Guide · 4 min read · September 22, 2026
What the letters after a therapist name mean
What the letters after a therapist name usually mean, and how to check a licence or registration in the US, UK and Australia.
You may have noticed a string of letters after a therapist name and wondered what they mean. They can indicate a degree, a professional registration, a membership of a professional body, or a clinical licence - but those letters do not tell the whole story.
Choosing someone to work with can feel confusing, and that is understandable. This page explains common routes to the letters you see in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia, how to check them yourself, and what the letters do not tell you. This is not advice or diagnosis. A clinician who is actually talking to you is the person who can say.
What those letters are for
Letters after a name are shorthand. They can mean an academic degree, a licensure category issued by a regulator, or membership of a professional body. How they are awarded and what they allow someone to do varies by country and by the exact letters.
Across this directory therapists are described as "licensed or registered where they practise." That phrase matters because rules differ by place. Also remember that naming an approach such as Jungian therapy among a therapist's approaches is not the same as a formal qualification in it. This directory does not verify training records or licence numbers for the people listed here.
United States - state licences and credentials
In the United States, clinical licences are issued by state boards. Common letters you will see include credentials tied to licensing systems and degrees - for example LCSW, LPC, LMFT, PsyD, PhD and MD. The exact scope of practice and the route to those letters change from state to state.
To check a US licence you can go to the website of the relevant state licensing board and search by name or licence number. Many clinicians also have an NPI number that you can look up in the federal NPI registry. If you ask a clinician for their licence number and the state that issued it, a state board site is the place to confirm it.
United Kingdom - membership and registration bodies
In the UK, therapists often show membership or registration with professional bodies rather than a single national licence. Common examples include the BACP and NCPS. These bodies have their own entry standards, codes of ethics and registers of members.
If you want to check UK registration, look on the website of the named professional body or ask the clinician for their membership or registration number. Remember that titles and protections vary across the UK, so "registered with" means registered with that specific body rather than a universal state licence.
Australia - professional associations and registers
In Australia, therapists often belong to national associations such as PACFA, AASW or ACA. Those organisations maintain registers and set practice standards. As with the UK, membership or registration with an association is different from a state or national medical licence.
To check Australian registration, visit the relevant association's register and search the name or membership number the clinician provides. Use the phrase "licensed or registered where they practise" when comparing listings across countries - it avoids assuming one system applies to all.
Degrees versus professional licences
Letters like MA, MSc, PhD or PsyD generally indicate academic qualifications. Licences and professional registrations indicate permission to practise in a regulated or self-regulated field. One does not automatically imply the other.
If a profile lists both degree letters and professional letters, you can ask what each stands for and which body issued a licence or registration. That is a reasonable, practical question for any therapist you are considering seeing.
How to check a credential and what to ask
Practical steps you can take are simple and factual. Look up the licensing board or professional body website for the country or state listed. Search by name or the registration number the clinician gives you. If a site has a public register, it will usually show status and expiry.
When you contact a clinician or their office you can ask: what exactly do these letters stand for, which body issued them, and do they have a registration or membership number you can verify. If you are curious about Jungian training specifically, ask where they trained and what training they completed - letters after a name do not by themselves indicate specialised Jungian training.
For general information on licence types and how to read the letters after a name, see /license-types/. To browse profiles of clinicians who name Jungian therapy among their approaches, see /therapists/. Remember this directory does not verify a clinician's licence, registration or training and it does not rank or endorse any listing.