Expert: Joel Simon - 12/8/2011

Question
Can you practice counseling after graduate school without taking or passing the licensure exam?

Answer
John,  Each state sets its own requirements for licensing of professionals.  I would recommend that you check with the office that handles licensing for your particular state to see what the requirements are.  Having said that, the generic term "psychotherapist" is not reserved in any of the states in the US that I'm aware of (I've done some extensive research on this in preparation for a book that I'm current writing about psychotherapy).  That means that anyone can call themselves a psychotherapist without having to meet even the most basic requirements.  My cat could call herself a psychotherapist (as I think about it, I think she would probably do as well as many humans out there and in some cases even better).  Although I think that unlicensed psychotherapists would not be able to take third party insurance payment in most states for services and would have to rely on clients who are willing to pay out of pocket. While in the past it was possible to work for a social agency in a clinical capacity, in my experience most agencies now are requiring licensure of prospective employees.  This is a matter of supply and demand.  There are enough licensed professionals looking for jobs, insurance companies require agency staff to be licensed in order for the agency to be paid, and many times regulatory bodies require what they term "qualified mental health professionals." My own opinion is that you would do better to take the exam and be officially licensed so that you can be competitive in these challenging economic times when the number of professionals job seekers greatly outnumber the number of open positions.  Best of luck.  Joel