What’s the Difference Between and Therapist and a Counselor?

What’s the Difference Between a Therapist and a Counselor?

Technically, anyone can open up an office and call themself a therapist. Scary, right? But there are laws against someone claiming to be a licensed clinician when they are not. 

Someone who is a licensed counselor or licensed social worker has completed a Master’s degree program as well as supervised time working with clients post graduation and has successfully passed an exam in their state to earn the title of Licensed Mental Health Counselor or Licensed Clinical Social Worker. 

The names for these licenses vary by state - for example, in Illinois a fully licensed counselor’s title is Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) while in Florida the title is Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC). 

So, all licensed clinicians can call themselves therapists, but not all therapists are necessarily licensed professionals. 

Why does this matter? A licensed professional has training in areas a generic therapist, life coach or other professional doesn’t necessarily have. So if you’re interested in finding out if you have a specific diagnosis or are struggling with suicidal ideation, a licensed professional has training in how to diagnose, assess, and treat diagnosable mental health conditions and other mental health concerns.

If you’re interested in looking up the status of a professional’s license, you can do so online - each state has a different process for this, but most are available online where you can search an individual’s name and see how long they’ve had their license, if there’s any disciplinary action taken on their license, etc. Sites like Psychology Today verify the license of each individual listed on their site, so you can be certain their license is in good standing.

Maryann Dernlan is the Owner and Founder of Replenish and Renew Counseling LLC that provides telehealth mental health counseling services across the state of Florida. She is a wife, a mom, dance teacher, football fan, and is grateful to help others find healing through counseling.