Regulated By Law Or Not When it comes to health, professionals most would think that they all must be or have to be regulated by law. This is not the case in the United States and other parts of the world. It may surprise you that not everyone is regulated or even required to register as a health professional. Some health professionals need only get a business license to open their doors to the public. This is not to say that all health professionals lack qualifications and training. Many health professionals spend years in academic specialist training at universities and health facilities to achieve a degree in their specialty. But what about those who do not. How do you know if your health care professional is qualified, professional, and certified to practice the discipline with appropriate credentials.
It is within the law in many jurisdictions that a person may use therapist, counselor or even registered without possessing specific credentials. Titles like therapist, counselor, psychotherapist, sex therapist, hypnotist and registered hypnologist are many of the titles one may see without there being any qualified training or professional recognized schooling in the subject matter. An informed health consumer will check for these and other health professionals for appropriate credentials.
What are appropriate credentials for health professionals? To understand the credentials, it is important that you understand the guidelines to qualify as a health professional. Let's look at the guidelines for mental health care professionals. A mental health care professional is called a "Therapist." A Therapist can have one or many different titles. Therapist titles include but not limited to the following: Psychiatrist, Psychoanalyst, Psychiatric Nurse, Pastoral Counselor, Clinical Psychologist, Marriage Counselor or Family Therapist and Social Worker.
A Psychiatrist will be a medical doctor (M.D. or D.O.) who has gone to medical school at an accredited college or university and has completed an additional three year residency in a psychiatric facility. A Psychiatrist is able to prescribe medicine and medical treatments. The health consumer needs to know the college's or university's accreditation processes to issue appropriate degrees to determine if the Psychiatrist is properly entitled to state their claim as a medical doctor. With internet colleges and universities so abundant, there is a lot of fraud going on in this area.
An individual that represents themself as a Psychoanalyst can be a psychiatrist, psychologist or social worker with specialized post-graduate training in psychoanalysis. One of many ways of defining psychoanalysis is a method of treatment of psychological or emotional illness of the mind. Psychoanalyst may use one or more of the 20 different theoretical disciplines to assist the health consumer.
A registered nurse may be allowed to use the title of Psychiatric Nurse after specialized training in a psychiatric facility and additional studies and certifications.
Pastoral Counselor should be experienced in both ministry and psychotherapy. A theological counselor should have degrees for ministry and psychotherapy to truly be considered a Pastoral Counselor.
Clinical Psychologist must have post-graduate studies in psychology having acquired a Ph D., Psy D. or Ed.D. from an accredited college or university. A Clinical Psychologist's training should included extensive work in psychological testing and psychotherapy. The number of years of training and where can be very important for the health consumer in determining the quality of care to expect.
Marriage Counselor or Family Therapist It seems that anyone and everyone is a marriage counselor even your neighbor knows what's best for you. "Ask about the therapist’s license: not all states mandate that therapists hold a license, and one can always confirm a license by contacting the State Board of Licensing and/or Certification for that field of practice. If the therapist does hold a license, make sure that license is up to date and that the therapist is not sanctioned in any way." from Marriage Counselors, Family Therapists at http://family-marriage-counseling.com/therapists-counselors.htm. What ever the title they give themselves the Marriage Counselor/Family Therapist should have several years of post-graduate study in marital and family therapy. The health consumer needs to be very careful. Do your research and make sure you check everything.
The Social Worker will usually have a M.S.W. graduate degree in social work and may have specialized training. This training may be specific or general in dealing with individuals, groups, or community. The Social Worker may work for a state, county, or city agency, but still check for appropriate credentials.
Whatever mental health care professional therapy you seek or need, it is important that you evaluate the therapy you are receiving. Has your life changed since starting therapy? Are you comfortable asking questions during therapy? Are you happy with your therapist's credentials, qualifications, and experience?
Are you happy with the goals you and your therapist have set and are they changeable? Do you know all the fees your therapist will charge and are some of the fees covered by insurance? Can you stop therapy or change to another therapist at any time? The health consumer is investing time and money into receiving beneficial therapy. If the health consumer thinks of therapy as a product, then the health consumer will be better served and able to determine the quality of the service. Would you keep going back to a car repair shop if the shop is not properly repairing your vehicle. The same guidelines should be for therapy treatment.
Research From:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychoanalysis
http://www.marriagebuilders.com/graphic/mbi7100_counselor.html
http://www.counsel-search.com/
http://family-marriage-counseling.com/therapists-counselors.htm
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