Mental Health Counselor vs Therapist

Another primary objective of theirs is to facilitate changes in a patient's attitude and behavior. Mental health counselors often focus on the life challenges of their patients. They tend to work with patients on a short-term basis.

A therapist is a specially trained mental health professional who is educated in psychotherapy techniques and treats mental health conditions such as major depressive disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder. Therapists generally focus on diagnosing and treating mental disorders and conditions. They tend to work with patients on a long-term basis.

Here are the key differences between a mental health counselor and a therapist:

• Mental health counselors tend to offer short-term care, while therapists tend to offer long-term care.

• Therapists are often more past focused on their patients, while counselors are more future-focused

• Mental health counselors tend to have a set number of sessions with their patients, and therapists often work with their patients on an ongoing basis

• Therapists are more likely to treat mental health conditions than mental health counselors

• Mental health counselors are more likely to support life challenges such as relationship difficulties, job changes, or other life-shifting events

• Therapists tend to do more in-depth mental health work and are qualified to treat various mental conditions and disorders