Welcome Mental Health Counselor Interns
If you are nearing graduation or have already graduated I would love to help you begin your journey toward licensure. I am a board-approved Qualified Supervisor for Registered Mental Health Counselor Interns in the state of Florida.
Supervision Requirements
Interns need 1500 client face to face hours requiring 100 hours of supervision hours over a minimum of 100 weeks. The state requires 1 hr/supervision for (full-time) registered interns doing 15 hours of face-to-face psychotherapy with clients each week, or 1 hr/supervision biweekly for (part-time) less than 15 hours of face to face psychotherapy with clients each week. Generally, it takes 2-4 years to finish supervision. Supervision cannot be completed in less than 100 weeks, regardless of how many clients you work with weekly. We will meet for individual sessions (up to 2 supervisees) for at least half the time we meet, and group sessions for up to half our time together (3 or more supervisees). See 491 Board Rules and Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage & Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling website here for requirements.
How Long Can you Be Registered Before Passing the Licensure Exam
Current licenses expire at midnight, Eastern Time, on March 31, 2022.
During the 2016 Legislative Session, House Bill 373, and companion Senate Bill 12, were passed into law limiting intern registration to 5 years. Clinical social work, marriage and family therapy, and mental health counseling intern registrations issued on or before March 31, 2017, will expire March 31, 2022, and may not be renewed or reissued. Currently registered interns were sent an updated license with the new expiration date of March 31, 2022. No subsequent intern registration may be issued unless the candidate has passed the theory and practice examination.
Finding the Right Supervisor
Deciding on your licensure supervisor is an important decision. It is crucial to choose a supervisor you feel comfortable with, confident in, and have a relationship with where you can explore your own growth as a therapist. It is important for us to meet first to decide if it is mutually a good fit for your goals.
Supervision is a place to develop the necessary skills and practice of counseling to protect one’s clients and become a competent practitioner. My approach to supervision follows the Developmental Model, which adjusts for and to the level of expertise of the supervisee. As a clinical supervisor, I am here to help you in a safe and supportive environment that allows you to be accountable while learning whether in individual or group supervision.
What to Expect From Your Supervision
- A supportive atmosphere
- Mentoring and guidance
- Learn to write a well-written clinical/interpretative summary
- Develop clinical skills in diagnosing, assessing, treatment planning, implementation, and documentation
- How to run group counseling
- Setting boundaries professionally and personally. Transference and countertransference
- Role-playing
- Learn and demonstrate micro-skills: reframing, summarizing, empathizing, open-ended questions
- Developing personal and professional goals
- Community Resources
- Case discussion and conceptualization
- Clinical model discussion, but not limited to: CBT, DBT, & EMDR
- Professional Associations
- Certification for other specialties
- Guidance towards licensure
- Discuss laws and ethics that guide our profession
- Topics important to each supervisee
- Model and promote appropriate ways to work with issues of culture, gender, sexual identity and preference, religious affiliation or other differences in the counseling setting.
- To assist in reducing professional performance anxiety while increasing professional identity and areas of expertise. Your needs as a supervisee will change substantially over time.
- Direction on creating and building a private practice
SUPERVISION DETAILS:
WHERE: In-person in Palm Beach Gardens and/or through telehealth and online methods.
FORMAT: Alternating group and individual supervision.
COST: 2024: Supervision is a flat fee of $125/hour.
About My Practice: I’m in my 11th year of full-time private practice this January 2023. In addition to being a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, I’m a Certified Addictions Professional (CAP), Certified by EMDRIA as an EMDR Trauma Therapist, and an Internationally Certified Gambling Counselor, Level Two. I attained the Gottman Marriage & Family Level Two certification in 2019 from the Gottman Marriage Institute.
Helpful Facts:
- Supervision on-site or off-site considerations. When you are hired for your first counseling position, that position may include clinical supervision. I choose to have an off-site supervisor when I worked in substance abuse treatment for two years. Why? There is a dual relationship. Also, because I wanted to have security, control, and be confident that no matter what happened with my position there would be no issues surrounds my documentation of hours. The on-job supervisor’s responsibility is to prioritize the company. I had two supervisors on-site and off-site and both were an asset in my development. My off-site supervisor experience was vast compared to being concentrated in the substance abuse field.
- Registered Interns Need Malpractice Insurance. Interns have reduced rates. As soon as you begin your in-school internships you should get your liability insurance and renew each year. I use CPH. There are several to choose from.
- Your Title. There is only one way to identify yourself after you are approved by the state. On your business cards, website, all marketing materials, or email signature. The acronym RMHCI is also considered inadequate. Only licensed professionals may use acronyms for their titles. You must list yourself as REGISTERED MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELOR INTERN. No other terminology is allowed. You will see many people misuse this and they can be reprimanded by the state if reported.