Originally posted June 2009; updated August 2014.
The most common question I hear these days from marriage and family therapists (MFTs) is simple: “Where can I find a job as an MFT?”
The more pessimistic ones ask the same question, they just leave out the word “Where.”
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As I often tell my students, a client can sue their psychotherapist for anything. It doesn’t mean the client will win, but they can sue. Even if you as the therapist have done everything right, staring down a lawsuit can be incredibly stressful and time-consuming. It’s little wonder that health care professionals would want to find any way possible to avoid that risk.
Whenever I get into conversations about the licensing process, a number of the same questions keep coming up. Many of these questions revolve around the value of having a license exam. It’s perhaps the most pesky, the-answer-should-be-obvious-but-isn’t question: Do licensure examinations make for better therapists?
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Other states are now more likely to follow suit.
The Supreme Court declined on Monday to hear arguments in the court cases challenging California’s ban on reparative therapy for minors. The decision will allow the ban to take effect, and likely will make it easier for other states considering similar bans to enact them.
Their arguments can be quickly and summarily dismantled.
Update: James Guay interviewed me on this piece, as part of his ongoing video series. Watch the video here, and see the original article below.