What is an MFT Registered Intern?
After graduating with a Master’s degree in Psychology, the state of California wants to make extra, double sure that you are qualified to sit one-on-one with people and help them while they’re at their most vulnerable. California wants to make sure we don’t have a bunch of quacks running around, and that’s a very good thing.This means that after all the hard work and long hours of graduate school where we studied, provided therapy, and wrote thesis after thesis; with their diploma in their hand, the intern must also perform 3,000 hours of providing therapy under the license of a therapist who has been working for at least two years (the therapist who supervises at Chico Creek Counseling has been in business for over a decade). After finishing the 3,000 hours, the intern is then qualified to take the board exams to become a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist.
Why would I want to see an intern for my therapy?
An intern has pretty recently finished schooling, and is primed with all the recent data and findings in the field. With a “Joi de vivre” they are fresh and enthusiastic to do whatever it takes to make sure you get the best quality help and they work hard behind the scenes to ensure each time they meet with you they are ready with the knowledge and interventions to help.The cost to see an intern is usually considerably less than to see a licensed therapist, but in a way you’re getting a two-for-one deal. At Chico Creek Counseling, the cost to see a licensed therapist is $100. The cost for a registered intern is $75. However, each week the intern meets one-on-one with their supervising therapist (Joe Taylor, LMFT #MFC46406) to discuss the best avenue to take for each client before the next session.The licensed therapist is held to the same confidentiality standards that your therapist is held to, and is able to provide valuable resources. He makes sure that what we’re working on and the tools I’m giving you is the most effective, and he also makes sure that I know about all the newest training opportunities available. Once licensed, it’s not often that therapists meet regularly to brainstorm effective techniques between one another – this is a pretty special and valuable dynamic between supervisor and intern – and it really works to your advantage as the client!
A licensed therapist has worked hard to complete all 3,000 hours, pass their exams, and most insurance companies will reimburse for services provided by a licensed therapist. It’s quite often that your insurance will not cover therapy provided by a pre-licensed therapist.
Chico Creek Counseling has several licensed and pre-licensed therapists to choose from! The licensed professionals get booked up quickly, and have specialties of their own. Every person brings their own unique set of skills and thinking processes into the therapy room, and now you – the potential client – have one more piece of knowledge when making your decision about who to seek for help with your own personal journey. Your best bet is to ask around, friends, family, coworkers – who have they heard good things about?
Written by Jessica Wilkerson, M.A.
You can find this, and other articles by Jessica Wilkerson at www.jessicawilkerson.com/blog
If you would like to schedule an appointment with Jessica, you can contact her via email at jwilkerson@hys-bz.haaaz.co or by calling (530) 921-5122.
Jessica works for Chico Creek Counseling as a Marriage & Family Therapist Registered Intern #IMF69783 under the supervision of Joe R. Taylor, LMFT #MFC46406.
