What do credentials mean?

All those letters behind a mental health professional's name can be confusing and people sometimes aren't sure what type of credentialing their provider needs to have.  Here is an explanation of the most common credentials.

Educational Credentials:

BA, BS, or BSW

This means the clinician has a Bachelor's Degree from a 4-year university, preferably in an area such as psychology, sociology, or social work.

MA, MS, or MSW

These letters indicate the clinician has a Master's Degree from a graduate program.  Someone must first have a Bachelor's Degree to then obtain a Master's. Typically this degree is in Psychology, Counseling, or Social Work.

Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy)

Psy.D. (Doctor of Psychology)

These degrees involve graduate work beyond the level required for a Master's Degree. Both entitle the person bearing these letters to be referred to as "Dr."  This is NOT, however, a medical degree and these people cannot prescribe medications.  These are the people who generally do full batteries of psychological testing, known as a Psychological Evaluation.

M.D.

This is a medical degree obtained from medical school.  M.D.'s must be licensed to practice in the state. Psychiatrists are medical doctors who have, among other privileges, the ability to prescribe medications. How funny to imagine that your psychiatrist, at some point in medical school, helped deliver at least one baby!

APN

This stands for Advanced Practice Nurse, which requires a minimum Master's level nursing degree.  These nurses are also monitored by the state regulatory agency and may have prescriptive authority in their area of expertise.  To have this privilege, they must have a collaborative relationship established with a licensed physician.  Colorado West uses psychiatric APN's to supplement the psychiatric staff.

State Credentials: (These are all under the jurisdiction of the Department of Regulatory Agencies and applicants must pass a Jurisprudence examination in addition to the other requirements given)

LPC

These letters stand for Licensed Professional Counselor.  In the state of Colorado, a clincian obtains this credential by first having a Master's Degree, working for at least 2 years in the field under the supervision of another licensed professional, and passing a very long and arduous exam. These people typically have degrees in Psychology or Counseling. This license must be renewed every few years.

LCSW

This stands for Licensed Clinical Social Worker.  Similar to LPC, these clinicians must have a Master's Degree in Social Work, work for 2 years in the field under the supervision of an LCSW, and pass an exam. This license must be renewed every few years.

LMFT

Similar to both of the above in requiring a Master's Degree, this stands for Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist.  Work in the field prior to licensure must be supervised by an LMFT and yes, there is an exam.

LAC

A relatively new license in the state of Colorado, this is a Licensed Addiction Counselor.  These people have previously acquired a Certified Addiction Counselor Level III  and passed an exam.

CAC I,  CAC II, CAC III

These are the three levels of Certified Addiction Counselors in Colorado.  At levels one and two, clinicians must have a great deal of supervision for the services they provide.  At level three, clinicians can work independently and provide supervision to lower-level CACs. To acquire this credential, there are a large number of courses a clinician must complete, and they must work thousands of hours in the substance abuse treatment field.  Achieving the CAC credential often takes longer than acquiring licensure or even obtaining a graduate level degree!

*Unlicensed counselors in the state of Colorado MUST be registered with the Department of Regulatory Agencies.  This is to assure that ALL counselors and psychotherapists provide the highest standard of care and that there is an official method of recourse for those consumers who are not satisfied with their treatment.