Exploring the Variety of Mental Health Professions: What Sets Them Apart?

Psychiatric nurse practitioner, psychiatrist, psychologist, therapist, counselor, social worker...... What is the difference between all of these mental health professionals??

Much like the overlapping symptoms of mental health diagnoses, there is also a lot of overlap within the varying mental health professions. I'll do my best to simplify the roles.

To note: counseling, therapy, psychotherapy, and talk therapy are used interchangeably.

Psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner: A psychiatric nurse practitioner is an advanced practice nurse with either a master's or doctoral degree in nursing. A psychiatric nurse practitioner is specifically trained to diagnose and treat mental health conditions with the use of medications. However, it is within their scope of practice to also perform psychotherapy, depending on their comfort level. Many psychiatric nurse practitioners take continuing education to learn more specific counseling techniques, but this is not a requirement of the role.

Psychiatrist: A psychiatrist is a medical doctor with specific training in mental health. Psychiatrists go to medical school and obtain a medical degree such as an MD or DO, but their residency training is specific to psychiatry/mental health. Although they have all of the medical training of a doctor, psychiatrists do not see patients for physical health concerns. The psychiatrist's focus is on diagnosing mental health conditions and treating these diagnoses with the use of medications. Much like psychiatric nurse practitioners, psychiatrists may also use a variety of counseling techniques to better support their clients.

Psychologist: A psychologist is a mental health professional who has a doctoral degree in psychology (the science of human behavior). They are trained to diagnose mental health conditions. Many psychologists exclusively perform psychotherapy (talk therapy). Psychotherapy helps people learn how to better cope with life stressors, relationship issues, and mental health conditions. Some psychologists conduct [neuro]psychological evaluations using a variety of assessment tools and tests to further diagnose intellectual skills, cognitive (reasoning and thinking) strengths and weaknesses, vocational (career) preferences, and personality characteristics. Psychologists do not prescribe medications.

Counselor: In Iowa, a licensed mental health counselor (LMHC), often referred to as a therapist, has a master's degree in mental health counseling, psychology, or related field. Counselors are trained to diagnose mental health conditions and use a variety of therapeutic techniques based on their specific training. These professionals are trained to work with individuals, children, families, couples, and even groups. However, many counselors work with specific patient populations based on their area of expertise, training, or personal preference. For example, some counselors work exclusively with people struggling with substance abuse issues while others enjoy only working with children and families.

Social Worker: Both a licensed independent social worker (LISW) and a licensed master social worker (LMSW) have a master's degree in social work. However, an LISW has completed at least 2 years, or 4000 hours, of supervision whereas an LMSW remains under supervision. An LISW practices independently after completing their supervision hours. Clinical social workers assess and diagnose a wide range of mental health conditions. Both LISWs and LMSWs use a variety of therapeutic techniques to help people better deal with life stressors, learn coping skills, and make behavior changes. Much like counselors, clinical social workers work with specific patient populations and often have additional training in a variety of therapeutic techniques.

A non-clinical social worker has either a bachelor's degree or a master's degree in social work. The non-clinical social worker does not perform psychotherapy but instead helps people by providing resources or education to improve their overall well-being. Non-clinical social workers help people with issues related to housing, poverty, domestic violence, unemployment, substance abuse, and child welfare.

The above mental health professionals work in a variety of settings, including clinics, schools, hospitals, jails, group homes, substance abuse centers, and private practices, just to name a few.

So, did this post help clear up any questions you may have had about the varying mental health professions, or did it just "muddy the waters" further?