Describe the process of becoming a mental health professional. Include a discussion of the differences among the following: psychiatrist, psychologist, psychiatric social worker, psychiatric nurse. For each profession, list the credentials, the educational background, and the professional responsibilities

What will be an ideal response?

Within this field are clinical and counseling psychologists, psychiatrists, psychiatric social workers, and psychiatric nurses, as well as marriage and family therapists and mental health counselors.
Clinical and counseling psychologists receive a Ph.D. (or sometimes an Ed.D., doctor of education, or Psy.D., doctor of psychology) and follow a course of graduate-level study, lasting approximately five years, that prepares them to conduct research into the causes and treatment of psychological disorders and to diagnose, assess, and treat these disorders. Counseling psychologists tend to study and treat adjustment and vocational issues encountered by relatively healthy individuals, and clinical psychologists usually concentrate on more severe psychological disorders. Psychologists with other specialty training, such as experimental and social psychologists, investigate the basic determinants of behavior but do not assess or treat psychological disorders.
Psychiatrists first earn an M.D. in medical school and then specialize in psychiatry during residency training that lasts three to four years. Psychiatrists also investigate the nature and causes of psychological disorders, make diagnoses, and offer treatments. Many psychiatrists emphasize drugs or other biological treatments, although most use psychosocial treatments as well.
Psychiatric social workers typically earn a master's degree in social work as they develop expertise in collecting information about the social and family situation of the individual with a psychological disorder. Social workers also treat disorders, often concentrating on family problems. Psychiatric nurses have advanced degrees and specialize in the care and treatment of patients with psychological disorders, usually in hospitals as part of a treatment team.
Finally, marriage and family therapists and mental health counselors typically spend one to two years earning a master's degree and are employed to provide clinical services by hospitals or clinics.