Doctors of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Psychology (Psy.D.), or Education (Ed.D.)
General description: Doctoral degree in either clinical or counseling psychology
This is the traditional degree of practicing, academic, and research psychologists. Training includes courses in psychological assessment, theories and practice of different types of psychotherapy, research and statistics, as well as diagnosis and ethics. A dissertation is required which must be defended. A pre-internship experience (called a practicum) is usually an integral part of the program. Some programs require multiple practicums. The average length of a Ph.D. program is 6 to 7 years.

Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)
General description: M.A. or M.Ed. degree
A national professional exam (National Counselor Exam)
Supervision requirements of 3000 hours of face-to-face client contact in conjunction with weekly face-to-face meetings with a supervisor. All hours must be post-graduate.

Provisionally Licensed Professional Counselor (PLPC)
A provisionally licensed professional counselor is a graduate with at least a master's degree with a major in counseling, or its equivalent, and meets all requirements of a licensed professional counselor, other than the supervised counseling experience.

National Certified Counselor (NCC)
General requirements: Holds an advanced degree with a major study in counseling from a regionally accredited college or university, meets specific semester or quarter hour requirements and content area requirements, meets the supervised experience requirements, and achieved a national passing score on the National Counselor Examination for Licensure and Certification (NCE).

Counselor/Therapist (M.A., M.Ed., M.S.)
General description: Master's degree in clinical or counseling psychology.
Most programs are 2 years in length and end in the defense of a thesis.

Master of Social Work (MSW)
A social worker works with an individual in the context of the wider community.

Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)
General description: M.A. degree
Supervision requirements of 3000 hours of face-to-face client contact in conjunction with weekly face-to-face meetings with a supervisor. All hours must be post-graduate. Requirements are identical to those of Licensed Professional Counselor.

National Board Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist (NBCCH)
General requirements: Earned a graduate-level degree in any of the full spectrum of academic disciplines in mental health from a regionally accredited educational institution and has completed a total of 60 or more contact hours of classroom instruction. A single basic hypnosis course of at least 18 hours which includes in-class supervised practice is needed as part of the minimum 60 hour requirement.

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