Types of Mental Health Professionals
So you’ve decided to see a mental health professional– that’s a big step and it’s wonderful that you want to see whether therapy can be helpful! You dig into finding someone to see… and you’re absolutely confused and bogged down by all the terms, you don’t know what’s different about each title (social worker, psychotherapist, psychologist, psychiatrist), and this search becomes a more difficult process than what you were prepared for.
Finding the right therapist who connects with you and who you feel like you can trust can be difficult. You don’t need confusing jargon to make the process even more complicated. So in this blog post, I’m breaking down 4 types of licensed mental health professionals in Ontario, Canada.
Some professions have different titles between each province/territory (ex. RP and C.Psych. Are the Ontario versions of those professional titles). We’re not going to get into the ins-and-outs of each province, and we’re going to simplify by just looking at Ontario and the specific regulatory colleges that play a role if you’re seeking mental health care in Ontario.
I just want to quickly say that people are also complicated! They’ll have different degrees and licences based on where they did their education or previous experiences. Obviously I can’t take those complexities into account. This post is meant to be a general starting point to help you understand what all those letters behind a person’s name, all mean. If you want more information on one specific professional you may want to see, reach out to them!
Last thing to mention (I know, this intro’s getting long!) is that I’m in training to become a psychotherapist, and so I don’t have personal experience with the other professional pathways. I’ve tried to pull in information from people in my life who are social workers or psychiatrists, but I’m sure it can’t fully capture the nuance of lived experience. So if you have a different experience than what is represented in the post, I would love to hear your perspective! Leave your comment below so everyone can understand a different perspective!
Regulated professions
In Ontario, there are specific regulated professions that are allowed to provide psychotherapy. (If you’re not sure what a regulated professional is, don’t worry, I explain more about them here!)
They are:
Social workers (regulated by: Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers)
Psychotherapists (regulated by: College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario)
Psychologists (regulated by: College of Psychologists of Ontario)
Psychiatrists (regulated by: College of Physicians and Surgeons on Ontario)
Nurses
Occupational therapists
Nurses and occupational therapists are permitted to provide psychotherapy, but usually in a specific context. We won’t focus on them in this article, because you’re unlikely to be coming across them as you’re searching specifically for a therapist.
Also a quick note: life coaches are not a regulated profession! So although people can be certified as life coaches, they aren’t regulated by any body in Ontario and so there are no standards and regulations to their practices either.
Major differences
Between Social Workers, Psychotherapists, Psychologists, and Psychiatrists
Quick & easy summary of mental health professionals in Ontario
This is super simplified and generalized! Read the rest of the article for more details. And again, keep in mind that people have complicated lives, and it’s common for people to have different trajectories or degrees. What’s important is their title & licence, and what they’re permitted to do in their practice.
Social Workers
Designation: RSW (Registered Social Worker)
Degree: Bachelor or Master of Social Work
Psychotherapy training is not a mandatory part of their education, so social workers who provide psychotherapy obtain extra training to be able to perform psychotherapy. When seeing a social worker, they may have a particular emphasis on connecting you with the community and the supports and services available there. Social workers are unique to other professions on this list in that their training primarily focuses on the social context of Canada and Ontario, and emphasizes the wider biopsychosocial influences on the individual. Click here to learn more about social workers and about their licensing body.
Psychotherapists
Designation: RP (Registered Psychotherapist)
Degree: MA or MEd
Psychotherapists complete a Master’s degree focusing on the theories and applications of various psychotherapy modalities (ex. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Emotion-Focused Therapy, Psychodynamic Theory, etc.) Psychotherapists are unique in that their entire training is focused on the skills and techniques necessary to providing psychotherapy. As part of their training, they are required to perform 500 hours of psychotherapy with clients and 100 hours of clinical supervision. Click here to learn more about psychotherapists and their licencing body.
Psychologists
Designation: C.Psych. (Certified Psychologist)
Degree: PhD, EdD, PsyD
Some provinces allow people with master’s degrees in psychology to use the ‘Psychologist’ title
Psychologists complete a doctoral degree focusing on research and evaluating the evidence behind treatments. Psychologists are unique in that they are able to give you a formal diagnosis which may be important to getting the right treatment and for insurance coverage. They receive training in psychotherapy and performing testing and assessments and are required to complete 1500 hours of supervised clinical practice. Click here to learn more about psychologists and their licencing body.
Psychiatrists
Designation: FRCPC (Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Canada)
Degree: MD
Psychiatrists are medical doctors who have completed medical school and a psychiatry residency, during which they receive training in psychotherapy and in assessments. They receive an MD following completion of medical school, and they would receive their FRCPC after successful completion of their psychiatry residency.
Psychiatrists are a bit unique on this list. As they are doctors, they are the only people on this list who can prescribe medications (your family doctor may also be able to prescribe those medications). OHIP coverage also extends to psychiatrists visits, since OHIP covers doctor’s visits that are medically necessary. Given the unique aspects of psychiatrists, they also typically have longer wait times than someone you would see in private practice. Click here to learn more about psychiatrists and their regulatory body.
What does it mean to be a regulated professional?
And why should I see a regulated professional over a non-regulated professional?
So in this article I talk a lot about the regulatory bodies for each of the 4 professions– social workers, psychotherapists, psychologists, and psychiatrists. If you’re new to thinking about regulatory colleges, it’s understandable why you might be confused about why this is important.
A regulated profession means that people with that title have attained a certain level of education and training, and passed the necessary examinations.
Regulating these professions is a way to protect the public and ensure that only people who have the competencies, skills, and training are permitted to perform psychotherapy safely. This is a space where you may be opening up about deep vulnerabilities or traumas, and we need to make sure the person you’re seeing has the skills to do it safely.
These regulatory bodies also provide oversight to make sure that each psychotherapist is doing things ethically and also keeping up with professional development to stay up to date as information evolves. The college is where you would go if you have complaints to make about a practitioner, and so they protect the public in that way as well. If a professional is registered with the college, they will be in the college’s directory and there you could see if there are any limits placed on their registration, etc.
What are pre-licenced professionals?
And if you’ve seen the term: Pre-licenced professionals, they are people who are working towards getting their designations. Oftentimes this means they are in the process of completing the required number of hours to get licenced by their regulatory college.
And fear not, they are not practicing just by themselves– during this process, these pre-licensed professionals will have supervisors who are fully registered with the college, who will be helping them with their cases. The supervisor will review and make sure that the trainee is providing care that is consistent and in compliance with the standards of that licence.
Ultimately, finding the right therapist for you is so important, and I definitely don’t think that looking at their licenses is the most important factor in choosing who to go see. On your search for a therapist, I would note down anywhere between 3-5 therapists who I would be interested in, and I would leave them each a voicemail or email saying that I’m interested in therapy with them, and leave them your contact information. I think it’s always surprising how much a phone conversation can tell you about whether you vibe with someone (or not!)
I’ve seen people of all different educational backgrounds give great therapy to their clients, so although understanding a therapist’s licence and certification is important, it’s definitely not the most important thing to consider. I am going to write a whole series on finding the right therapist (questions to ask, what it should feel like, etc.), so if you’re wondering that question right now, I will answer all that soon! If you have any questions you want me to make sure I address, please email me! You can find my contact information here.
I hope this post helped break down some of the confusing acronyms and licences, and that you now have a better idea of who’s who, and what’s what. I purposefully kept some nuance out of this post, so that it would be more easily digestible, so if you have any questions, please leave them below and I can always add to this post or create a future post answering those questions!
