What's the Difference Between a Counselor and a Psychologist?

As someone who has a M.S. in Counseling and a Ph.D. in Psychology, I've spent some time in both worlds. A brief post can't capture the historical and theoretical nuances between the two mental health fields, so I'll be speaking in very general terms.

The main difference between a master's level counselor and a doctoral level psychologist is the type and length of their education. They both can provide the same types of counseling services. With the additional education, some psychologists can provide specialized psychological services (e.g., psychological testing and evaluation services for things like ADHD, learning disorders, autism, etc.).

Counseling programs are often 2.5 - 3 years of graduate education and clinical experiences. Several years after graduation are spent obtaining supervised clinical hours to become a licensed counselor (e.g., LPC, LMHC, LMFT, etc.). Psychology doctoral programs are often 5 - 6 years of education focusing on more in depth assessment, theory/interventions, and research. Psychologists often specialize during their year long internship and post-doc residency. Counselors often specialize through work placements and supervisory experiences. Both engage in continuing education for licensure purposes and to stay current on new developments and research in the mental health field.

To make things even more confusing, there are doctoral programs in Counseling where LPCs earn Ph.D.'s and there are states lobbying for professionals with a master's degree in psychology to call themselves "Master's level psychologists"!

In the beginning of their careers, clinicians are more influenced by their educational programs. However, they grow and evolve as they work in the field, complete continuing education, engage in consultation, and provide and receive supervision. What's important is that the clinician you work with is competent in the areas that are important to you and that you feel safe and understood in the relationship.

If you would like to know more about our clinician's training, work experiences, and clinical specialties to help you decide who you want to work with, complete the Contact Us form to schedule your free 20-minute consultation.