What Do Those Abbreviations Mean After a Psychotherapist's Name?

心理治疗由专业培训进行专业人士进行：例如，psychiatrist, a trained counselor, a social worker, or a psychologist.

但是你是如何在他们的名字之后发表的字母汤？治疗你的人的资格是什么？

博士学位

Although it's common to associate the title "doctor" with a medical doctor, this title can refer to anyone who has an advanced degree. That being said, just because someone calls themselves "doctor" doesn't mean they are qualified to offer you treatment. They could just as easily have a Ph.D. in English or archaeology. If you are in doubt, ask to see their full credentials.

Here are some professional titles you may run into with therapy.

M.D. (Medical Doctor)

Training for an M.D. begins by earning a bachelor's degree that includes coursework in subjects such as biology, physics, math, chemistry, and social sciences. After passing the Medical Competency Aptitude Test (MCAT), students then enroll in medical school, where they complete two years of classroom coursework followed by two more years of clinical rotations in different medical facilities. After finishing medical school, students pursuing psychiatry then complete四年居住在他们的专业领域。

M.D.S也需要通过测试来获得医疗执照并获得医疗委员会认证。

博士（哲学博士）

博士计划可以在许多不同地区提供学位，从农业到城市规划和发展。心理学家通常也有这个程度。心理学家一般不能规定药物，虽然在爱达荷州，爱荷华州，伊利诺伊州，路易斯安那州和新墨西哥州，可能会被授予现行药物的权利。

博士需要首先赚取学士学位，这通常需要四年才能完成。学生可以选择在心理学，社会学，咨询，教育或社会工作等主题中获得本科学位。万博maxbetx官网登陆下一步是完成研究生院，通常需要5 to 7 years完成。

虽然学位要求有所不同，博士。计划往往是以研究为导向的，并要求学生完成原创研究和论文。学生必须在临床环境中完成监督实习，并在成为持牌心理学家之前通过国家考试。

Psy.D. (Doctor of Psychology)

This心理学学位万博maxbetx官网登陆更多地关注心理学的实践，而不是科学研究和教学。万博maxbetx官网登陆psy.d.学位选项作为博士学位的替代方案。并专注于培训心理学家作为心理健康从业者。万博手机客户端

一个psy.d.通常需要大约4到6年才能完成，并以专业的实践而非研究更集中。课程工作专注于诊断，评估和临床干预课程。

D.Min. (Doctor of Ministry)

The Doctor of Ministry is a degree that may be held by a minister. The D.Min. degree is a professional degree that allows religious ministers to offer pastoral counseling.

在美国，神学学校协会（ATS）recommends that students to first earn a Master of Divinity (M.Div.) or an equivalent degree, and complete a minimum of three years of full-time ministry work before earning a D.Min. degree. A Doctor of Ministry degree will usually take 3 to 6 years to complete.

硕士学位

Whereas medical doctors may have 3 to 4 years of education plus years of internship and residency beyond a bachelor's degree, and the other specialized advanced degrees have their own education combinations, as mentioned, master's programs are generally closer to two years.

您可能遇到的一些程度包括：

• M.S.W：Stands for Master of Social Work. This is the degree thatsocial workersgenerally possess. After completing a bachelor's degree, it typically takes 2 to 3 years of graduate study to earn an M.S.W.
• M.Ed.:Stands for Master of Education. Many counselors have this degree. It may be given in any field of education. This degree usually takes around 2 to 3 years of graduate study to complete.
• 多发性硬化症。Ed.:代表科学硕士教育。像一个M.Ed., this degree usually takes 2 to 3 years to earn.
• 多发性硬化症。或m.a：代表艺术硕士和艺术硕士学位。这些是美国艺术和科学院提供的传统学位。通常，硕士学位不足以被许可作为心理学家，尽管一些国家和加拿大省确实允许它。
• ed.s。：Stands for Educational Specialist. This degree is actually intermediate between a Master's and a Doctorate. Some school psychologists and counselors have this degree. After earning a master's degree, students may opt to earn an Ed.S. as a way to advance their degree and skills. This degree often takes about two years to complete.
• M.Div.:Stands for Masters in Divinity (see above). Ministers who are pastoral counselors may have this degree. This degree (or its equivalent) is required for those interested in earning a D.Min. degree.

许可证

Licensed counselors in the U.S. use different titles depending on their area of expertise. Those may include:

• L.P.C.（许可的专业辅导员）
• l.m.h.c.（许可的心理健康辅导万博手机客户端员）
• L.C.P.C. (Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor)
• L.P.C.C.（精神健康的持牌专业临床顾问）万博手机客户端
• L.C.M.H.C. (Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor)
• l.m.h.p.（持牌心理健康从业者万博手机客户端）
• M.F.C.C. (Marriage, Family, and Child Counselor)

In some states, the title L.C.S.W., forLicensed Clinical Social Worker， 可能用过了for social workers。

特殊认证

Certifications are similar to licenses, but with a more limited scope of practice. Some certifications you may see include:

• CADC:Stands for Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor. This person usually has at least a high school diploma orbachelor's degree还有一些额外的酒精和药物滥用培训。获得其CADC的人必须在许可专业人员下培训。CADC认证在每个州都不提供。
• CAC或NCAC：代表认证成瘾辅导员。类似于CADC，CAC在中级认证，需要临床监督。CAC适用于计划在临床培训的工作人员与临床培训的员工一起工作的人，为具有物质使用条件的个人提供服务。NCAC指定是国家一级认证（国家认证成瘾辅导员）。可以在I级和II级获得NCAC凭证。

董事会认证

医生就像精神病医生通常通过“规范ialty boards" to become "board-certified" in their chosen specialty. Those may include:

• A.B.P.P:This board certification is a credential available through theAmerican Board of Professional Psychology。Any psychologist who passes their exam may use these initials. Not all psychologists obtain this certification, however.
• F.A.C.P.:Fellow of theAmerican College of Physicians。

A Word From Verywell

重要的是你与你的信任关系发展psychotherapistso that you know your mental health is in good hands. If you are not sure of your psychotherapist's credentials, just ask. Reviewing credentials is typically part of aninitial interview。