I don’t think making people get PhDs in order to be a therapist is a solution here.

I’m a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and a therapist. I already had to go through 2 years of grad school plus a little over 3,000 hours of supervised work before receiving my license (I also did an additional 2-year post-grad program in marriage and family therapy).

Acting like that doesn’t make me qualified to provide therapy is frankly bullshit and elitist.

LCSWs are the largest group providing behavioral health services in the Unted States, at 60% (Page 7 - https://socialwork.utexas.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/TX-SW-Workforce-Report24.pdf). Suggesting that every single therapist should be a PhD would result in a very swift and decisive mental health crisis in the country because not everyone can afford to take years off making income to get another degree.

Wouldn’t it be nice if every doctor did a psychiatry residency and a cardiology residency and a surgical residency… you know, so that they can be the best doctor and provide the best services? And don’t get me started on PAs!

Shouldn’t all nurses be RNAs then? Why have CNAs and such?

I am sure you see my point.

It is absolutely true that there are bad master’s-level clinicians out there (case in point, see the therapist who brought this suit). There are also bad PhDs out there. Your degree does not determine how good of a therapist you are.

The solution is to do a much better job with state regulations and laws, which will only take you so far… once again, case in point. Colorado tried to do the right thing only to have the Supreme Court shut them down.

Your entire argument is summed up and rebutted here, if you care to read: https://www.psichi.org/page/042EyeWin00bActkinso