Psychologist License & Training

Psychologist License and Training


CLIENT CHOICES: PSYCHOEDUCATION, COACHING, COUNSELING OR PSYCHOTHERAPY
Clients have multiple levels of choices depending on depth of issues and immediate and long-term goals. Psychoeducation provides opportunity to learn more and gain important contextual support in moving through pressing issues. Coaching assists with motivating goal-directed behavior and breaking complex tasks into attainable steps. Counseling provides opportunity for dialogue around key issues to articulate and address specific problems. Psychotherapy provides integrative understanding of individual and contextual vulnerabilities and resilience.
An integrative approach can combine these resources. My clinical practice provides psychoeducation, counseling, and psychotherapy to address multiple levels of challenges we meet through the lifespan.

ALPHABET CONFUSION: DIFFERENCES IN LICENSING SPECIALIZATIONS
In California the Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) licenses Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFT), Clinical Social Workers (LCSW), and Professional Clinical Counselors (LPCC). The Board of Psychology (BOP) licenses PhD and PsyD Psychologists. Each license applicant must meet academic degree, training and internship requirements, and professional examination in areas of specialization for licensure.
These specializations overlap in general professional requirements but maintain differences in areas of professional emphases. For example, the LMFT may lack training in child therapy; the LPCC may lack training in marriage, family, and couples therapy. Training with a Counseling emphasis may lack foundation for therapy with a Clinical emphasis. As Psychologists in California practice under a generic license, the PhD or PsyD may lack training in areas of specialization important to the client.

It is important that the license specialization and training foundation fit the needs and goals of the client. The Client is a Consumer of services, as defined by both BBS and BOP. It is useful to consult their websites for licensing regulations and license status to become acquainted with client services accountable through these State Licensing Boards, Department of Consumer Affairs. The BBS and BOP websites provide information on each individual licensed professional and registered intern at BBS.ca.gov for LMFT, LPCC, LCSW and PsychBoard.ca.gov. for PhD and PsyD.
Licensure is defined specifically within each license concentration. Additionally, each counselor, clinician, and therapist has developed particular specializations and training in emphases important to client issues. The match between client and therapy requires cultural and diversity awareness and clinical skills in evaluation, assessment, diagnosis, and treatment. Progress and outcomes evaluation, professional consultation, and informed referral are important to the process.

My license PSY5958 is registered through Board of Psychology. I have taught in MFT, PCC, PhD and PsyD graduate training programs, and supervised and consulted with LMFT, LCSW, LPCC, PhD, and PsyD interns and licensees. My foundational degrees are MA in Counseling and PhD in Clinical Psychology. My areas of training and teaching specialization include child, adolescent, adult, senior, and elder clients. I have expertise in individual and group, couple and family, clinical counseling and psychotherapy.

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