At Grow Through Life Counseling, our therapists have Master's completed in Counseling, Social Work or Marriage and Family Therapy and either Registered as Associate therapists or licensed therapists.
During graduate school, a traineeship of 300+ hours are part of completing Master's programs. As a trainee, the therapist in school is dually supervised at their site as well as through a practicum class and professor via the graduate school. This is the first practical application of the academics learned during school. Upon graduation with Masters degree, the next step is to registered with the CA Board of Behavioral Sciences to become a Registered Associate Therapist.
There are 3 types: Associate Marriage and Family Therapist (AMFT), Associate Professional Clinical Counselor (APCC) or Associate Clinical Social Worker (ACSW). The BBS of CA is the regulatory board in our states which is responsible for qualifying appropriate candidates and responding to any consumer concerns no matter the stage of careers.
There is a requirement to take the CA Law & Ethics test as part of this registration after graduation school. This is the first exam to ensure the practicing therapists is compentent in the current laws and ethics that govern our field as they practice and gain hours toward licensure. This exam must be attempted at least once annually until passed. Once this is completed, the Associate therapist must track clinical hours for 3,000 hours to apply toward licensure. For most, this is 3-5 years after graduation with Master's degrees. During these years, Associate therapists participate in weekly clinical supervision with Licensed therapists who have completing supervision training and have been fully Licensed themselves for 2+ years. When you are getting treatment with an assoicate therapists, you can rest assured you are getting the experience and expertise of their supervisor as well who meet and discuss the clinical information weekly. This is the combination of the latest progress and training of current graduate programs blended with a seasoned therapist with many years of clinical expertise.
All of our Clinical Supervisors meet internally monthly to discuss trends, progress and share valuable information and tips about supervision. We also continue the education process for our supervisors at this meeting. Our supervisors are passionate about helping our early career therapists develop and continue their growth. Once hours are completed, the Associate will submit their packet to the BBS of CA for approval to take the second exam toward full licensure. Once this exam is passed, we then celebrate turning the "A" for associate into the "L" for licensed as the BBS will then issue a new licensure number in the weeks following the exam. We are grateful to have had this celebration now many times as our team progressess in their careers! No matter Associate or Licensed, our team believes we are all growing at all stages of life and career. Part of what makes being a therapist so wonderful is that we all continue to learn and grow both from our clinical experiences and our colleagues. We are passionate about providing high quality psychotherapy for youth, adults, couples and families.
We are accepting new patients in CA for in person care or via Telehealth. Please call our intake team at 61-549-0329 ext 0 to speak with our intake team and get started today.
"Don't Just Go Through Life, Grow Through Life" - E.Butterworth
AMFT- Associate Marriage & Family Therapist LMFT- Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
ACSW-Associate Clinical Social Worker LCSW- Licensed Clinical Social Worker
APCC- Associate Professional Clinical Counselor LPCC- Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor
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