correct way to handle things

[smalltownpsych]

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[futureapppsy2]

Everyone: Be civil and professional, please.

 

[Goobernut]

What does it say in your field of social work? Also, the title of dr. isnt so much the issue as is the term doctoral level therapist when the person is licensed as a masters level therapist.

wow, the phone app did not show me half this conversation when I started to reply to this. I missed a lot of this conversation. Wow.

I know it's not exactly (to Dr. or not to Dr.) what she's calling herself, it's how she's representing herself. Ideally we don't want someone to misrepresent their level of licensure. Honestly, from what I read here, I feel like she is. However, I am not an LMFT, nor am I versed in their code of ethics enough to know if what she is doing is technically honest or dishonest per her code. Codes of ethics are written by those in a field, using their own jargon and vocabulary to address the climate of their own field. I was just advocating to keep this in mind while interpreting another profession's code of ethics. I'm not gonna lie, if I were a PhD and someone was going around parading as me I'd be frustrated and angry too.

For those of you advocating to "go to her board" what do you think that board will do? How would a professional board handle this? My guess is that they would 1) educate her on state statutes 2) require her remove references to PhD level therapist (or psychologist etc) 3) require her to participate in trainings. Which, imo, is the best way to handle it on the first go around.

Smalltown, I was going to put the SW code of ethics in my post, but was tired and decided to go to bed first haha. I knew someone would ask it though. These are the relevant sections:

1.04 Competence
(a) Social workers should provide services and represent themselves as competent only within the boundaries of their education, training, license, certification, consultation received, supervised experience, or other relevant professional experience.

(b) Social workers should provide services in substantive areas or use intervention techniques or approaches that are new to them only after engaging in appropriate study, training, consultation, and supervision from people who are competent in those interventions or techniques.

(c) When generally recognized standards do not exist with respect to an emerging area of practice, social workers should exercise careful judgment and take responsible steps (including appropriate education, research, training, consultation, and supervision) to ensure the competence of their work and to protect clients from harm.

AND
4.06 Misrepresentation

(c) Social workers should ensure that their representations to clients, agencies, and the public of professional qualifications, credentials, education, competence, affiliations, services provided, or results to be achieved are accurate. Social workers should claim only those relevant professional credentials they actually possess and take steps to correct any inaccuracies or misrepresentations of their credentials by others.

Also, we are taught over and over again that there is no social work clinical license over the LCSW. You get a master's degree for that, and the PhD is ONLY for academic purposes. I realize LMFT's and LPC's most likely work the same, but it was just kinda drilled into our head that getting a SW PhD did not augment your clinical skills in anyway. The SW PhD is not set up to teach additional clinical skills that is, unless you go for a DSW, and that STILL does not grant you a higher practice license. Social work is pretty uh, serious about being their own profession. We were just taught in multiple venues that were were not psychologists etc... Social Work is pretty proud of being their own profession.

 

[LPPSYD]

My supervisor used to ask me "whose need is being met" when she felt like I used an intervention or approach that satisfied my need rather than the client's. Plenty of PhD psychologists on this thread seem to have no problem with the ethics of this, and your concern seems more about you than the supposed ethical violation that seems to have no harmful effect towards clients

I've heard this question posed many times in supervision settings and it's usually been in the context of ethical situations like this one. It's strange how you twisted the actual relevance of this advice, since it should be asked of the therapist in question.

Also, your use of Asperger's as an insult is gross.

 

[randomguy87]

I've heard this question posed many times in supervision settings and it's usually been in the context of ethical situations like this one. It's strange how you twisted the actual relevance of this advice, since it should be asked of the therapist in question.

Also, your use of Asperger's as an insult is gross.

Grossly accurate. I wish we could start a forum for all the OCPD/ASD people that do nothing but nitpick life until it's devoid of all meaning, and then try to report people who write "PhD level therapist" instead of "therapist with PhD"

 

[Goobernut]

Grossly accurate. I wish we could start a forum for all the OCPD/ASD people that do nothing but nitpick life until it's devoid of all meaning, and then try to report people who write "PhD level therapist" instead of "therapist with PhD"

This whole post is really terrible from a mental health perspective. 1) Please don't use mental health diagnosis as an insult, and then insinuate that those people should be separated out to spare the rest of the population. 2) those two phrases actually imply different things, so you using them to prove your point is, well, not proving your point.

 

[Pragma]

Grossly accurate. I wish we could start a forum for all the OCPD/ASD people that do nothing but nitpick life until it's devoid of all meaning, and then try to report people who write "PhD level therapist" instead of "therapist with PhD"

Man you've really got a distorted view of people with Aspergers.

We present our credentials accurately and ensure our patients understand both the competencies and limits of what we can do. If your idea of nitpicking is differentiating between a 2-3 year degree and a 5-6 year degree (both with post-degree hours needed for license), and both leading to different vocations, then yeah, I'm nitpicking. You also clearly have no clue what you are talking about when it comes to psychopathology, which only hurts your argument.

 

[randomguy87]

I didn't say they were synonymous, but neither are narcissists/dependent or a million other pairings you find together like pigeons and statues. And in this context you usually find them ganging up on some straw man and pretending they're calling themselves psychologists or implying they have 6 year doctorates leading to licensure

 

[Pragma]

As a point of clarification, I think anyone that has earned a doctorate has a right to their title. I just believe that the context matters- it doesn't matter to me if it is counseling or computer science. If you are marketing a service you are licensed to provide, be clear about your credentials. Recently reading the ACA and AAMFT ethics codes makes me abit bewildered, because they are not clear about that. And their lack of clarity does not benefit clients.

 

[bmedclinic]

So, hi. I just came back. I assumed this thread had died and gone to oblivion. Then, I see it turned into a pre-psychology pissing match. Well, have fun with that.

 

[CogNeuroGuy]

Ok folks...I think we have all put out our opinions out there, it it becoming futile to debate this topic any longer. Advice has been given on all sides of the argument, in terms of any clear or blatant misrepresentation of the OP's friend, this is not the case, so due to that, everything else is speculative and opinion.

 

[Shooter]

as an update, I messaged her, she messaged back and agreed. Stated she'd take off the phd level therapist part and that it just made things more confusing.

this was the biggest made up story here... bigger than @MCParent 's internship crisis.

 

[Pragma]

 

[PsychMajorUndergrad18]

Mr. Shooter,

While everyone is allowed to discuss topics and debate, your posts seem to not only target other members but also disrespect these people. Instead of targeting and/or accusing someone of lying or making up something, try challenging and/or debating the validity of a point like we all learn to do in college. SDN is not to be used to belittle, accuse or disrespect other members opinions and/or questions. As a student and someone who has come here for advice, I really can't fathom how you could try to cause trouble by disrespecting members who are seeking answers and/or opinions. Please think before typing and sending messages here.

 

[deleted760483]

The person in the original post is not a doctoral level therapist. They are a master's level therapist with a doctorate. Having a doctorate degree does not instantly mean anything you do is doctoral level. I have a doctorate degree in clinical psychology. If I decide to open my own restaurant I am not a doctoral level chef just because I hold a doctorate.