Our Credentials

Credentials

Qualifications of Our Professionals at Lexington Counseling and Psychiatry

Most of our professionals have supervised or developed programs and have advanced from private or public agencies here in Central Kentucky. These are the best providers we can find, and our office pays them well. We guarantee these are the best clinicians you will find and will want to recommend them to your families and friends.


Our office utilizes four main types of professionals currently. Please read below for the details on each one.


Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor or LPCC


A Licensed Professional Counselor (LPCC) is a mental health professional who has completed at least a minimum of 60 graduate hours of coursework directly related to counseling and that is licensed to practice independently of supervision. An LPCC obtains extensive training in assessment, diagnosing, counseling and psychotherapy with individuals and families and must gain 4000 hours of clinical experience under the guidance and supervision of a licensed counselor prior to licensure. A Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor in Kentucky can practice counseling, therapy in many forms with experience, can diagnose and treat mental health issues, and provide supervision for other counselors with an "S" supervisor designation and the correct training.


Licensed Clinical Social Worker or LCSW


A simple definition of a licensed clinical social worker is a social worker trained in psychotherapy who helps individuals deal with a variety of mental health and daily living problems to improve overall functioning. A prerequisite for obtaining licensure is a Master’s Degree in Social Work or MSW. Education is not the only requirement. While the number may vary from state to state, the LCSW ordinarily must work close to three thousand hours under the guidance and supervision of a professional.

Why so much advanced and specialized training?

Our Licensed Professional Clinical Counselors, Licensed Clinical Social Workers, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists, Licensed Practicing Psychologist, and our Advanced Practice Registered Nurse are skilled in helping with a variety of issues. They must be skilled at screening, assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of mental health problems. Our DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders) is almost 1000 pages in length. It takes education, training, experience, and that desire to help to truly understand using patience and a client centered approach to become an expert in your case. All of our professionals must attend yearly training to keep their credentials active. Our practice suggests twice the state standard for our clinicians. Our psychiatric APRN and our therapists treat a wide variety of problems and issues. This requires ongoing skill and professional development. We learn about new mental health issues being discovered and researched regularly.
Licensed Psychological Pracitioner (Master's Level Psychological Practitioner)

A Licensed Psychological Practitioner (LPP) is a mental health professional who has completed at least a minimum of 60 graduate hours of coursework directly related to psychology and that is licensed to practice independently of supervision. An LPP obtains extensive training in psychotherapy with individuals and families and must complete five years (over 10,000 hours) of clinical experience under the guidance and supervision of a psychologist. An LPP is the only master's level mental health worker that is able to provide psychological assessment services as well as providing therapy.
Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner

A Psychiatric or Mental Health Nurse Practitioner is an Advanced Practiced Registered Nurse or APRN that is qualified by, in our case, a four year BS nursing degree, an RN license in the state of Kentucky, a MS graduate degree in psychiatric nursing, and ongoing collaboration with a psychiatrist. She is licensed to assess, diagnose and treat mental health problems, provide medication, and see patients for medication management needs. In most cases, a psychiatric nurse practitioner acts and works like a psychiatrist in Kentucky, but does not hold an MD or DO degree.
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