An explanation of the Alphabet Soup of Psychotherapist's credentials

As with many professions there are various initials that indicate ones professional training and/ or licensure in Washington State and in any many states.

Here is a list of commonly seen psychotherapy credentials:

LMHC- Licensed Mental Health Counselor

(Masters degree in counseling or psychology)

MFT - Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist

(Masters degree marriage and family therapy)

MSW/ LISW - Masters in Social Work/ Licensed Independent Social Worker

(Masters degree in Social Work with training in psychotherapy)

Ph.D. or Psy.D. Doctoral degree/ Psychologist

(This means these providers are able to be Licensed Psychologist with a doctorate in Clinical Psychology)

What is the difference ? A PhD is a Doctor of Philosophy, whereas a PsyD is a Doctor of Psychology. PhD students are generally trained following the scientist-practitioner model that puts greater emphasis on research than PsyD students, while PsyD students are generally trained with greater emphasis on clinical work than PhD students