As a psychotherapist, I am often asked what the difference is between the different types of mental health providers. This is an understandable question, as there are several different titles for mental health professionals who seem to do similar work. In order to clear up any confusion, below is a description of and differences between psychiatrists, psychologists, psychotherapists and licensed professional counselors.

Psychiatrist

Out of all the mental health professions, a psychiatrist is the only one who can prescribe medication. However, there has been a push in some remote rural areas, which lack a local psychiatrist, to allow psychologists and psychotherapists to prescribe medication, but that hasn’t happened yet to my knowledge. Psychiatrists are the prescribers of medication because they have a medical degree (MD). In addition to general medical school, psychiatrist also went on to specialize in psychiatry. These days, psychiatrists rarely provide talk therapy to their clients. Their main role consists of medication monitoring and prescribing.  This is usually done in short (on average 20 minute) sessions with patients.

Psychologist

Psychologists are doctoral level researchers and/or therapists. There are two types of psychology degrees, the PhD and the PsyD. A PhD can be a therapist, however their education concentrates more on research than clinical practice. The PsyD degree specializes in clinical practice. Students acquiring a PsyD are required to do more clinical work than a PhD to get their degree. The PsyD degree came about in the 1960s due to the large number of students who wanted to become clinical practitioners rather than researchers. All that being said, there are many PhD psychologists who are great clinicians.

Psychotherapist

Clinical social workers are often referred to as psychotherapists, CAPSWs or LCSWs. A clinical social worker has a master’s degree in social work (MSW) and has completed many hours of clinical internships before they graduate. In general, clinical social workers are more prone to utilize a systems- based/holistic approach in the therapeutic process than other types of mental health professionals. This means they assist their clients in not only analyzing their presenting issues at the individual level but also at the systems level (i.e. how the client’s external environment affects them). Clinical social workers make up the largest number of professionals in the mental health field.

Licensed Professional Counselor

There are many types of counselors, but for the purpose of this article we will only address licensed professional counselors (LPCs) who provide mental health counseling. Same as clinical social workers, LPCs are masters level professionals who have completed many hours of clinical internships. The difference between LPCs and clinical social workers is their approach. While social workers are more systems-based/holistic, counselors are more focused on the individual. That being said, in the “real world” of providing therapy, all practitioners must draw from many different clinical approaches when working with clients. There is no one-size-fits-all method to therapy for each unique individual.  

About the Author

Michelle Oxley, MSW, CAPSW is a professional psychotherapist. She is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Social Work. Michelle started Tall Oaks Therapy, LLC to provide holistic, individualized psychotherapy in the greater Madison, WI area.