Here are some of the common initials you may encounter when shopping for a therapist.

M.S.W. stands for Master of Social Work. In Minnesota, M.S.W.s with mental health specialization are licensed by the MN Board of Social work as Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) or Licensed Graduate Social Worker (LGSW).  Along with training in psychotherapy these counselors are also trained to help people work with their environments (both people and agencies) to live more healthy lives.  For example, Clinical Social Workers may help people in many settings.  In hospitals, Clinical Social Workers help people learn to live well with chronic illness; in schools they help children and families with problems that may interfere with education, in the community they help people get support to live independently at home as long as possible; in hospice they help people with death and dying and in outpatient therapy, clinical social workers help people overcome problems that limit their potential to live life fully.   

M.H.N.P. stands for Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. M.H.N.P.s have a Master’s degree in nursing. As the title indicates, this is a nursing degree with training specific to mental health. M.D.s and M.H.N.P.s are the only types of counseling professionals that can prescribe medicine.  Mental health nurse practitioners may also have the initials C.N.P which stand for Certified Nurse Practitioner.

Psy.D. or Ph.D. stands for Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) or Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.). Psy.D.s and Ph.D.s can be licensed in cooperation with the American Psychological Association as a psychologist.  Along with extensive training in psychotherapy, psychologists are also specially trained in psychological testing.  In Minnesota, licensed doctoral-level psychologists may have the initials L.P.  Some counselors who have been practicing in MN for many years may have the initials L.P. with a master’s level of education.  The requirement for a doctoral degree with L.P. licensure was adopted fairly recently and some long-standing master’s level counselors may have gotten their license under the former guidelines.

M.D. stands for Medical Doctor. M.D.s who have specialized training in mental health are usually called psychiatrists. They are licensed in cooperation with the American Medical Association. A psychiatrist is probably the best option for someone who believes there is something medically wrong. Psychiatrists sometimes see patients only for medicine and refer them to other types of counselors for therapy.

M.A. or M.S. stands for Master of Arts or Master of Science. An M.A. or M.S. can be licensed in cooperation with the American Counseling Association as a Licensed Professional Counselor (L.P.C.) or as a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (L.P.C.C.). Some of these people specialize in marriage and family counseling and are licensed as Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists (L.M.F.T.) or as Licensed Associate Marriage and Family Therapists (L.A.M.F.T.). 

M.Ed. stands for Master of Education. An M.Ed. can also be licensed as an L.P.C., L.M.F.T., or grandfathered under older guidelines as an L.P.