All these letters after my name may sound confusing…

To help demystify the jumble of letters, the following is a quick explanation of my credentials as a psychotherapist in Illinois.

LCPC - Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor

This means that I am licensed by the state of Illinois through the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) to practice clinical mental health counseling in the state of Illinois within their scope of practice. In Illinois, every individual who practices as a psychotherapist, counselor, or therapist (they all mean the same thing, it just depends on what each professional prefers to call themselves) must hold a license to practice. The LCPC is earned after around 2 to 3 years of post-graduate experience in the field, and after passing a board exam. You may see some people have “LPC” after their name. This stands for Licensed Professional Counselor, and is a license a therapist can get in Illinois through the IDFPR right after they completed their graduate studies, and after passing a board exam.

NCC - National Clinical Counselor

This means that I am board certified by the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) and have met national standards set by the profession, including education, supervision, clinical experience, examination, and ethical requirements. It is a voluntary certification and not required to practice in the state of Illinois.

CCMHC - Certified Clinical Mental Health Counselor

This means that I am board certified by the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) and have met national standards set by the profession, including education, supervision, clinical experience, examination, and ethical requirements with professional endorsement and over 3,000 hours of experience in the field.

RYT - Registered Yoga Teacher

This means that I have completed a 200 hour yoga teacher training at an accredited program and have earned the certification through the Yoga Alliance. I trained in India for a month in 2018 and learned how to teach yoga asana and yoga philosophy.