PsyD? LMFT? Decoding the alphabet soup of therapist credentials - Los Angeles Times
If you've ever searched for a therapist, there's a high likelihood you've been completely perplexed by the various acronyms affixed to the names of potential clinicians. It's enough to make you go cross-eyed. I've written about how to find a therapist that's a good fit for you depending on your background and needs. In those pieces, I intentionally didn't go into various licensures, because ultimately, the most important part of the work is the energy that exists between you and your therapist, not the kind of program they graduated from. That said, credentials still matter. A reader asked us about this befuddling alphabet soup: "Can you explain the differences in all the different mental health providers, in terms of qualifications, education extent, capabilities and why seek out one or the other for evaluations, therapy, costs, etc?" I sure can! This piece will be a primer on the therapist credentials you'll most commonly run into in Califo...