Therapy is often a complex process that we all assume we know. But do we know the basics? Is your marriage counselor “certified” or “licenses?” What does that mean? Will that matter in the long run? What type of therapy are you expecting? What type of therapy do you want?
These are all very relevant questions for you and your partner to ask yourself prior to couples counseling. The act of entering into therapy can produce anxiety and confusion. The answers below can answer these pressing questions:
Some will be “licensed”, some “certified”, and others will be “registered.” They may also list a particular orientation like psychoanalytic, psychodynamic, cognitive/behavioral, gestalt, or solution-focused. Quite understandably, many people are confused about what all of these initials and titles mean. They may be unsure about just what they should be looking for, and they worry about making a wrong choice. These concerns can be heightened by the fact that when you’re in emotional pain, you want help and you want it right away.
Wisdom, empathy, compassion and character are all attributes you’ll want your therapist to have, but they aren’t enough. Knowledge and good professional training are essential. You will want a therapist who has acquired all of the following:
1. Intensive academic study in a field of mental health.
A good, competent therapist starts with a master’s or a doctorate in a field of mental health (e.g., MA, MS, MSW, PhD, PsyD, MD).
2. Supervised clinical experience.
It is important to know whether or not the therapist you are considering choosing has completed an extensive psychotherapy training program (”clinical training”). This could have been part of their academic degree, or it could have been a separate postgraduate program. Some MA’s and PhD’s have academic knowledge about psychological research or medication, but have never had actual training or practice in psychotherapy. Psychotherapy cannot simply be learned out of a book or in a classroom. You want a therapist who has also benefited from supervised training.
3. Certification or registration or licensure.
Following their successful training, the therapist is pronounced worthy by an authority to which they will then be accountable. This can be a government licensing board, or some other credentialing organization. Some of the more common designations you might see include: LCSW, CSW, MFT, LMFT, MFCC, AAPC, LPC, NCC, or NCPsyA. The type of credential is not as important as some may want you to believe. For instance, a psychologist may not necessarily be a better therapist than a licensed professional counselor.
Therapy is often a complex process that we all assume we know. But do we know the basics? Is your marriage counselor “certified” or “licenses?” What does that mean? Will that matter in the long run? What type of therapy are you expecting? What type of therapy do you want?
These are all very relevant questions for you and your partner to ask yourself prior to couples counseling. The act of entering into therapy can produce anxiety and confusion. The answers below can answer these pressing questions: