Different Types of Therapist and Which Type of Therapist You Need

What Is a Therapist?

A mental health therapist is someone who is trained to treat mental illnesses such as anxiety, depression, trauma, eating disorders, Schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and many more. Does this mean that every therapist is trained to treat every disorder? No. That’s where the specializations come in. There are marriage counselors who are specifically trained to help people with their relationships and addiction counselors who can help you with substance abuse and addiction. 

Also, just because you aren’t diagnosed with a mental health condition or don’t think you have a mental health condition does not mean therapy isn’t for you. Therapists are very good at helping people through stressful times, hard transitions, loneliness, career confusion, and more. You don’t have to be actively struggling to go to therapy, but it is helpful to have some goals. 

There is no issue too big or too small for a therapist. If a certain therapist doesn’t have the experience to treat what you need help with, they will refer you out to someone who can. 

Finally, the term “therapist” can be a little bit confusing. Is there a difference between a therapist and a social worker? Yes, and we’ll go into those differences below. But in general any professional who provides therapy for mental health can be considered a therapist, regardless of what their individual title is.

What Does a Therapist Do?

A therapist has one main goal: to support your mental health. How they do that is dependent on their style, training, and preferred modality. A therapy modality is a way of doing therapy that has been proven by science; you can read about the different types of therapy modalities here. 

A therapist can help you through issues such as:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Trauma and PTSD
• Eating Disorders 
• OCD
• ADHD
• Bipolar Disorder
• Schizophrenia 
• Phobias 
• Substance Abuse
• Anger management
• Grief and Loss
• Stress
• Difficult life transitions

A therapy session is usually one-hour long and one-on-one, a type of therapy called individual therapy. Group therapy is also common, during which a group of three or more people get together to talk about a shared issue, led by a therapist. Couples therapy and family therapy are the last types of therapy, during which a therapist will either provide therapy to a couple or a family. 

What Kind of Therapist Do I Need?

The type of therapist you need depends on why you are coming to therapy. What are your goals for therapy? What are the things you struggle with the most? Knowing will help you decide which one of these types of therapists is best for you.

Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)

Best for: General mental health counseling and specific treatment for mental illnesses

A Licensed Professional Counselor has a master's degree in counseling and has gone through 2 years of supervised counseling. They are one of the most general therapists, meaning they can specialize in a wide range of health issues. Many choose to specialize further in specific areas, which they list in their bio. An LPC is also a good option because all of their education and training has prepared them for counseling for mental health issues. 

Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)

Best for: General mental health counseling with an emphasis on how our roles and identities in society affect our mental health. 

A Licensed Clinical Social Worker has a masters in Social Work, usually with an emphasis in mental health, and 2 years of supervised therapy. Social workers have a lot of other options when it comes to employment, including being a case manager and working with policy and law making. Because of this, a social worker’s education is more varied, with classes about social welfare policy and services, diversity and social justice, and research methods. This can be helpful for people who want a counseling approach that works with systematic and environmental factors more heavily. Not every LCSW works within this mindset, however, and it is becoming more common for an LCSW to work the same as an LPC. It’s always a good idea to ask your therapist what their framework for therapy is. 

Licensed Marriage and Family Counselor (LMFT)

Best for: Couples, Marriages, Relationships, and Families

As the title suggests, LMFTs have specific training in couples therapy, marriage therapy, and family therapy. They have a masters degree. This is important because these types of therapy sessions are two-on-one (the couple and the therapist) or more, in the case of family therapy, and this can greatly change the dynamic and skills needed to have a productive therapy session. Individual therapists may not have gotten training on these skills, and therefore may not be as suited for these types of issues. 

Substance Abuse Counselor

Best for: Addictions and substance abuse issues. 

Addiction counselors have a lot of different possible titles, including: Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor (LCDC), Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor (LADC), or a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor (CADC). These do not always require a Masters degree; some are specific training followed by supervised hours. It is still a very specific license that has many hours of highly specific training. 

Recovering from drug use and addiction is a unique experience that other types of therapy modalities are not always effective at. Therefore, substance abuse counselors are important because they can address the problem effectively and efficiently. 

Psychologist

Best for: People with complex mental illnesses or who want someone with more advanced degrees. 

A psychologist is a mental health professional who has their doctorates. This means that they have even more specialized training than any of the previously listed professionals. Many do so to pursue research or academic opportunities in addition to therapy. Psychologists can not prescribe medication, but because of their advanced degrees they can provide psychological testing that not all therapists can provide. An advanced doctorate degree can be useful when providing individual therapy as well. 

Psychiatrist

Best for: diagnosis and medication prescription and management

A psychiatrist is a medical doctor who went to medical school but has a speciality in mental health. They are the only professionals listed who can prescribe medication for mental health. Many people see both a psychiatrist and a therapist, as most psychiatrists don’t provide talk therapy. They do, however, provide medication management, which means they check up on you and how you are doing under a certain dosage and type of medication and can change it as necessary. 

How to Find a Good Therapist

When searching for a therapist, you can find the titles and acronyms above on their bio. It is usually listed after their name. For example:

When you’re trying to find a good therapist, keep in mind their specialties and preferred modalities. Most therapists will list this in their bio, pictured above. If you aren’t sure if a therapist takes your insurance or treats what you are looking for, ask them. They will be happy to make sure you are a good fit before beginning services. 

As you’re talking to a therapist, be mindful of these red flags. They are not normal and should be avoided:

• Lack of Empathy
• Poor Communication Skills
• Overstepping Boundaries
• Judgmental Attitude
• Lack of Feedback or Progress
• Unwillingness to Adapt
• Ethical Violations
• Pressure to Make Quick Decisions

If you meet with a therapist and realize you either don’t fit or you don’t like how many red flags they’re exhibiting, it’s perfectly okay to “break up with your therapist”, or tell them that you would no longer like to see them. This is a perfectly reasonable and common experience; therapists have come to expect that not every client will be a good fit for them. It is ethical for a therapist to then provide you with referrals to therapists who may be a better fit. If they don’t, feel free to ask them. Again, it’s a normal request and they will be happy to help. 

It can be exhausting trying to find the right therapist. Going into it with a clear idea of your goals and what you are looking for will help. Do you research beforehand as to what type of therapist they are, their experience level, specialties, and preferred therapy modality. 

If this is overwhelming to you, working with a group practice like Lifebulb can help. Our support team can talk to you and get to know what you’re looking for in a therapist before scheduling you with one of our available online therapists. We have no wait time and most clients can see their therapist within 7 days of scheduling. 

Don’t want to seek mental health help. Contact Lifebulb today. 

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