This question comes up a lot with new clients as they navigate through the mental health field looking for the right professional. It’s a daunting task to call someone up and be both vulnerable and courageous at the same time in seeking help. Whether by referral or Google, it’s hard to know what to look for. The profession has counsellors with different degrees and often the right fit for any particular client can be found in what approach they are looking for as well as what their extended health insurance benefits might cover. Here’s the breakdown.
Training: I compared two local provincial masters degree programs – the MSW program at UBC (the most popular in our province) and the Master of Counselling program at UVic. The degree requirements and course descriptions are quite different, but both enable you to be a counsellor in the province. Both programs require a Bachelors degree for entry and both take approximately two years to complete. On a very general level, the main differences are in content and scope. The MSW program focuses a great deal on social issues – hence the term social worker. The course content covers a wide range of issues facing different and diverse members of society from a social perspective. You can see why it’s an easy fit for someone wanting to work in government, social justice agencies, and hospital settings.
The Master of Counselling program clearly focuses more on the psychology of individual issues and while social issues and diversity provide context, it appears less connected to a social structure and more about the lifespan and experiences of the individual. These programs often require a higher number of supervised practicum hours, though not always. Individual assessment, psychopathology and pharmacology are all important inclusions for this program. This focus is why I chose an MC over another degree myself. I wanted to specialize in psychotherapy for the individual independent of, though not adverse to other tie ins.
Beyond master’s level requirements, there are psychologists which have their PhD and PstD, another three years as options for counsellors. I don’t include psychiatrists as part of the counselling profession as such because they are MDs that specialize in assessment and treatment, primarily from a pharmaceutical perspective of patients.
Insurance Coverage: As a potential client, here’s what will be relevant for you to know. Most insurance plans, if you have one, will cover a Psychologist. The downside of that is that most of those charge $150-175 an hour and most plans have a $500 limit per year, while some cover less than 50% of that fee. The perception is that you have coverage, but the increased rates and limits often see you paying as much out of pocket or stopping prematurely.
Many insurance plans also cover an MSW and the insurance providers have opted in to do so. Insurance is looking for cost/benefit scenarios. An MSW that is connected into other systems can provide services but also connect you back into government services that might reduce their cost output. A growing number of plans are covering Registered Clinical Counsellors as well but this is not the majority by any stretch. And that’s unfortunate. We are highly trained, often specialized professionals that can provide evidence based, effective counselling and psychotherapy to people with positive outcomes and results. Unfortunately, many clients are not able to access their therapist of choice because of insurance coverage gaps. As a client it’s important to know what your insurance covers in advance as some don’t cover any outside of their EAP provisions.
Fees: What about fees? Industry standard for master’s level professionals – a 50 minute session is often between $110-130. PhD and above is $150-180 per hour for private practice professionals. What you’re looking for is a fit – a personality fit, a fit with their approach or chosen modality or theoretical base more than the time or the price. This is not an area you want to bargain shop – you want the best fit for your life and your brain that will get you the results and the healing you are looking for. And if you start with someone and they aren’t the right fit, don’t tough it out – you have the right to look for someone else and none of us in the field take it personally – there is no one size fits all here.
Continuing Education: Another item I find really important to mention. Post-grad training. I attended an excellent university for my masters degree. I received a solid foundation from which to build on and my professors were refreshingly honest with us in reminding us that this was a foundation and that we were each responsible post-grad to pursue more training overall but also more training in areas of interest that we wished to specialize in because the masters was just not enough to do clients justice. I encourage you to look into your potential counsellor’s post graduate training. What other certificates do they have and in what area do they specialize? Do their post graduate training and certifications conflict with each other, with their practice philosophy, with your anticipated outcome? Also look for someone that is registered with a professional association as those require background checks, certain credentials and ethical guidelines.
My personal preference lies in psychologists and clinical counsellors with specialized post graduate training for individual psychotherapy. I chose this route for a reason after much personal research of my own. I take my continuing education very seriously and all that I do is based on current and sound research supported by holistic practices that align with my practice philosophy. Even though there are some plans that will not cover my services…yet…I’m still a believer in the route I chose and the training I continue. For my clients that have had successes beyond what they thought possible and beyond what they experienced with other therapists, I feel validated in this choice. If I am not covered and my client feels I am the right fit, the sessions become an investment in their longterm overall health and wellbeing that exists for a time with a lifetime of benefits.
This route was my choice based on what I believe best serves clients in the areas that I can best help them. Others have chosen differently both professionals and clients alike and all are valid if we’re all working towards the same goals of health. I know excellent professionals with all of the above degrees. This might help you sort out what you need both personally and financially as you choose your mental health provider. Best of all – there is so much diversity in approach and training in this field, you really do get to choose who is best for you!
