostly about the training pathway, the historical scope each one came out of, and small state-by-state variations in what they're allowed to do.
LMFT (Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist). Comes out of a Marriage and Family Therapy master's program. Training emphasizes systems thinking and working with relationships (couples, families) alongside individuals. Path: master's degree + 3000 supervised hours + two exams.
LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker). Comes out of a Master of Social Work program. Training has the broadest scope: clinical therapy, plus case management, systems-level work, and a social-determinants frame. Path: MSW + supervised hours + exam.
LPC or LPCC (Licensed Professional Counselor / Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor). Comes out of a master's in counseling. Training emphasizes individual mental health and counseling theory. Path: master's + supervised hours + exam.
At the day-to-day practice level, once everyone is licensed, you can see clients independently, bill insurance under the same CPT codes, open a private practice, supervise trainees once you meet additional supervision requirements, and work in nearly any clinical setting.
The differences that actually matter to clients are usually about the therapist as an individual, not the credential. A skilled LCSW will be more effective than a mediocre LMFT, and vice versa. Within each credential there's huge variation in skill, mostly because master's programs vary enormously in how well they actually train clinicians.
How to pick between them if you're choosing a path: if you want focused clinical work with couples and families, LMFT is the most direct training fit. If you want broader options including non-clinical work, LCSW gives you the most flexibility. If you want a strong individual-mental-health focus, the counseling track (LPC/LPCC) fits.
If you are considering this career, here's a helpful ad-free directory of MFT graduate schools to compare programs as you research: https://sentio.org/mft-programs-in-california
This work is one of the most rewarding careers I can think of, and I'd recommend it highly.
Visit this ad-free directory of MFT graduate schools to compare programs as you research: https://sentio.org/mft-programs-in-california
The short version: at the licensed and practicing level, these credentials do nearly identical work. The differences are mostly about the training pathway, the historical scope each one came out of, and small state-by-state variations in what they're allowed to do.
LMFT (Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist). Comes out of a Marriage and Family Therapy master's program. Training emphasizes systems thinking and working with relationships (couples, families) alongside individuals. Path: master's degree + 3000 supervised hours + two exams.
LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker). Comes out of a Master of Social Work program. Training has the broadest scope: clinical therapy, plus case management, systems-level work, and a social-determinants frame. Path: MSW + supervised hours + exam.
LPC or LPCC (Licensed Professional Counselor / Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor). Comes out of a master's in counseling. Training emphasizes individual mental health and counseling theory. Path: master's + supervised hours + exam.
At the day-to-day practice level, once everyone is licensed, you can see clients independently, bill insurance under the same CPT codes, open a private practice, supervise trainees once you meet additional supervision requirements, and work in nearly any clinical setting.
The differences that actually matter to clients are usually about the therapist as an individual, not the credential. A skilled LCSW will be more effective than a mediocre LMFT, and vice versa. Within each credential there's huge variation in skill, mostly because master's programs vary enormously in how well they actually train clinicians.
How to pick between them if you're choosing a path: if you want focused clinical work with couples and families, LMFT is the most direct training fit. If you want broader options including non-clinical work, LCSW gives you the most flexibility. If you want a strong individual-mental-health focus, the counseling track (LPC/LPCC) fits.
If you are considering this career, here's a helpful ad-free directory of MFT graduate schools to compare programs as you research: https://sentio.org/mft-programs-in-california
This work is one of the most rewarding careers I can think of, and I'd recommend it highly.
Stan recommends the following next steps: