Clinical vs. Counseling, PhD vs. PsyD vs. Other Degrees

Clinical Psychology vs. Counseling Psychology

One of the most popular career choices that students mention as Psychology majors is becoming a clinical psychologist. Clinical psychology entails providing mental and behavioral health care to individuals across the lifespan, across races and status. Clinical psychologists are able to provide this care in collaboration with community health agencies and through research-based practices (see the APA website Links to an external site. for more detail).

Students commonly mistake "Clinical Psychology" and "Counseling Psychology" as the same/similar career path. Though there are some similarities between the two (e.g., earning a doctorate degree, interest in therapy), they are far from synonymous.

Similar to clinical psychologists, counseling psychologists primarily focus on providing health care to individuals, including assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of more severe psychological symptoms (see the APA website Links to an external site. for more detail). However, these psychologists tend to work with healthier individuals who experience less psychopathology compared to the individuals that are seen by clinical psychologists. Moreover, the problems addressed by counseling psychologists are more broad, including issues such as stress management, life adjustment concerns, and the development of an individual's identity (which are not addressed by clinical psychologists).

This is an important distinction; knowing whether a student wants to work with clients with more severe mental, emotional or behavioral problems would help distinguish the graduate program that is best suited for the student's interests.

Ph.D. vs. Psy.D. vs. Other Graduate-Level Degrees

Students may not know the difference between a PhD and PsyD, much less be aware of other options for therapy/counseling that do not require a doctoral degree. It is important to outline the types of degrees students may choose to complete. This webpage Links to an external site. does a fairly good job in explaining the difference between earning a master's level degree vs. a doctorate level degree (as well as parses out the differences between a PhD and PsyD).

Although we will provide examples below, some additional resources that students and advisors may find helpful to refer to are the following webpages: The Alphabet Soup of Mental Health Professions in California Links to an external site. and Types of Degrees for Different Therapy Careers Links to an external site..

Using clinical psychology as an example, if a student is not interested in pursuing research, then a PhD in Clinical Psychology is not the right program for them. A PsyD in Clinical Psychology may be a better fit, though depending on their long-term goals, a Master's degree in a different graduate program may be a good fit as well.

Below are a few alternative options (this is not an exhaustive list):

Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC): These counselors focus primarily on the individual (though they occasionally work with couples, families, and groups) and improving their patients' mental health. They can diagnose and treat individual patients living with mental and emotional illness, substance abuse, disability, personal trauma, and psychological and social developmental disorders. Similar to LMHCs, LPCCs work from a theoretical framework to come up with the best intervention for each patient. Note: The description of LPCCs is very similar to LMHCs. Some sources consider them interchangeable; however, requirements for licensure do differ slightly.
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT): These therapists focus primarily on the relational and interpersonal aspects within families, marriages, and couples. Within their specialty, they can address broad topics within this area (e.g., premarital, relationship, separation, childhood, and divorce counseling), as well as more specific issues, such as depression, anxiety, and other psychological issues within relationships and families.
Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW): These social workers focus on their clients' social welfare and help them obtain social services to assist them when they are experiencing financial, physical, emotion, mental and/or legal hardships. Clinical social workers can treat emotional, mental and behavioral disorders; however, they may also refer their clients to a mental health specialist (e.g., psychologist, psychiatrist). They help create treatment plans for clients and provide counseling across individuals, families, and groups.
Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC), also known as a Clinical Mental Health Counselor: These counselors can still provide services for people struggling with mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders. Most mental health counselors work from a theoretical framework (e.g., cognitive-behavioral therapy) in order to create effective interventions. (Similarly, clinical psychologists will typically utilize many different techniques and interventions; however, they will also obtain intake and assessment information, and conduct diagnostic testing, whereas these counselors would not).

Granted, there are distinct differences in the degree to which you can help others depending on the chosen career path. Thus, whenever students mention an interest in pursing clinical or counseling psychology, be sure to ask them to elaborate on what their interests are (if they have specific thoughts, some students may not). This might help distinguish the type of graduate degree the student may need to pursue their long-term goals. Note that listed above are the therapy and counseling careers that share common goals. However, there are many other counseling and therapy related careers that focus on other specialities outside of mental health (e.g., rehabilitation counseling, substance abuse counseling, grief counseling, ABA therapy, eating disorder therapy).

Keep in mind: Most therapy and counseling positions do require a graduate-level degree, but it largely depends on the type of counseling. For example, typically, most mental health related counseling requires a graduate-level degree whereas substance abuse counseling can be done with a certification from the state (the option of complete a higher-level degree is available as well). Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy is one of a few exceptions for which students can pursue with a Bachelor's degree in Psychology (or related field), though acquiring a higher-level degree does open up greater opportunities in the field. For positions that include obtaining a license and/or credential, note that requirements may differ by state.