Connecticut Counseling Association

These providers are the only ones who can prescribe medication, and most choose to concentrate on either medication consultations, or psychotherapy, but some will do both. If your emotional problems are related to serious physical ailments or pronounced symptoms, such as blackouts, dizziness, memory lapses, headaches, or seizures, a psychiatrist is the right choice. Psychiatric residents at local hospitals can also treat you, at a much reduced cost.

Clinical Psychologists: These therapists have a PhD (doctorate degree) by completing four years of graduate school and a one-year internship in a psychotherapy clinic. If they are in private practice, they have gone through two more years of supervised clinical experience and passed an exam to become certified. They often have more training in psychotherapy than psychiatrists do. Sessions are usually up to $120. Most psychologists have a certain specialty, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy.

Licensed Professional Counselors: LPC’s have a master’s degree in counseling and have also passed a national certification exam in order to become licensed. They have completed over 700 hours in a clinical internship and then another 3000 hours of clinical post-graduate work, accompanied by 100 hours of supervision. Many LPC’s embrace a wide variety of approaches and tend to be among the most economical of all the providers, charging up to $90-$150 per session.

Licensed Clinical Social Workers: LCSW’s  have a master’s degree or PhD and three years or 3,500 hours of supervised clinical experience, and have passed a national certification exam. You can expect to pay about the same as you would with Licensed Professional Counselor.

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists: LMFTs are specialists in treating relationship issues that are common between spouses and family members. They examine the multiple roles and ties that exist in complex families. They have a masters degree or PhD and have a similar amount of training as LPCs and LCSWs.

Pastoral Counselors: These therapists can help you work on more spiritual issues, and many of them work in hospice settings. They may or may not have a masters degree, but do have special training and are usually certified.