Quote:
Originally Posted by ThisWayOut
Years of experience often do count the years prior to licensing, as it's still work experience as a clinician. If they put something that implied their hours worked prior to licensing counted towards their post licensing experience, I may be leary (if they said "20 years experience as an lcsw" when they should have put "20 years as a social worker"). I've not encountered it much though.
Also, just because a therapist works at a crisis center does not mean they are not working as a therapist. It may not be long term counseling or counseling in private practice, but it's still counseling/therapy. The agency I go to for my therapy also has a crisis unit. It is staffed by clinicians. They are all licensed or license eligible clinicians.
I reread your post. If that clinician put those pre-grad school years as "experience in the field", is technically accurate, though somewhat deceptive.
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Here's the difference for me: Experience prior to licensing does not count toward experience in seeing someone through a long course of therapy, which is what I need. Working at a crisis center only means she was good at talking to people in crisis, but says nothing about being able to manage long term therapy. To me, that is a huge issue. I need someone who can do more than 6 months to a year and has been through all the ups and downs, trials and errors, that come with long term therapy. That other stuff--social work, counseling in a school center--just doesn't count for me. They need to be specific about it. If they aren't, why not?
I am paying out of pocket and expect a well trained, experienced, honest-about-themselves, professional.