![By English: Pfc. Franklin E. Mercado [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons](https://i0.wp.com/www.psychotherapynotes.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/256px-USMC-110310-M-5396M-008.jpg)
Interns and associates in the master’s level mental health professions in California will take a law and ethics exam in their first year of registration, under an exam restructure taking effect in January 2016.
California
No one really knows what supervisors should pay for
California law — with apologies to folks in other states, this post is pretty California-specific — says that any master’s level therapist who is not fully licensed cannot “lease or rent space, pay for furnishings, equipment, or supplies, or in any other way pay for the obligations of their employers.”
Fair enough. But what reasonably is an “obligation of their employer?” What should you expect to see as supervisor expenses, and what should you expect to pay for yourself as an intern? I surveyed MFT interns in the state to find out.
Blue Shield of California loses non-profit status
The LA Times is reporting that Blue Shield, the state’s third-largest health insurer, has been stripped of its state non-profit status. State officials have not commented on the reasons for the decision, but the Times suggests it may have to do with the company’s billions in reserves, high executive compensation, and political spending.
Kaiser mental health workers to strike
The National Union of Healthcare Workers announced Saturday that its 2,600 Kaiser mental health care clinicians in California would begin a weeklong strike today. The strike is being described as the largest of its kind in the nation.
Want to set up a private practice in California? Here’s where you should do it
Some bar-napkin math on income and therapist density by county.