Interested in becoming a Medical Professional for Autism?

Various types of medical professionals can diagnose a patient with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), however, not all diagnoses are equal. Some insurance companies or state disability services may only acknowledge a diagnosis from an MD.

A licensed mental health professional (LPC, LCSW, LMFT) can diagnose anything in the DSM but they may only have a Master’s Degree, not a Doctorate’s. Doctoral level of therapists include psychologists, neuropsychologists, and neurologists. For children, you may get one from a child psychiatrist, pediatric neurologist, or developmental pediatrician.

Teachers, therapists, and (non-licensed/associate) counselors can recommend screenings and provide referrals, but they cannot officially diagnose.

An MD means you achieved a Doctoral level of education in medicine. An MD falls under the clinical category of health profession doctorates.

LPC stands for Licensed Professional Counselor and can cover a broad range of therapies and specialties. As an LPC, you can help autistic people treat anxiety, depression, trauma, and addiction or help them develop healthy coping methods for stress, recovery, grief, shame, etc.

LCSW stands for Licensed Clinical Social Worker. This work may include similarities to an LPC, but are more likely to have more expertise in working with the court/legal system, medical industry, and schools. As an LCSW, you may have more insight in guiding your autistic patients through the medical system, applying for disability assistance with the government, or accessing reasonable accommodations in the school or their workplace.

LMFT stands for Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. As an LMFT, you could work with family units to help them communicate more effectively with each other and connect better. Your patients may include individuals, couples, polycules, children, or a mix of family members!

A Psy.D. means you achieved a Doctoral level of education in psychology. A PsyD falls under the clinical category of health profession doctorates. The minimum requirement for a licensed therapist is a Master’s degree so this is a level of education beyond that. A therapist with a PsyD tends to be more clinical, seeing and treating clients, and specialized with specific mental health conditions than general therapy.

A Ph.D. means you achieved a Doctoral level of education in philosophy. A Ph.D falls under the research category of health profession doctorates. A therapist with a Ph.D. tends to be more research-based, perhaps teaching as a professor, performing studies, and exploring new scientific knowledge and techniques.

An MSW means you achieved a Master’s level of education in social work and is a common degree held by licensed medical clinicians with a focus on social work like an LCSW.

CLC can stand for Certified Life Coach or Certified Lactation Counselor depending on context, but we’re going to focus on the Certified Life Coach. A life coach is a wellness professional that supports clients working toward their goals in any area of life, such as personal, career, financial, family, etc. A CLC that focuses on autistic patients may help them practice self-advocacy for career advancement (like how to ask for a raise or promotion), balancing their budget, or problem solving within the family.

Life coaching is currently an unregulated industry so there are no licenses available for this profession. Certifications themselves may be vague and people seeking this profession may be vulnerable to scammers posing as fake institutions, so it’s important to research the source of the certification to ensure it is credible.

MHC stands for Mental Health Counselor. You may also see it written as LMHC or CMHC/C-MHC where the L stands for licensed and the C stands for certified.

YMHS stands for Youth Mental Health Specialist. You may also see it written as CYMHS or C-YMHS where the C stands for certified.

Also known as a Peer Specialist, a Peer Support Specialist is someone who is disabled or has a mental health condition that provides encouragement, information, mentorship, guidance, and support for others experiencing the same or similar disabilities or conditions.

Peer support is currently an unregulated industry so there are no licenses available for this profession. It is possible in some states to earn a certification in peer support, however, certifications themselves may be vague and people seeking this profession may be vulnerable to scammers posing as fake institutions, so it’s important to research the source of the certification to ensure it is credible.

In Pennsylvania, you can become a Certified Peer Support Specialist by earning the Pennsylvania Certified Peer Specialist credential offered by the Pennsylvania Certification Board (PCB). Learn more.

A licensed medical professional meets standards/requirements set by the state (a government entity), meaning their quality is recognized (at least) throughout the state. A license is a requirement to practice in the state that issued it. Associates and interns that don’t hold a license themselves (and working toward getting one) may practice under the license of a supervising professional.

A certified medical professional meets standards/requirements set by an organization, educational institution, or medical company, meaning their quality is recognized by whoever accepts it. A certification is a voluntary professional credential that is not required to practice. A certified medical professional without a license cannot provide an official diagnosis, however some certifications require the professional to be licensed as a prerequisite.

Medical professionals may be both licensed and certified. They may also seek out multiple certifications. They may also be licensed in multiple states depending on where they’re practicing.

NCC stands for National Certified Counselor. An NCC is a medical professional that went on to fulfill the educational and training requirements set by the National Board for Certified Counselors, Inc. (NBCC) and passed the National Counselor Examination (NCE). It is an voluntary professional credential and must be maintained with continuing education credits.

CCMHC stands for Certified Clinical Mental Health Counselor, meaning an Mental Health Counselor (MHC) that has earned their National Certified Counselor (NCC) credential and passed the National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination (NCMHCE).

A licensed therapist is required to complete a Bachelor’s Degree and a Master’s Degree. After that, you need to complete a supervised clinical work and the number of required hours varies by state. In Pennsylvania, the minimum is two (2) years.

The following coursework is required as per Section 49.2 of the regulations (the regulations may be located on the Board’s website at www.dos.state.pa.us/social):

(1) Human growth and development studies that provide an understanding of the nature and needs of individuals at all developmental stages.

(2) Social and cultural foundations studies that provide an understanding of issues and trends in a multicultural and diverse society.

(3) Helping relationships studies that provide an understanding of counseling and consultation processes.

(4) Group Work studies that provide an understanding of group development, dynamics, counseling theories, group counseling methods and skills and other group approaches.

(5) Career and lifestyle development studies that provide an understanding of career development and related life factors.

(6) Appraisal studies that provide an understanding of individual and group approaches to assessment and evaluation.

(7) Research and program evaluation studies that provide an understanding of types of research methods, basic statistics, and ethical and legal considerations in research.

(8) Professional orientation studies that provide an understanding of all aspects of professional functioning, including history, roles, organizational structures, ethics, standards and credentialing.

(9) Clinical instruction—supervised internship/practicum experience.

Each state has it’s own set of educational requirements, but once you meet them, you need to pass one of the seven (7) licensing exams.

The State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors accepts seven (7) licensing examinations as listed in Section 49.11 of the regulations.

1. The National Counselor Examination for Licensure and Certification (NCE) give by NBCC.

2. The Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) Examination given by CRCC.

3. The Art Therapy Credentials Board (ATCB) Certification Examination given by ATCB.

4. The Board Certification Examination given by CBMT.

5. The practice examination of psychological knowledge given by the North American Association of Master’s in Psychology (NAMP).

6. The Advanced Alcohol & Other Drug Abuse Counselor Examination (AAODA) given by the International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium/Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Inc. (IC & RC/AODA).

7. The Examination for Master Addictions Counselors (EMAC) given by NBCC.

It varies by state. For Pennsylvania, you can find it at PALS.PA.gov.