Re: Re: Article on Stress in Health Magazine & diff. MHPs

[Guest guest]

Now the requirement is to be a licensed mental health professional. Where the

person works isn't important. In addition to the person's own personality,

life and clinical experience. However CISM standards state that training in

crisis intervention, PTSD, diagnosis & treatment of behavioral health disorders

per DSM-IV, and psychotherapy are important.

As you know, these are psychologist, licensed clinical social worker,

licensed family therapist, licensed professional counselor, psychiatric nurse

clinical specialist with MSN in mental health or psychiatric nursing approved by

nursing board.

There are some things you may wish to look for in each of the MH professions.

However, this may interest you at all. Feel free to skip or read as you

desire. Like you, I have other thingd to do. I am interested in this for a

varietry

of reasons. There is a need for more community pro-bono stuff. The rest of us

may not be vol. EMT's or Paramedics or fire fighters. But we should share in

volunteering with others. Dad was a fire chief and my son is in training at an

excellent TX facility to become a fire fighter and he plans to add Paramedic

to his EMT-B.

Clinical social workers, new licensed professional counselors, licensed

family therapists have to have two years of post graduate degree board approved

clinical experience supervised by a board approved person. Texas psychologists

have one year post graduate degree experience. Family therapists and clinical

social generally have the most psychotherapy experience during their graduate

school training. Nurses have the least during and following graduate school to

become a clinical specialists.

Psychologist, Listed in National Registry of Health Care Providers in

Psychology. Texas does not license " clinical psychologists " . A TX psychologist

have majored in research psychology, general psychology for teaching, school

or educational psychology, industrial or organizational psychology, family

psychology (a plus), behavioral medicine or health psychology (use of

psychology in understanding and improving the health of medical non-psychiatric

patient, counseling psychology that has shifted away from training school

guidance

counselors & career counseling to helping people with problems) & is now a plus;

and clinical psychology (what folks usually think of when thinking of a

psychologist. BTW, Board Certification in Clinical, Counseling or Family

Psychology

by ABPP is a real plus

LPC, internship in a clinical setting and post degree experience in a

clinical setting. This is because at one time, any school guidance counselor

could be grandfathered for an LPC license without any training in diagnosis of

mental disorders or psychotherapy experience or a supervised post masters

clinical, supervised experience. The post degree experience require was only

1,000

hours until Tri-Care (military dependents & retirees) complained and it was

increased to two years.

Licensed Clinical Social Worker (Sept 1), previously LMSW-ACP (Master

Social Worker with Specialty in Clinical Social Work. Check for a " Master's

Degree in Clinical Social Work. The legislature against the wishes of the

professions " grandfathered " some people who had a bachelor's degree in anything

with no supervised experience. LMSW-ACP normally required two years of graduate

school, followed by 5 years of experience, 2 years supervised clinical plus 3

additional years in a nonprofit or government organization. LCSW 1 Sept will be

graduate degree plus two years post-grad school supervised clinical

experience as this is the usual requirement & title in other states. Being Board

Certified in Clinical Social Work by a a national prof organ after 5 years

post-MSW

clinical experience & other stuff is a plus.

Licensed Family Therapist. Their grandfather problem is that LPC's

without clinical training or supervised clinical experience could be

grandfathered in at the start. A MMFT degree or an AAMFT Approved Supervisor are

pluses.

Psychiatrists. Any MD/DO may call themselves a psychiatrist. They used

to have good training in individual & group psychotherapy. That is no longer

true of recent graduates of three or your year post-MD/DO residency training

program. Most now are trained in diagnosis and treatment with medication and

unfortunately very little else. Avoid someone whose residency was in a state

psychiatric hospital. Board certification in Psychiatry & Neurology is a plus;

but now a person can be board certified with a low level of competence in

interviewing & in psychotherapy/counseling according to friends who are

psychiatrists. Board Certified Child Psychiatrists may be a plus because they

have more

training in interviewing and psychotherapy or counseling than non-therapy

orientated psychiatrists. This is a shame because adult psychiatrist in my 30+

years of experience appear to be more competent in locating medical (toxic drug

levels, other diseases, etc.) causes of depression, delirium, confusion, and

psychosis than PCP including FPs & internists. Unfortunately there are not

enough physicians working in EDs who are Emergency Medicine Board Certified.