![]() You can qualify for these licenses with a doctorate degree, but only a master's-level degree is required. To become an LCSW, however, you must attend a program at an accredited school of social work. According to the BBS, marriage and family therapy is a "service performed with individuals, couples, or groups wherein interpersonal relationships are examined for the purpose of achieving more adequate, satisfying, and productive marriage and family adjustments." Clinical social work is defined as "a service in which a special knowledge of social resources, human capabilities, and the part that unconscious motivation plays in determining behavior, is directed at helping people to achieve more adequate, satisfying, and productive social adjustments." Finally, professional clinical counseling is the "application of counseling interventions and psychotherapeutic techniques to identify and remediate cognitive, mental, and emotional issues, including personal growth, adjustment to disability, crisis intervention, and psychosocial and environmental problems." Many MFT master's programs in California also qualify graduates to sit for the LPCC licensing exam, either with no modifications to the curriculum or as a specialization that includes some coursework beyond what is required for the master's in marriage and family therapy. In California, these licenses are administered by the Board of Behavioral Sciences (the BBS). However, if you want to focus on the clinical practice of psychotherapy-that is, if you're mainly interested in interacting directly with clients-you may be most interested in the LMFT (Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist), LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker), and LPCC (Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor) licenses. Psychologists provide psychotherapy as well as psychometric assessments additionally, if research and academia is of interest to you, most universities require full-time faculty to have a doctorate degree. Psychologists are also required to have a doctorate degree (PhD or PsyD) in order to become licensed in California. To become a psychiatrist, you must go to medical school, specialize in psychiatry, and ultimately be licensed by the state medical board. As medical doctors, they are the only mental health providers qualified to prescribe medication. Psychiatrists can both provide psychotherapy (talk therapy) and prescribe medications. Before beginning the search for a graduate program, you need to decide what license you ultimately want to hold-and in order to do that, you need to determine what scope of practice in the mental health services field appeals to you.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |