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Mental Health America of Central
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Partner Agency of
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Providers Glossary A mental health professional has received formal training to help people in emotional distress and has been licensed and may be certified by a state and/or national certifying body. Mental health professionals include: Case Worker: Broker of services for a client and/or client served. Functions include coordination of services, advocacy and direct service provision. B.A. or B.S. degree. Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist: A fully trained and licensed physician (MD or DO) who has completed three or four years of specialty training and supervision in general psychiatry and two years of subspecialty training and supervision in child and adolescent psychiatry. Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW): A mental health professional with a Masters Degree (MSW) in social work and two years of supervised clinical experience. Licensure varies by state. In Virginia, a written exam must be successfully completed in order to be licensed. A clinical social worker may be a member of the Academy of Certified Social Workers (ACSW) or listed in the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Register of Clinical Workers. Licensed Marriage Family Therapist (LMFT): A mental health professional with 60 semester hours or 90 quarter hours of graduate study in marriage and family therapy. Accreditation by Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education. Professional Counselor or Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC): A mental health professional with a Masters Degree including sixty (60) semester hours of graduate and two (2) years of supervised clinical experience. Licensure varies by state. In Virginia, a written exam must be successfully completed in order to be licensed. Psychiatrist (General): A fully trained and licensed physician (Medical doctor) who has then completed four (4) years of specialty training and supervision in general psychiatry. General psychiatrists may be certified in psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. Psychologist/Licensed Clinical Psychologist: A mental health professional who has a Ph.D. or Psy.D. which includes four (4) years of graduate training, one (1) year internship, and two (2) years of clinical supervision. Licensure varies by state. In Virginia a written exam must be successfully completed in order to be licensed.
Psychiatric Nurse:
Registered Nurse (RN) specially trained in
mental health. Legally, anyone can be self-identified as a “therapist”. The therapist’s licensing and certification should be verified. It is helpful to get recommendations from knowledgeable sources. |
Glossary of Mental Health Terms
Stamping Out Stigma |
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