LPC vs. LMFT vs. LCSW – What Kind of Mental Health Professional Should You Become?
LPC vs. LMFT vs. LCSW:
Here are the main differences between an LPC, an LMFT, and an LCSW. If you aren’t sure what kind of mental health professional you should become, here is some information that can help you decide. Mental health counselors focus more on intrinsic challenges or the individual themselves. Marriage and family therapists focus on family, couples, and other extrinsic factors. Social workers focus on community and systemic issues. That is the difference between the three professions.
Side note, but some states call mental health counselors LPC’s or LPCC’s. Some states call social workers LSW’s or LCSW’s. Some states call marriage and family therapists MFT’s or LMFT’s. There are a lot of acronyms in psychology, but realistically, you can become a counselor and therapist with any of these three licenses.
CAMERA GEAR I USE:
Camera: https://amzn.to/3yrMVV9
Mixer: https://amzn.to/3neiwou
Microphone: https://amzn.to/3tNUHqf
Boom Mic: https://amzn.to/3gyhVwy
Computer: https://amzn.to/3sMMjFW
Laptop: https://amzn.to/3aCCSmt
Lights: https://amzn.to/2QQhwuT
○ Music from Epidemic Sound) –
https://share.epidemicsound.com/69f1yi
○ Where I get my books (Audible) –
https://amzn.to/3rKwL6f
○ Keyword research tool for YouTube (TubeBuddy) –
https://www.tubebuddy.com/michaelbonnell
These are affiliate links, which give a small commission to help support this channel at no additional cost to you. I only share products and services that I actually
use and believe in.
These videos are for entertainment purposes only and they are just my opinion based off of my own life experience and the research that I’ve done. I am not an attorney, CPA, insurance, or financial advisor and the information presented shall not be construed as tax, legal, insurance, safety or financial advice. If stocks or companies are mentioned, I, Michael, might have an ownership interest in them. Affiliate links may be present, the offers and numbers presented may change over time so please make sure to confirm that the offer is still valid. Some offers mentioned may no longer be available or they have been changed. Please don’t make buying or selling decisions based on Shane’s videos. If you need such advice, please contact the qualified legal or financial professionals, don’t just trust the opinion of a stranger on the internet and always make sure to do your own research and enjoy this family friendly content.
LPC vs. LMFT vs. LCSW – What Kind of Mental Health Professional Should You Become?
Leave a like, comment, and subscribe if you enjoyed 🙂
Social Workers are pretty much case managers. If you work in the medical field, you’re job is a glorified Administrative Assistant. It’s rare that you get to practice therapy. That’s why there is a high demand for MSW vs MFT or other behavioral/psychological Master’s degrees. Someone probably thought, “hey, let’s make the counselors our assistants!” That’s how it feels anyways. 🤷🏽♂️
Very informative!!!
Thank you, this was very helpful and informative.
I’m still in the process of completing my BA in psychology but I’m currently still trying to figure out which path to take. I’m stuck in between LCSW and LMFT. Most people say LCSW would provide more opportunities and my license would be able to be transferred if I ever decided to move. But my heart tends to always lean more towards LMFT. I want to help couples and families. Due to this, I’ve also taken a lot of family-based electives… Decisions, decisions….
Thank you for the great information!
This was SO helpful! Thank you for explaining all this clearly and in detail. Do you know if there is a difference between LPC and LMFT about if they can bill insurance and/or Medicare?
Doubt you’ll see this, but I think you should review what you said about CACREP accreditation and LPCC’s. I’m almost certain that just because a school doesn’t have that particular type of accreditation that doesn’t mean you can’t test for licensure. I believe CACREP is one particular type of accreditation, among other types. I don’t think it’s that cut and dry. Thanks.
Thanks for your video! I’m trying to decide right now which graduate program to do after I finish my bachelors . I think I’m leaning more towards LPC because I like the idea of helping and analyzing someone intrinsically.
Great video, Michael! I didn’t know LCSW’s could be counselors as well
This is very helpful, thank you!
Thank you!! This is so so informative and helpful
thank you!
Hmmm. My state board recognizes a school thats regionally accredited but not CACREP accredited. My concern is will it be recognized by NBBC?
How about choosing between a Psyd and LPC? Will Psyd give me more well-rounded training if I’m really committed to mental health area?
What would you recommend between an LPC and an LMFT?
Very helpful
Thank you so much! You explained this in so much depth! Yes, examining articles on Google helped, but not so much in depth on what these careers do individually. They were all lukewarm, while your video was in depth analysis and compared the differences!
What kind of whip crackin’ malarkey we got up haaaar