Mental Health Counselors, Mental Health Courses, Psychology Degrees
There are four professions that the Federal Government has designated as the core professions for Mental Health. Those are Psychiatry, Psychology, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist. In order to practice Psychiatry or Psychology, you must obtain a Doctorate first. A Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) requires a Masters Degree and two years of clinical work prior to licensure. Social workers often move into professional counseling with a Masters Degree and experience in a field of specialization, such as substance abuse.
That does not mean that people with less stellar credentials aren’t doing a lot of valuable counseling. In Public Health Clinics, in Homeless Shelters, in the Juvenile Justice System professionals with a variety of degrees are providing personal counseling services that contribute to Mental Health. Good Teachers are counseling at least one child every day. Business Management Consultants help with a Mental Health issue when they break up a personnel bottleneck driven by personality conflict. Many of us are engaged in Mental Health counseling, known by some other name.
