LPCC vs MFT: Evaluating Which is Better in 2024

Mental Healthcare is one of the unyielding human needs vital for mental and physical growth and happiness. No one can deny the importance of mental healthcare, such as therapy, counseling, or other treatments. One must first have a good state of mind to achieve a sound body. There are various professionals to treat mental health. Today’s Discussion is LPCC VS MFT: Which can help treat mental health distress?

What is LPCC?

LPCC stands for Licensed Professional Clinical Counsellors. To help patients deal with behavioral disorders and addiction, these professional counselors have obtained licensure by completing higher education and receiving postgraduation experience.

According to clinical definition, the doctoral and master’s level mental health service providers trained to work with individuals, families, and groups in treating mental, behavioral, and emotional problems and disorders are called Licensed Professional Clinical Counsellors (LPCC).

The LPCCs have utter importance in mental healthcare; on average, an American LPCC’s annual salary is $57,655. Another field of the responsibilities of LPCCs may include empowering an individual’s mental growth and helping them overcome mental issues to adapt to cognitive behavior.

They also work to identify and remediate the patient’s mental crisis intervention, adjust to a disability, etc. They also support their patients in making well-informed decisions in life situations, welcome and experience growth, reduce stress and pressure, and change harmful behaviors.

What Do LPPCs Do?

In the United States of America alone, 144,000 LPCCs spread across 50 states provide good counseling and mental support to those who need it. Their primary duties include-

• We provide primary and satisfactory healthcare to all patients suffering from mental distress.
• LPCCs officially make up a large workforce in the mental healthcare giving force.
• They are flourished and trained by the care organizations to tend to every patient needing mental healthcare.
• They receive training covering a vast population, including individual personnel, families, and groups.

What is the Qualification for becoming an LPCC?

Mental Healthcare is a severe and sensitive treatment that requires the ultimate and intensive training for every mental healthcare giver. LPCCs are no different. They go through a series of training and grooming beforehand to ensure a satisfactory diagnosis. The requirements for becoming a typical LPCC by the CALPCC (California Association for Licensed Professional Clinical Counselors) are given below-

• All LPCCs must complete at least 3,000 hours of post-degree supervised clinical experience, which must be performed over two years before licensure. In addition, they have to continue their education for license renewal.
• All LPCCs must possess a 60-unit master’s or doctorate in counseling or psychotherapy from an accredited or approved institution of higher education, including 13 required core areas of study. Sometimes, mental health counselors can be qualified in clinical and counseling psychology through suitable degrees.
• All LPCCs must attend and pass the Passage of the National Clinical Mental Health Counselor Examination (NCMHCE) and the LPCC California Law & Ethics Examination.
• All LPCCs must adhere to the American Counseling Association’s Code of Ethics and recognized standards of practice, as regulated by California’s Board of Behavioral Sciences (CBBS).

For further information, visit- CALPCC &  Board of Behavioral Science

Frequently Asked Questions about LPCC:

Is LPCC a psychologist?

After reaching the master level in counseling, they can become a licensed psychologist upon completing the state-mandated clinical training programs.

Can an LPCC diagnose?

LPCCs are similar to other board licenses, and they can provide children, families, and groups with psychotherapeutic services. In addition, they can diagnose and treat emotional, mental, and behavioral problems and disorders.

Can an LPCC prescribe medication?

An LPCC may help patients by providing psychotherapy and clinical mental support. However, they are not allowed to prescribe or suggest medication to cope with mental health problems by the law. Therefore, only psychiatrists can provide psychiatric medicine for mental health patients.

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What is MFT?

MFT stands for Marriage and Family Therapist. To help families and couples overcome their marital and domestic behavioral problems, Marriage and Family Therapists work on finding solutions by engaging with them, observing, and guiding them. An MFT often works as a family counselor and guides them through hard times. No marriage is easy, and it can sometimes be hard for parents to connect with their children, especially teenagers and parents; miscommunication is common.

MFTs work with families and couples full-time, so they commonly work after office hours and even on weekends to adjust to their client’s schedules. So, it is far from a 9 to 5 job, and it requires many different additional soft skills and academic qualifications.

Their median salary is $54,590, and their average annual income is $49,610. More than 50,000 certified and registered MFTs work under the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT).

Marriage and Family Therapy is brief, solution-focused, specific with attainable therapeutic goals, and designed with “the end in mind.” Marriage and Family therapy is usually short-term and usually consists of a 12-session group or individual counseling therapy. But again, as being an MFT is to work full time with very few breaks, it can be nerve-wracking and stressful to do this counseling job compared to other therapeutical jobs.

What do MFTs do?

The MFTs cover a vast area of mental health counseling for family members and married couples, and their services include-

• The MFTs provide a wide area of psychotherapy, such as child and adolescent communication problems, grieving, depression and anxiety, LGBTQ issues, domestic violence, infertility, marital conflicts, substance abuse, etc.
• They observe how individuals react, connect with units, and evaluate and resolve relationship problems.
• They diagnose and treat psychological problems within a family context and guide clients through transitional crises like death or divorce.
• Moreover, they highlight problematic behavior, suggest a holistic approach to wellness, and help replace dysfunctional behaviors with healthy alternatives.

What are the Qualifications for Becoming an MFT?

1) Academic Requirements-

• All MFTs must get a bachelor’s degree or an undergraduate degree in psychology, which is the first step to becoming a therapist or a counselor.
• All MFTs are required to get an advanced degree, and most states require an advanced degree or a master’s degree in professional counseling or family and marriage therapy.
• To become a licensed MFT, it is required by many states that they go through a particular exam under the Association of Marital and Family Therapy Regulatory Board (AMFTRB).
• All MFTs are suggested to get at least, on average, two years of clinical experience, as most states require it for their licensure.
• At last, to practice Marriage and Family Therapy, they must apply for MFT Licensure in their respective states. Unfortunately, the MFT licensure process varies from state to state, so they’re suggested to check their state’s requirements before using.

2) Soft Skills-

Frequently Asked Questions about MFT-

Can MFTs Prescribe Medication?

MFTs can give necessary guidance and support, but they aren’t licensed to prescribe medication to clients.

Can MFTs diagnose Autism?

Experience and clinically certified Ph.D. holders in Marital and Family Therapy can diagnose and suggest physiotherapy regarding Autism.

Which one is Better?

LPCCs and MFTs are counselors, therapists, and psychologists universally, but they serve different purposes. According to the clients’ problems, they should counsel an LPCC or an MFT. They advise people in groups and individually, but their counseling purposes are far from identical. Both of these professionals can provide remote or online counseling from their place. So, first, they should identify their problems to decide whether to contact an LPCC or an MFT.

Last update on 2024-12-30 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API