The Leadership Challenge - Supporting Professional Development While Maintaining Standards

What started as a LinkedIn rant has turned into something I think we all need to discuss...

I've had two conversations within the past two to three weeks about licensed versus pre-licensed therapists, and honestly, it's got me fired up. Essentially, a pre-licensed clinician (who has over 6 years of experience, but was previously a school counselor where LPC licensure was not required, and is now working to obtain her LPC) was called "unqualified" to work with a youth and their family because she is currently awaiting her testing date.

Look, licensure IS significant: it represents direct legal accountability, independent practice capability, and expanded insurance coverage access. These aren't trivial distinctions—they impact accessibility, professional responsibility, and client protections.

But here's what we need to get straight: Prelicensed therapists are graduate-trained professionals who provide excellent care under clinical supervision. They bring fresh perspectives, specialized training, and are often essential resources in underserved communities where access to mental health care remains critically limited.

And here's what's really bothering me: I'm increasingly frustrated by the lack of Black therapists, and I KNOW that training the next generation is the key to ensuring that our needs are met. Yet, there are fewer opportunities being presented for incoming clinicians to gain the 4,500 hours required for licensure, and most of the time, they are expected to work those hours without compensation.

Listen, as someone with darn near the entire alphabet in her signature line, I respect and value licensure and specialized certifications. I understand that it keeps our clients safe and provides certain protections for us as practitioners. I also know that there are more than a few folks with licensure who I wouldn't send my goldfish to!

I am encouraged to see the work of Sandy Gibson and her team in transforming clinical training into an apprenticeship model, but we still have a long way to go, people.

This isn't just a clinical training issue—it's an organizational leadership challenge.

Bottom line: We can advocate for the value of professional licensure without throwing prelicensed clinicians under the bus. Both serve vital roles in addressing our mental health crisis. But we also need to honestly address the systemic barriers that keep talented clinicians—particularly those from underrepresented communities—from advancing in our field.

The most important thing isn't the letters after someone's name—it's finding a clinician who provides competent, compassionate care and is the right fit for the client's specific needs (and we already have research that shows us that therapeutic rapport is the greatest predictor of client success, not the license type of length of experience).

Our profession gets stronger when we support everyone in the clinical development pipeline while maintaining high standards AND removing barriers.

Ok, rant over. Feel free to share your thoughts to keep the conversation going.