Education and Licenses
In order to be licensed, a counselor must usually have at least a Master's degree (M.A.). However many counselors work without a license, and some without even an M.A. This does not mean that they are not good counselors, it just means that they do not have a formal education in counseling or that they are not regulated by a licensing board.

Licensing boards are put in place by states to protect clients. So if you decide to see a counselor without a degree or license, be careful. Counselors with a Doctorate degree (Ph.D.) have more extensive training than counselors with an M.A. The main drawback of seeing a doctor is that the cost is usually significantly more. The type and level of education and licensure a counselor has is usually indicated by the initials after his or her name, such as M.A., M.D., Psy.D. and L.C.S.W. Sometimes counselors will list their educational degree as well as their license.

Although such qualifications aren't a guarantee of quality, finding out a person's education and license type can help you when choosing a counselor.

In addition to the various types of education that a counselor may have, there are also many types of therapies.

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Glossary of Initials and Acronyms
M.D. stands for Medical Doctor. M.D.s who have specialized in mental health are usually called psychiatrists. They are licensed in cooperation with the American Medical Association. A psychiatrist is probably the best option for someone who believes there is something medically wrong. One of the drawbacks to seeing psychiatrists is that they are usually very expensive to see. For this reason, psychiatrists sometimes see patients only for medicine and refer them to other types of counselors for therapy.

M.H.N.P. stands for Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. M.H.N.P.s have a Master's degree in nursing. As the title indicates, this is a nursing degree specific to mental health. M.D.s and M.H.N.P.s are the only types of counseling professionals that can prescribe medicine.

Psy.D. or Ph.D. stands for Doctor of Psychology or Doctor of Philosophy. Psy.D.s and Ph.D.s can be licensed in cooperation with the American Psychological Association as a psychologist. Only clinicians with a Doctorate degree can be licensed as psychologists. Along with extensive training in psychotherapy, psychologists are also specially trained in psychological testing.

M.S.W. stands for Master of Social Work. M.S.W.s can be licensed in cooperation with the National Association of Social Workers as an L.C.S.W. (Licensed Clinical Social Worker). They can also be certified by the Academy of Certified Social Workers, or A.C.S.W. Along with training in psychotherapy these counselors are especially trained to help people work with their environments (both people and agencies) to live more healthy lives.

M.A. or M.S. stands for Master of Arts or Master of Science. An M.A. or M.S. can be licensed in cooperation with the American Counseling Association as a Licensed Professional Counselor (L.P.C.). Some of these people specialize in marriage and family counseling and are licensed as Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists (L.M.F.T.). They can also be certified by the National Board of Certified Counselors as a National Certified Counselor (N.C.C.).

M.Ed. stands for Master of Education. An M.Ed. can also be licensed as an L.C.P. or L.M.F.T. and/or certified as an N.C.C.