What Is a Counselor?
The term counselor is used to broadly refer to a professional trained in the fields of psychology, counseling, social work, or a range of medical fields such as nursing. Mental health counselors, specifically, are those professionals working in a mental health capacity.
Mental health counselors perform many functions and responsibilities. Their duties include conducting patient evaluations, providing educational resources around mental health conditions, and making recommendations that the client or patient can use to address mental health issues.
Often, mental health counselors will specialize in addressing a particular issue, such as substance abuse, sexual abuse, marriage and relationships, or family counseling, among others.
There are various types of counselors; here are some common job titles you can pursue in this field:
Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC)
Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)
Substance Abuse Counselor
What Is a Therapist?
A therapist is an individual that has been professionally trained to provide some form of therapy to a patient or client that addresses either a mental or physical disorder.
Examples of the types of therapy used in the context of physical medicine can include physical therapists and occupational therapists. In the context of mental health, the terms mental health therapist and psychotherapist are common.
As with counselors, therapists will often specialize in addressing particular client issues, such as marriage and family issues, substance abuse, etc. There are various types of therapists; here are some common job titles you can pursue in this field:
Counseling Therapist
Family Therapist
Rehabilitation Psychology Therapist
