Home

How to
Choose a Therapist

Choose a Therapist

Interviews

About Therapy

Resources

For Therapists

Contact

About You The Client | About Therapists  | Their Credentials/ Qualifications  |  Their Experience
State/Provincial Licensure/Registration |Their Policies and Procedures |  About Starting Therapy

These are the means that therapists are credentialed.

Licensing:

• applicants must meet minimum requirements such as education; training; and experience
  

• often tests are used to determine if applicants have met standards for credentialing. (Licensing exams are given to assess knowledge, not necessarily to assess ability.)

• Licensing statutes specify what a holder of a license can do and what others cannot do
• Psychotherapist titles are protected, for example in the state of Colorado licensed titles include:
  • Psychologist
  • Licensed Clinical Social Worker
  • Licensed Marriage and Family Counselor
  • Licensed Professional Counselor

Registration:

• provides some degree of regulation of the practice of psychotherapy by licensing statutes.
• often minimum requirements are not mandated
• often new therapists are registered because this is a step toward licensure.
• some therapist are qualified and licensed in other countries but local jurisdictions do not recognize or accept the therapist's training this provides a means for them to practice.
• some therapist practice alternate therapy and do not have the formal training to meet licensing requirements. They are able to practice by registration. For example in the State of Colorado a therapist can register as:
  • Unlicensed Psychotherapist

Certification:

• is a provided by a group that promotes it's own professional identity. Certification implies that a therapist has met the minimum standard of the certifying group. The certifying organization allows a therapist to use a specific title.
  • Examples:
    • Jungian Analyst
    • Certified Sand Play Therapist