What does lpc

While LPCs and LCSWs both provide psychotherapeutic services, social work encompasses additional responsibilities in healthcare assistance, social services, job placement, and other areas that generally fall outside the purview of counseling. Counselors and social workers are part of a network of interrelated, interdisciplinary professionals who serve in the heath and human services sector, providing support and assistance to people in need.

In addition, counselors and social workers have distinct professional identities, and different strategies for improving the overall welfare of the clients they serve.

While there are similarities in counseling and social work competency areas, there are differences in emphasis that reflect the distinctions between the two fields, as detailed in the table below:. Counseling and social work intersect most strikingly in the area of psychotherapy. Professional counselors LPCs and clinical social workers LCSWs are trained to provide therapy based on accepted theories of psychology and human development.

And professionals from both fields provide psychotherapeutic treatment to address emotional and behavioral problems that may be rooted in family dysfunction, substance abuse, personality disorders, physical impairment, and a variety of other factors. LPCs use psychotherapy as the main means to achieving this outcome. In some states, LPCs are licensed to diagnose mental illness.

LPCs are credentialed and licensed by agencies and organizations for counselors. Social workers may work in clinical and non-clinical roles such as macro-social work and administrative roles.

Find out more about how to become a licensed social worker. Both degrees require extensive clinical practice hours under the supervision of a licensed professional. To be a practicing professional in either category, you should complete the necessary academic and clinical preparation and a licensing exam. The number of supervised clinical hours and other requirements varies by state. Both career paths offer the opportunity to specialize in specific practice areas.

Also, both careers require adherence to a code of ethics and continuing education to maintain the license. Counselors work with clients to resolve specific issues such as anxiety, depression, low self-esteem or substance abuse. They may work with individuals, families or other groups one-on-one or at the same time. Counselors typically treat mental health issues that are rooted in a variety of causes.

The LMFT focuses on couples and family members to address problems within relationships. They often use a goal-oriented therapy approach to help clients recognize how their beliefs and feelings affect their actions and relationships. Many different types of professional therapists can offer counseling, however. The specific state laws creating the credential define what exactly the capabilities are of the LPC, meaning what range of services can be provided and what the obligations of the LPC are.

Those services are:. But what is LMHC, anyway? Although the training and terminology is very similar, the use of the world clinical in those titles is both intentional and important. That usually signifies specific training in, and lawful abilities to, treat mental illness. In contrast, an LPC may also have that training and those rights, but could also work in more general categories like career counseling or rehabilitation counseling. It always pays to look at the scope of practice and licensing laws specific to the state you are considering earning counseling credentials in.

In states with an LMHC, however, some of the job duties that might typically be restricted to LPCs may not require any kind of license at all. In other words, non-clinical counseling may be performed without a license requirement in some of those states.

However, actual clinical training and experience may be a more important part of the licensing requirements for LMHCs. The word clinical does a lot of heavy lifting in this category of license. There are many, many different kinds of social work and many individuals licensed to perform it. Licensed Clinical Social Workers, however, have not only the training and background to perform general social work tasks, but also the additional psychology and therapy education to offer psychotherapy for mental health and behavioral issues their clients might suffer from.

Depending on the state, you can find a state-equivalent to a counseling social work license going by any one of these names:. For social workers, counseling is only a part of the job.

In some social work roles, counseling might not even be a part of the work at all. An LCSW will have the legal authority and the training to engage in clinical counseling, but it may not be the primary focus of their job.

The hard lives of turn-of-the-century immigrants and factory workers gave rise to the modern profession of social work. Their goal is to cure the issue that is facing the client through whatever tools are available. If that can happen through direct counseling, they may take that role themselves. Or they might resolve the problem without directly involving the client at all, by addressing external factors including:. LPC therapists, on the other hand, revolve around their counseling capabilities.

Working with individuals and groups to correct specific issues within their own control is the counseling approach. The LPC is also about problem-solving, but they are the specialists who are expected to use their clinical toolbox to get that job done. They may also refer clients out, but only when the problem is beyond their level of treatment capability, or if the problem cannot be resolved through therapy.

An example would be a client who comes in with severe depression and anxiety issues. Through their evaluation, if the LPC finds that the root of those issues is a more complex mental health issue, like schizophrenia, they will probably refer the patient out to a psychologist with more expertise in that field.

Or if the depression and anxiety is coming from a life situation like homelessness, they might refer the patient to a social worker, who is better equipped to line up housing and basic services. You can also understand some of these differences by looking at the histories of both professions.

Trained social workers have existed in the United States since the late s. By , with the Great Depression bearing down, the role had become so widespread that the U. Census Bureau started tracking it. Some states prefer the title of licensed professional counselors LPCs , while others prefer the title of licensed clinical professional counselors LCPCs.

Both are professional counselors or licensed professional counselors, and both are qualified to provide mental health services following a national counselor examination NCE or national counseling examination NCMHCE. An LPC is not a doctor but is instead considered one among a larger grouping of professional counselors or licensed clinical professional counselors. An LPC or LMHC, in some states is a national counselor designation that allows the individual to practice mental health services, such as talk therapy, trauma therapy, family counseling, or marriage counseling after taking the health counseling examination NCMHE and after completing a specific number of clinical hours.

The time varies, as many licensed professional counselors choose to go on to get their doctorate degrees in psychology or related fields or continue to receive licensing and certifications in additional areas in order to specialize in treating specific conditions and disorders.

Licensed professional counselors have a wide range of salaries, largely due to the wide range of practical applications of counseling. Some states boast much higher costs of living and, correspondingly, much higher base wages. The distinction between the two may not be important to some, but individuals looking for counseling may prefer to work with an LPC more than an LCSW due to the differences in training. LCSWs are trained in social work and approach counseling from the broader societal perspective of social work.

LPCs approach counseling from a more individual-focused perspective and are trained specifically in counseling techniques. Neither is necessarily better than the other, but both certainly approach counseling and mental health services from different perspectives. An LPC is not a medical doctor, and, as such, is not qualified to prescribe medication. Only an MD is licensed and qualified to offer prescriptions to their patients. If an individual were to see an LPC and require medication, a referral to a psychiatrist or other medical doctor would be necessary.

Although LPCs cannot prescribe medicine, they are qualified to make diagnoses of mental health conditions. This is because a licensed professional counselor has been trained in identifying, diagnosing, and treating mental health conditions via therapy and have spent time working with other mental health professionals to develop practical skills and knowledge prior to sitting for licensing exams.

Psychologists are mental health professionals with a doctorate degree while LPCs are licensed mental health professionals who may or may not go on to receive their doctorate degrees. Both are qualified to practice therapy and provide numerous mental health services. An LPC is trained in counseling and therapy and is able to diagnose mental illness.

Once a diagnosis has been made, an LPC may need to bring in other mental health professionals to assist in treatment, whether that means bringing in a psychologist trained in more advanced therapies or bringing in a psychiatrist who is able to prescribe medication for the patient in question. Although LPCs can diagnose mental illness, they may be limited in the exact manner that they are able to treat their patients once a diagnosis has been made.

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