Understanding Therapy Acronyms
Much has been written about the questions a person must answer before beginning their therapy journey, including on this very blog. What qualities do I want in a therapist? How do I find the right therapist for me? How do I pay for therapy?
However, in my experience as both a therapy client and as a relatively new (nontherapist) professional to the mental health field, there is one core question I still find difficult to grasp, even as the understanding of it is profoundly necessary to my everyday job performance: what’s with all the acronyms?
My (therapist) professional colleagues at Midtown Psychotherapy Associates are some of the most empathetic, kind, open-minded, and supportive individuals I have ever had the pleasure of working with. And BOY do they rely a great deal on acronyms, abbreviations, and initialisms in their communications! Since joining MPA last year, I have learned to keep a tab, or many tabs, open to the glossaries of mental health acronyms at all times on my work laptop. So, it feels not only natural but necessary for me to share what I’ve learned about the “alphabet soup of therapy terminology” with our audience.
Let’s start with the license types and credentials, aka the letters after a therapist’s name:
LMFT: Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist - Specializes in family systems and relational therapy.
LPC/LMHC/LCPC: Licensed Professional Counselor / Licensed Mental Health Counselor / Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor - All general counseling licenses.
PsyD/PhD: Doctor of Psychology / Doctor of Philosophy - Doctorate-level psychologists.
You may also see the following credentials after a therapist’s name, to indicate what level and type of education they have completed:
M.A., M.S., M.S.W. - Master of Arts, Master of Science, and Master of Social Work, respectively
Finally, the letters may indicate a certification a therapist has from a professional association. These certifications often require specific training, experience hours, and passing an exam, aiming to demonstrate competence in advanced clinical skills. Some of these include:
NCC - National Certified Counselor - this is a voluntary designation a therapist can pursue in addition to their required education, and means they have met high national standards for education, training, and experience.
CADC/CAC/NCAC - these indicate that the therapist has met standards related to Alcohol and Addiction Counseling.
While this is just the beginning of the many acronyms involved in the mental health profession,I hope this blog is helpful to anyone who is seeking to understand the different types of mental health therapists, from their education and credentials.
Next time, we’ll tackle the acronyms related to therapy modalities.
