Healthinmind/Getting Services

Mental Health Professionals

Mental health professionals are people who have chosen a career in the service of people with mental health disorders. There are various types of mental health professionals, each with different types of training. These are:

Psychologists: Clinical psychologists must have a Ph.D. degree. Like all mental health professionals, they receive hundreds of hours in supervised practice. They also spend a year in an internship before becoming eligible to take licensure examinations. They specialize in the treatment of mental disorders and many also have special training in conducting and interpreting research on the treatment of mental disorders. The help center for their largest professional organization (American Psychological Association) can be contacted for more information. To find a psychologist in your area, go to this page.

Psychiatrists: A psychiatrist is a medical doctor. After completing medical school, psychiatrists choose residency settings where  they work with mental illness instead of physical illness. Except for a few psychologists and psychiatric nurses who receive special training in prescribing psychiatric drugs, psychiatrists are the only mental health professionals who can prescribe medication. Because of their "prescription privileges," psychiatrists often work with other types of therapists who refer patients to them to determine whether they need medication to help with their condition, or whether they have a medical condition that requires treatment. For more information on psychiatrists visit the American Psychiatric Association  web site.

Psychiatric Nurses: Psychiatric nurses are licensed registered nurses with a minimum of a master's degree, and are certified nationally. The credential for advanced clinical practice is a certified specialist (CS) or they may be designated as APRN--advanced practice, registered nurse. Some psychiatric nurses with special training can prescribe medications for the treatment of mental disorders, as well as administer therapy. Like the other mental health professionals, they are required to have extensive supervised clinical experience before they can be licensed. The American Psychiatric Nurses Association can be contacted for further information.

Marriage and Family Therapists: MFTs (also called MFCCs, for Marriage, Family, and Child Counselors) have graduate training (a Master's or Doctoral degree) in marriage and family therapy and, like other mental health professionals, have hundreds of hours of supervised clinical experience over a period of at least two years. Most states license, certify, or regulate Marriage and Family Therapists. They specialize, as the name implies, in the prevention and treatment of problems in the context of families, but they also counsel individual children and adults. Contact the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists for more information.

Licensed Clinical Social Workers: Clinical social workers have either a master's or doctorate in social work with a concentration in clinical course work, a supervised graduate clinical field internship, and at least two years of postgraduate supervised clinical social work employment. They work in both prevention and treatment of mental disorders. The Center for Clinical Social Work can be contacted for further information.

Counselors: Counselors undergo extensive education and training. At least a master's degree, field training, and an internship are required, as with the other mental health professionals. Licensure is required in 44 states and the District of Columbia. The American Counseling Association  can be contacted for further information.