The Difference between Psychology and Psychotherapy Course Training USA and UK; Learning psychology, psychotherapy and counseling techniques varies quite considerably between the two.
In the UK, Psychotherapy is a distinctive profession where by psychotherapists undertake training that is thorough, complete, and independent of medical qualifications or psychology qualifications.
Psychologists in the UK are quite separate from Psychotherapists although some do counseling or psychotherapy training and counselors and psychotherapists are not the same, although there is an overlap.
I believe in the US this situation is quite different;
Most Psychologists in the US have completed a master’s degree, a master’s level internship, a doctoral degree, and a year long doctoral level internship.
Psychotherapists on the other hand hold a masters degree, they are licensed and pass an exam validated by “NCE” (Networks of Centers of Excellence)
Psychologists, counselors and psychotherapists are required to submit proof of continuing education following licensure. The number of hours and specific requirements vary by jurisdiction depending on the state in which you were licensed and practice.
Source: Psychotherapy London
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Ms. Cooper’s article seems pointless. In addition she does not understand licensure and credentialing in the United States. The information that I am sharing is for mental health counselors. Social workers, marriage and family therapists, and psychologists have different standards depending on their profession and state of residence. First of all each state has different standards for licensure for mental health counselors, clinical social workers, and psychologists. The NCE does not stand for Networks of Centers of Excellence. NCE stands for National Counselors Exam. The NCE is used for credentialing of mental health counselors, Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC). In some states the NCE is also used as a licensure exam. The National Mental Health Counselors Exam (NCMHCE) is the primary exam used in the US for licensure of mental health counselors in most states. Both exams are given by the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC). I have completed my post-masters clinical hours (1500) and passed the NCMHCE as required in the State of Florida. Independent of the minimum requirements to become a mental health counselor I have also trained for three years in a specific school of psychotherapy. Mental health counselors, clinical social workers, psychologists and psychiatrists can all provide psychotherapy to our patients and yes, call ourselves psychotherapists. I can assure Ms. Cooper that I have completed “training that is thorough, complete, and independent of medical qualifications or psychology qualifications.” Ms. Cooper does not have a complete understanding of credentialing, licensure and training in the United States. She also seems to paint with a broad brush. I am sure there are many US psychotherapists (myself included) who would resent Ms. Coopers description/characterization of how psychotherapists are trained in the United States.
Hi Michael,
Thank you for reading our post and for taking the time to leave a valuable and informative comment.
Firstly let me say that I trained as a counselor in Manchester UK and have obviously limited understanding of the training in the us. My intention was not to offend anyone but to evoke some responsive interaction which thank you to your good self we received just that.
The information was taken from Psychotherapy London.
Let me also thank you Michael for offering us some clarification on this matter in hand.
Regards
Linda Cooper
Do you know about transferabilty of psychotherapy/counselling qualifications from the UK to the US? How about a diploma in psychotherapeutic counselling or an MA in Psychotherapy for instance?
Many thanks in anticipation
Simon
Hi Simon,
Firstly let me thank you for submitting a valuable comment.
Secondly I am not sure about transferring qualifications from UK to the US.
Let me suggest that another one of our sites “Therapist Coaching Club”
http://therapistscoachingclub.ning.com/
This is a networking site for therapists. It may be worth while joining in and asking our members this valid question.
I would be guessing if I said that a Masters should be globally recognized.
Please let us know about this as I’m sure our other readers would be grateful of this information.
Take care
Regards
Gary