TYPES OF THERAPISTS
Therapist Levels
At The Whole Soul Counseling, we have several different levels of therapists available to see clients. Below is a brief description of each.
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COUNSELING STUDENT INTERN
An intern is a student who is currently attending school earning their masters degree in a counseling field (usually a masters in social work, masters in marriage and family therapy, or masters in professional clinical counseling) and is working as a therapist under the supervision of a licensed therapist for their practicum class portion of their schooling program. "Working under supervision" looks different at different agencies, but here at The Whole Soul, the individual works as a therapist providing individual and group counseling sessions, and meets weekly (sometimes several times per week, depending on how many session hours they have) to discuss cases and ensure the most appropriate therapeutic course of action is being taken, along with receiving ongoing training and guidance, as well as closely working with their supervisor regarding safety concerns and appropriate intervention, if any is needed. The student intern's practicum class is usually one year long, sometimes a bit more depending on the school and the program.
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ASSOCIATE MENTAL HEALTH THERAPIST
An associate is a person who has graduated from their masters program, and is earning supervised hours of towards their licensure. Following graduation, individuals need to gain several thousand clinical hours (individual therapy, group therapy, etc., with the amount of hours varying by masters degree type) under a licensed therapist. (Please see the definition of "working under supervision" above.) Once an associate completes their clinical supervised hours, passes the California Law and Ethics exam, plus completes additional continuing education credits as needed, they will be eligible to sit for their licensing exam. Once passed, they will be licensed!
LICENSED THERAPIST
A licensed therapist is one who has gone through all of the steps above. To maintain their license in good standing, they have to complete a certain number of continuing education credits (CEUs) every two years, and can then renew their license (every two years). Licensed therapists are able to practice independently (not under supervision) and can expand their specialty by completing additional training and course work.
Please feel free to contact us with any questions by emailing info@thewholesoul.org.
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