Whats the Difference Between a Counseling Psychologist and a Mental Health Counselor?

Question by Lauren: whats the difference between a counseling psychologist and a mental health counselor?
I read that counseling psychologists make twice as much as mental health counselors. Also…..to become a counseling psychologist, do you just need bachelors and masters degrees? i dont think you need a Phd unless you become a clinical psychologist. There is also something called a Psy.D(doctor of psychology)….if I want to become a counseling psych. who works in their own practice, do i need the Psy.D? thanks, there is so much info. to find out! also, please don’t guess, only answer if you know for sure about what you are saying.
well i read that a counseling psychologist work with people(i prefer to work with children) on more typical problems instead of what a clinical psychologist does, which is helping wih more severe problems.
im in california but i dont know the rules in this state

Best answer:

Answer by Blondie
I don’t know exactly what you mean by the term “counseling psychologist” but by what you said, “)….if I want to become a counseling psych. who works in their own practice, do i need the Psy.D?” I can tell you that to just be a counselor, then you DO NOT need your PHD or Psy.D.

… If you only want to work with children, why don’t you think about becoming a school psychologist/counselor? Or you will have to get a degree that focuses primarily with children, however, only working with children may not be feasible. It all depends on the state.

Answer by cyberyukon
There are a lot of terms used to refer to the same person. “Counselor”, “Counseling Psychologist”, “Mental Health Therapist”, “Psychologist”, etc. etc. all generally refer to a clinical psychologist. That is, someone who has a Master’s or Doctorate and is licensed to provide therapy in a particular area or state. The terms are used loosely in the profession.

For what *types* of therapy these people employ (e.g. family, cognitive, behavioral, brief, psychoanalytical, etc.) you’d have to read their credentials or yellow pages listings.

As far as your credentials go, it depends on the licensing regulations of the state where you want to work. Many states (like here in Michigan) will allow Master’s -level Social Workers (MSW) to provide outpatient therapy. That’s four years of Bachelor school and then a few years of Master’s Social Work programs.

A PhD or PsyD will definitely enhance your skills and your practice, though. Just remember to take the class on how to bill private insurance.

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