I recently received an email that addressed me as “Dr.”. I am not a “Dr”, rather I am a counselor. Often people assume that a counselor is a psychologist. What’s more confusing is the difference between a psychologist and a psychiatrist. A psychiatrist is a medical doctor, and a psychologist has a Ph.D. To make it more confusing there are many different types of Ph.D. degrees. There are also licensed and non-licensed psychologists. The state license that a psychologist holds also varies considerably. But wait, there’s more!
The field of psychology and counseling has also broadened considerably. Some states allow psychologists to write prescriptions if they have a qualifying secondary degree such as psychopharmacology. Florida does not allow psychologists to write prescriptions for their patients. A psychiatrist can also either be an M.D. or a D.O. An M.D. and an O.D. are both required to undergo the same training; however, a D.O., which stands for Osteopath focuses on a holistic approach to medicine.
Integrative Health Care
Integrative Health Care has become extremely popular. It is virtually impossible for a professional in the mental health field to be able to handle every aspect of a patient’s needs. Integrative Health Care is a trend that aims to focus of the comprehensive needs of a patient. The University of Florida Health Center for Psychiatry and Addiction in Vero Beach, Florida is an Integrative Health Care facility that aims to focus on the mental health needs of the residents of Indian River County. While they are able to provide assessment and medication for disorders such as schizophrenia, they do not provide mental health counseling services. Nu Vision Counseling Professionals does provide mental health counseling services in Vero Beach, Florida. A large facility such as UF Health Center for Psychiatry and Addiction in Vero Beach will have a wide array of mental health professionals on staff. A Clinical Psychologist or a Psy.D. will spend their training and subsequent work with a greater emphasis on the clinical component of mental health, while a Ph.D. places a greater emphasis on research.
Clinical Psychologists or PsyD’s are also being trained to work in hospital settings. They are often referred to as Medical Psychologists. It is part of the sweeping changes that are taking place in the United States to offer an Integrative Health Care approach in clinical and hospital settings. A Hospitalist is a medical doctor who works exclusively in a hospital and works with patients who are acutely ill. They are similar to a Physiatrist who works with patients who are in need of rehabilitation such as after a stroke or bad car accident. A Physiatrist primarily works outpatient, while a Hospitalist works inpatient with a focus on rehabilitation. Their job is to act as a medical quarterback and coordinate comprehensive care for patients that need rehabilitation.
Specializing verses Generalist
Mental Health Counselings plays an integral part helping individuals with identifying and addressing stressors in their lives. They can work with a client’s psychiatrist or various professionals to help coordinate their care. Mental Health Counselors vary in their theoretical approaches. A Mental Health Counselor can also be a Christian-based Counselor. Not all Christian-based Counselors are Mental Health Counselors. A Mental Health Counselor will have a licensed to practice in their state, while a Christian Counselor will not. Some Mental Health Counselors opt to be a “generalist” and not have a particular focus, while other Mental Health Counselors “specialize” in specific areas.
Additional counseling designations are Addiction Counseling, Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapy. A Marriage and Family Therapist of MFT specializes in family systems. While they have an understanding of the specific diagnoses that play a role in the field of mental health counseling, their focus is on marriage and family. A Licensed Mental Health Counselor or LMHC can work both with the diagnosing component of counseling as well as work with married couples and families.
The primary role of a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist is not to diagnose their clients, rather to work within the family systems and help their clients to identify what role that they place within those systems. Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists concentrate on the environment of the family. When you think of a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist think “relationships”. Their education and training is more specialized than a Licensed Mental Health Counselor. All credentials can provide counseling and psychological services, and are licensed by the state of Florida. Other states have different names and do not use Licensed Mental Health Counseling, rather they use Licensed Professional Counseling. Check your state to see what your state uses with their licensed counseling professionals.
Deciding which type of counselor you prefer can take some time. The time that you invest will help ensure that you are choosing the right counselor for you and your specific needs. The majority of counselors have a profile on Psychology Today. We have one. Go ahead and check us out. While the directory is a great way for counselor to showcase their experience, please remember that the directory only allows a snippet of information. The best way to get to know which counselor in Vero Beach, Florida is to speak with them either on the phone or face-to-face. Most counselors offer a free 15-minute consultation. Clients seeking counseling in Vero Beach, Florida have the option of seeing a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, a Clinical Psychologist, a Licensed Psychologist, or a Ph.D. level counseling clinician.
Addictions Counseling
Additions Counseling is completely different than traditional counseling. It is not a regulated as the traditional mental health counseling profession. Very often an addictions facility will utilize a group facilitator that has limited training and experience such as a 6 or 8 week certificate training. While their are specific designations in Florida as as an MCAP or CAP, individuals who have these designations command a higher pay than someone who has not undergone the extensive education and training that they have. The acronym MCAP stands for Master’s Level Certified Addictions Professional, while CAP stands for Certified Addictions Professional. Each designation requires very specific education and thousands of hours of training.
A Licensed Clinical Social Worker has broader training than either a Licensed Mental Health Counselor or a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. You will often see a Licensed Clinical Worker in a hospital setting. They have more flexibility than a Licensed Mental Health Counselor or a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. I have never seen a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in a hospital setting. A Licensed Social Worker is trained in counseling and theoretical approaches similar to a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. What differentiates a Licensed Clinical Social Worker from a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist is Case Management. A Licensed Mental Health Counselor and a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist is not cross-trained to handle the social components that may need attention with some individuals such as housing and welfare benefits. While some Licensed Clinical Social Workers work in a private practice setting, their license offers them more job flexibility than a Licensed Mental Health Counselor or a Licensed Social Worker.
What’s Our Specialty?
Nu Vision Counseling works with a myriad of individuals in their practice located in Vero Beach, Florida. Their focus is in addictions and High-Conflict Families. We are both Mental Health Counselors and Supreme Court Family Mediators. As both Mental Health Counselors and Supreme Court Family Mediators, we are uniquely qualified to help our clients navigate mental health and legal matters. We offer Court-ordered evaluations, Anger Management Evaluations, and Substance Abuse Evaluations. We hope that we have explained the differences and options in the mental health counseling profession. Yes, it can be confusing to individuals who do not work in the profession.
While every counselor has a specific reason for choosing their path, I had my own. I knew that I wanted to focus on the human brain and behaviors to help my clients break specific patterns. I also wanted to be able to teach my clients how to control their environment through boundary setting as well as to work on issues of anxiety. I have always believed that we are more in control of how we react to stressors than we believe. My clinical practice is focused on teaching my clients the physiological component of our mental health and behaviors. I also have a very strong background in financial planning and legal matters. My educational background includes a bachelor’s in Psychology, a Master’s in Addictions, a Master’s in Mental Health Counseling, and a Master’s in Business Administration. In addition, I am also trained in Social Investigations.
As a life long learner, I continually engage in ongoing training. Currently, I am working on my Certified Financial Planning designation and will work on my Ph.D. in Counseling in 200. I also offer business coaching services to those who are in private practice as a mental health clinician or agency. We provide counseling services in Vero Beach, Florida. We provide counseling in our office as well as on-line. In order to receive counseling services on-line rather than face-to-face in our office in Vero Beach, Florida, our clients will need to be in the state of Florida. Currently we are only licensed in the state of Florida. We have plans to become licensed in additional states in the near future, so please check back with us about additional counseling services.
Contact Rebecca Inman Counseling
Are you in need of counseling? Do you have issues that you want to clear and discuss with a licensed professional? Have you been ordered to undergo an Anger Management Evaluation or Anger Management classes? Rebecca Inman Counseling, in Vero Beach, Florida can help. Please contact our office at 772.742.2020 to speak with a counselor. While there are many counselors in Vero Beach, Florida to chose from, we hope that you will review our credentials and give our office a call.
