Published on 9/6/14 in the Casper Star-Tribune Letters to the Editor:

 

Regarding “How to Choose a Therapist” (Sept./Oct. 2014 Living Well Wyoming), the author omitted a huge number of qualified mental health professionals by stating “there are two types of psychotherapists:  psychiatrist and psychologists.”

 

The Wyoming Mental Health Professions Licensing Board licenses or certifies more than 2,000 professionals (http://plboards.state.wy.us/mentalhealth/).  Licensed professional counselors (LPC), Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSW), Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFT), and Licensed Addictions Therapists (LAT) are all required to have earned at least a Master’s degree in their discipline, pass a national exam, and complete 3,000 hours of supervised clinical training.

 

These professionals work in mental health centers, private practice, schools, colleges, VA clinics, and hospitals.  We collaborate with other mental health disciplines, including psychologists and psychiatrists (who are medical doctors), to provide services throughout the state of Wyoming.

 

Janet de Vries, LPC #433

Casper