</font><blockquote><div id="quote"><font class="small">Quote:</font>
_Sky said:
The main difference - and a very good one to remember, imo - is the main reason to use someone who is licensed is the generally accepted level of expertise and knowledge, and the oversight thereof.

</div></font></blockquote><font class="post">

I look at professional licenses the same way I look at driver's licenses. Having a driver's license doesn't mean that someone is a good driver--after all, there are lots of bad drivers out there and most of them have licenses. Having that license means that they fulfilled some fairly minimal qualifications, jumped through the appropriate hoops, filled the forms out in triplicate, and paid fees to all the little agencies that are entitled to their cut. The main value of a driver's license, in my opinion, is that the state has something to take away from you if you screw up too badly.

In my experience, most professional licenses fit in the same category. You have to go and get the education, pass the test, and do your supervised time as an intern...but a lot of crummy therapists can meet those qualifications. The big advantage is that the license can be taken away if you screw up too badly. I'm working toward a license now, so I know how powerful a motivator that can be--all my hard work, all the money I've spent on education, all the hours away from my family...it's all consolidated into that piece of paper, and I'm definitely not going to do anything to jeopardize it. (Not that I'd do anything unethical to begin with, but you know what I mean.)

I almost hate to put it this way, but if I'm going to see a professional to help me with personal issues, I want that licensure issue hanging over his or her head. I want that person to always have the consequences of screwing up in the back of their mind. The stakes just aren't as high for someone who doesn't have a license to lose.