When it comes to mental healthcare, there are a number of professionals you can turn to, but all of the alphabet soup after our names can be daunting. Understanding the differences between various types of mental health professionals can help you select the best fit for your needs. One of the first things to consider is whether you are looking for therapy alone, medication management, or a combination of both.
A therapist can have any number of different credentials such as licensed clinical social worker (LCSW), licensed professional counselor (LPC), licensed mental health counselor (LMHC), licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT), or psychologists (PhD or PsyD). Each discipline brings a unique approach to therapy based on the course of study. A LCSW, for example, tends to take a holistic approach focusing on the various external factors that drive behavior, whereas a psychologist is more likely to take a scientific approach focusing on internal mental processes. It is important to note that therapists do not prescribe medication.
Therapy alone is a very powerful tool for many people, and there are several different modalities. Some of these include talk therapy, where the client has the opportunity to talk through and process thoughts with an objective listener, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which helps clients identify and change negative thinking patterns, and more specialized modalities such as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), which is a catered approach for processing unresolved trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The different types of therapy will be the topic for a future post.
Your primary care provider (PCP) or therapist may suggest that you see a psychiatric professional if medication management is warranted. For example, some individuals may be able to manage the symptoms of anxiety through CBT alone, whereas others may need medication to improve neurotransmission in the brain. Professionals licensed to prescribe psychiatric medications include psychiatrists (MD or DO), psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners (PMHNP), or physician’s assistants (PA) specializing in psychiatry. These professionals can engage in therapy to varying degrees based on training, but most do so sparingly. Do not be alarmed if a psychiatric professional recommends that you also work with a therapist on various skills or strategies to improve daily functioning just as a therapist may recommend that you see a psychiatric professional to consider medication management.