June 15, 2013:
People often inquire into the difference between licensed mental health counselor and licensed marriage and family therapist. Essentially they are the same training but different degrees. Licensing varies from State to State. Some states accept and license in one form or the other, most carry both licenses. Each counselor is trained in a similar fashion and often will share classes in Universities which offer both programs.
When someone is looking to engage in therapy, finding the best personality and therapeutic approach is more important than the actual license the counselor holds. As the differences between a licensed mental health counselor and licensed marriage and family therapist are so small, the key difference is not in the education, but rather the approach the counselor will take.
As the adage states, a surgeon recommends surgery, a licensed marital and family therapist may take the approach to assisting a client from a family perspective. This is not always the case, but it may color their view of the situation.
A licensed mental health counselor can fall into the same trap, taking an individual approach when a family or marital approach may have been more suitable.
When choosing a Chicago therapist the client must take into consideration the differences in license, but more important they should take into consideration the differences in the Chicago counselor themselves.
With either choice, the difference is minimal. The quality and dedication of the counselor to appropriately find the root cause and assist in creative and powerful interventions is the most important difference between a good and a great counselor.
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