Every therapist license, compared.

What each license means

LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker)

A master's in social work (MSW), two to three years of supervised post-degree clinical hours, and the ASWB Clinical exam. Social workers are trained to see the child inside the family, the school, and the systems around them, and to diagnose and treat mental health conditions. In some states the clinical social work license is called LICSW or LCSW-C.

LPC (Licensed Professional Counselor)

A master's in counseling, roughly 2,000 to 4,000 supervised hours depending on the state, and the NCE or NCMHCE exam. Counselors are trained in individual and group psychotherapy and in the counseling relationship itself. The same license is called LMHC in New York, Florida, Washington and a few others, LCPC in Illinois and Maine, LPCC in California, Ohio and Kentucky, and LCMHC in North Carolina and Vermont.

LMFT (Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist)

A master's in marriage and family therapy or a related field with MFT coursework, around 3,000 supervised hours, and the AMFTRB exam. MFTs are trained to treat the family system, which is most of child work. They diagnose and treat individuals as well.

LMHC (Licensed Mental Health Counselor)

The same profession as the LPC under a different state name. If you are an LMHC in Florida or New York, you are an LPC everywhere the Counseling Compact treats the two as equivalent.

Psychologist (PhD, PsyD)

A doctorate in clinical, counseling, or school psychology, a year-long internship, post-doctoral supervised hours in most states, and the EPPP. Psychologists do everything the master's-level licenses do and add psychological testing and comprehensive evaluations: ADHD, autism, learning, cognitive. PSYPACT lets a psychologist practice by telehealth across the member states.

PMHNP (Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner)

A registered nurse with a master's or doctorate in psychiatric mental health nursing and board certification (PMHNP-BC). PMHNPs evaluate, diagnose, and prescribe. Some states grant full practice authority; others require a collaborating physician.

The pairs people search

LPC vs LCSW

Both are master's-level clinicians who diagnose and treat. The difference is training and the door it opens. Social work programs teach systems, case management, and policy alongside clinical skill; counseling programs go deeper on the therapeutic relationship and technique. In practice, an LPC and an LCSW sitting with a nine-year-old and a parent do very similar work. LCSWs are more portable across settings that require social work specifically (hospitals, child welfare); LPCs benefit from the Counseling Compact for cross-state telehealth.

LCSW vs LMFT

The MFT lens is the family. If your instinct is to bring the parent into the room and work on the pattern between people, the LMFT training will feel like home. Social workers do family work too, with more emphasis on the systems around the family. Both are fully independent clinical licenses.

LPC vs LMFT

Counselors are trained individual-first, MFTs family-first. Both treat children and teens. If you want to build a practice around parent coaching and family sessions, the LMFT title signals it; if you want the broadest recognition across states, the LPC (with its many state names) plus the Counseling Compact is the wider road.

LMHC vs LPC

Same license, different state name. Florida, New York, Washington, Massachusetts, and a handful of others say LMHC; most of the country says LPC. If you move, you apply for the local title by endorsement.

LPC vs LPCC

LPCC is the clinical counselor title in California, Ohio, Kentucky, and a few other states. In Ohio the LPC is the pre-independent tier and the LPCC is fully independent; in California the LPCC is the only counselor license. Read the state, not the letters.

LPC vs psychologist

A psychologist holds a doctorate and can do psychological testing and comprehensive evaluations; an LPC does psychotherapy. Both diagnose. Families often ask a therapist for an ADHD or autism diagnosis; the therapist can diagnose from clinical assessment in most states, but a school or a payer often wants the psychologist's evaluation. The two work best in the same record.

LCSW vs psychologist

Same distinction: the psychologist adds testing and, in some states, hospital privileges; the LCSW is the master's-level therapist with a systems lens.

Why the same license has different names

Licensing is state law. Each legislature named its counselor license decades ago, so the profession carries LPC, LMHC, LCPC, LPCC, LCMHC, and LPC-MH across the map. Social work is more uniform (LCSW almost everywhere, LICSW in a few states). Marriage and family therapy is uniform (LMFT). Psychology is uniform. Every state page in our licensing guide lists the local names.

Who can supervise, test, and prescribe

• Supervise associates: fully licensed clinicians who meet the state's supervisor rule (usually two or more years licensed and a supervisor course). See supervisors.
• Psychological testing and comprehensive evaluations: psychologists. See psychologists.
• Prescribe: PMHNPs and psychiatrists. See nurse practitioners.

The associate versions

Before independent licensure, most states issue a supervised credential: LPC Associate, LPC-Intern, or Registered Intern for counselors; LMSW or LSW for social workers; AMFT or MFT Associate for family therapists; Post-doctoral resident for psychologists. Associates diagnose and treat under a supervisor and are paid per completed session on Emora, with a matched supervisor. See associates.

What is a PMHNP

A PMHNP is a nurse practitioner board-certified in psychiatric mental health. They complete a full assessment, diagnose, prescribe and manage medication, and coordinate with the therapist. With children they often work alongside a therapist who sees the child weekly while the PMHNP sees the child every few weeks for medication management.