Guide · 4 min read · September 22, 2026
What the letters after a therapist name mean
Letters after a therapist name point to training or registration, and mean different things in different countries.
If you are looking at a therapist’s profile, the letters after their name tell you something about their training or registration. They are a starting point, not a guarantee about how someone works or what they do.
Below is a practical, plain guide to common letters you will see in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia, what those letters generally mean at a high level, and how to check them yourself. This is not advice or a diagnosis - a clinician who is actually talking with you is the person who can say what applies to you.
Why letters matter
Letters after a name show professional qualifications, membership in a professional body, or a licence or registration type. They help you understand a therapist’s training pathway and professional standing in the place where they practise.
Letters are shorthand. They do not tell you about a therapist’s suitability for your concern, how they work in sessions, or their training in a specific approach such as EMDR. They are one piece of information when you are deciding who to contact.
Common credentials you will see in the United States
A US therapist typically holds a licence issued by a state board and usually an NPI. Common letters include:
- LPC or similar state variants - often used by counsellors and professional counselors.
- LMHC - licensed mental health counselor in some states.
- LCSW - licensed clinical social worker or similar social work licence.
- LMFT - licensed marriage and family therapist, where applicable.
- PhD, PsyD - doctoral degrees in psychology or counseling fields; presence of a doctorate is about training level, not a licence by itself.
Each route generally involves a relevant graduate degree, a period of supervised practice, and assessment or an exam by a state board. Requirements vary by state. If you see a US licence letter, that indicates a state board process, not a national endorsement by this directory.
Common credentials you will see in the United Kingdom
In the UK, therapists are often registered with a membership or accreditation body rather than holding a state licence in the US sense. You may see letters or membership marks such as:
- BACP - membership of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy is commonly listed.
- NCPS or other professional memberships - different bodies represent different professions and approaches.
UK routes typically involve accredited training, supervised practice, and ongoing professional development as required by the membership body. Because regulation and titles differ from the US, a therapist in the UK will be described here as licensed or registered where they practise, using the UK body that applies.
Common credentials you will see in Australia
In Australia, registration or membership is handled by national professional bodies. You may see:
- PACFA - Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia membership.
- AASW - Australian Association of Social Workers membership or registration.
- ACA - Australian Counselling Association membership.
Australian routes usually include relevant tertiary qualifications, supervised practice, and membership criteria determined by the professional body. As in other countries, the letters indicate a professional pathway and do not rank practitioners against each other.
What the letters do not tell you
Letters do not tell the whole story. They do not show how a therapist works in session, how they relate to clients, or whether they have experience with a particular kind of situation. They also do not by themselves indicate training in a named approach.
Specifically, the source field on this directory records an approach the therapist names on their own profile. If a therapist names EMDR among their approaches, that is what they have chosen to list. Naming EMDR among their approaches is not evidence of EMDR training, and this directory checks no training records. A credential such as an LPC, BACP or PACFA membership is separate from any additional training the therapist may have done.
How you can check a licence or registration
If you want to check a credential, do a direct check with the issuing body. Practical steps include:
- Ask the therapist for the licence, membership, or registration number they list on their profile.
- For US practitioners, search the state licensing board website for the licence number and consider the NPI registry for provider information.
- For UK practitioners, check the registers or membership lookup on bodies such as BACP or NCPS.
- For Australian practitioners, search the membership or registration lists of PACFA, AASW, ACA or the relevant professional body.
- If you cannot find a public register online, contact the professional body and ask how to confirm current registration or membership.
Remember that this directory does not verify, vet, endorse, or rank listings, and it does not check training records. Use the /license-types/ page on this site for a short glossary of common letters, and use the /therapists/ page to return to profiles where practitioners have listed their own credentials and approaches.
A few final notes
Credentials vary across countries and are not directly comparable as rankings. A UK registration, an Australian membership, and a US state licence reflect different regulatory systems. The proper phrase for a practitioner here is that they are licensed or registered where they practise.
This is not medical advice or a diagnosis. A clinician who is actually talking with you is the person who can say what applies to your situation. If you are checking a therapist because a memory or experience is distressing, these steps can help you understand the letters you see and how to verify them for yourself.