Compare The Professions
In what ways do these three job titles differ? What differences are there in required education? What kinds of roles might one fill within these fields? What kind of licensure is required? All three are described below in detail so you can further your exploration of which field is the best fit for you.
Going into More Detail
The Psychologist is a protected classification within the mental health profession. The Psychologist has an advanced educational background that includes specific training based upon clinical research that seeks to understand human behavior and mental health conditions. The field of Psychology has a history stretching back over a century wherein human behavior and mental processes were studied in order to develop effective methods for dealing with mental illnesses and the changing of human behavior. The field of Psychology has also spent decades refining a rigorous ethical framework that includes patient confidentiality as well as codes of conduct that a Psychologist must adhere to in order to maintain licensure. One of the requirements to maintain board certification as a Psychologist, is to complete continuing education within the field to stay current on latest research, as well as best practices in the field. During the course of their education Psychologists will need to complete stringent training that includes the completion of thousands of hours of supervised practice in a clinical setting. This sort of rigorous training helps to ensure that clients who seek therapy from a psychologist can be assured they will receive care that is guaranteed to have high standards of ethics, professional behavior and confidentiality.
The title of Therapist can include many different fields of study that all will have their own unique approach to therapy for their clients. Some states have Therapist as a protected job title and others have no such restriction. However, many states protect the job title of Therapist and may only include those who have specific licensure for their specific discipline such as Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), Psychologist, or other board certified job titles. Those states that legally mandate Therapist as a protected job title help to ensure that those holding the title have a higher degree of education, professional etiquette, ethics and patient confidentiality due to requirements by the relevant state board certifications.
The job title of Counselor can be inclusive of both licensed Counselors as well as a variety of other vocations and can include even those with minimal training and education. The term counselor is often synonymous with the terms advisor and mentor. The term Counselor may encompass widely divergent occupations such as clergy, other spiritual advisors and even something as mundane as a financial advisor. Some people with little or not training still have tremendous integrity and may display a high degree of ethics, professionalism and client confidentiality. However, when there is a lack of licensure this can create the opportunity for bad actors and even criminals to claim the title of Counselor. Often having sessions with an unlicensed counselor is less expensive than seeing one of the licensed professions, but it can lead to bad outcomes and even personal danger for the client. For the practitioner while an unlicensed Counseling position might have a low barrier to entry, you also will not find it nearly as financially rewarding as a Licensed classification. Indeed, unlicensed practice also arguably has an even greater risk of malpractice suits as well as other liability due to not working within a protected classification that is far more likely to be insured, or otherwise protected against litigation.