Is there a Difference Between an MFT and an LCSW?
Both Marriage and Family Therapists (MFT) and Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSW) are empowered by the state in which they practice to conduct private therapy. An MFT and an LCSW also must complete 3200 hours of supervised work. An MFT can accrue the hours towards licensure while in school, however, for an LCSW these hours must be completed after graduation. Additionally, both an MFT and an LCSW have a master’s degree. However, there are some essential differences between the MFT and LCSW classification. First, an MFT, also sometimes called a Marriage, Child and Family Counselor (MFCC), has received a master’s degree in psychology or counseling, with emphasis on private counseling. An LCSW receives a master’s degree in social work, called an MSW. The way in which hours of practice prior to taking examinations are decided also varies. An MFT candidate must perform 3000 practice hours split among several different types of experience. For example, some hours must be phone counseling,
Yes. In California, these are two different licenses for practitioners of psychotherapy. The MFT stands for “Marriage and Family Therapist”, and this is a change in its original name from a few years ago, which was the old “MFCC”, or “Marriage, Family, and Child Counselor.” The LCSW stands for “Licensed Clinical Social Worker”. Both licenses are issued by the Board of Behavioral Sciences, a division of the California Department of Consumer Affairs. The Board exists to protect the public from unscrupulous practice of its licensees, and to issue and regulate the licensing process. A person gets an MA or MS in Psychology to go on for licensure as an MFT; a person gets an MSW (Master of Social Work) to go on for licensure as an LCSW. Primarily, MFTs are often educated at small, for-profit professional trade schools, while the MSW is only offered at larger academic institutions or universities (such as USC, UCLA, Cal State LA, and Cal State Long Beach, among others). There are some differen
