whats the difference between a counseling psychologist and a mental health counselor?
Lauren asked:
I read that counseling psychologists make twice as much as mental health counselors. Also…..to become a counseling psychologist, do you just need bachelors and masters degrees? i dont think you need a Phd unless you become a clinical psychologist. There is also something called a Psy.D(doctor of psychology)….if I want to become a counseling psych. who works in their own practice, do i need the Psy.D? thanks, there is so much info. to find out! also, please don’t guess, only answer if you know for sure about what you are saying.
well i read that a counseling psychologist work with people(i prefer to work with children) on more typical problems instead of what a clinical psychologist does, which is helping wih more severe problems.
im in california but i dont know the rules in this state
Related posts:
- What does a mental health counselor do? agnosticdwarve asked: Most colleges over this separatly from getting a...
- Becoming a Counselor/Psychologist? Paul S asked: I want to become a counselor or...
- is a counselor or psychoanalyst a psychologist? Jam L asked: How do i become a psychoanalyst? Ive...
- If you are a counselor or study psychology-PLEASE help me? JaSLeNe x0×0 asked: I am going to school next year...
- What’s the difference between these occupations? weirddna.weirddna asked: Therapist, Psychiatrist, Clinical Psychologist, Counselor I need to...
Filed Under Psychology |
Tagged With Clinical Psychologist, Mental Health Counselors, People
Comments
4 Responses to “whats the difference between a counseling psychologist and a mental health counselor?”
I don’t know exactly what you mean by the term “counseling psychologist” but by what you said, “)….if I want to become a counseling psych. who works in their own practice, do i need the Psy.D?” I can tell you that to just be a counselor, then you DO NOT need your PHD or Psy.D.
… If you only want to work with children, why don’t you think about becoming a school psychologist/counselor? Or you will have to get a degree that focuses primarily with children, however, only working with children may not be feasible. It all depends on the state.
There are a lot of terms used to refer to the same person. “Counselor”, “Counseling Psychologist”, “Mental Health Therapist”, “Psychologist”, etc. etc. all generally refer to a clinical psychologist. That is, someone who has a Master’s or Doctorate and is licensed to provide therapy in a particular area or state. The terms are used loosely in the profession.
For what *types* of therapy these people employ (e.g. family, cognitive, behavioral, brief, psychoanalytical, etc.) you’d have to read their credentials or yellow pages listings.
As far as your credentials go, it depends on the licensing regulations of the state where you want to work. Many states (like here in Michigan) will allow Master’s -level Social Workers (MSW) to provide outpatient therapy. That’s four years of Bachelor school and then a few years of Master’s Social Work programs.
A PhD or PsyD will definitely enhance your skills and your practice, though. Just remember to take the class on how to bill private insurance.
I don’t know the difference between qualifactions but some real terms i have found in my own experiences from things/people i’ve known.. some one that has shyness- councillor someone who has social anxiety - mental heath. Things that are genetics or bad habits..drinking smoking etc..- councillor. Traumas like child neglect - mental health. drugs..- short term- councillor. Long term - mental health as you can see all relating pretty much the same just depends on the severity .. I am only assuming?
The difference has to do with what type of degree a person has. There are many different kinds of psychologists: clinical, child, educational, experimental, social, sports, health, school, etc… and yes, a “counseling” psychologist, which means that the person attended a graduate school program and got their degree in “counseling psychology.” It is the study of psychology as is pertains to counseling… of course, other types of psychology may overlap with this, but don’t always.
A “mental health counselor” on the other hand, could have any one of several degrees, such as in social work, marriage and family therapy, pastoral counseling, even substance abuse. A “counselor” is a generic term, and many counselors do not have anywhere near the amount of education that a psychologist has. This is why they don’t make as much money (in general). However, they may be just as effective… they are just trained differently.
By the way, these days, a psychologist can obtain a Ph.D. or a Psy.D. in psychology… Psy.D.’s are less research oriented and mostly provide direct service to clients. Ph.D..’s receive more research training in their programs.