More Changes

A lot has happened in 5 months time...for starters, I got a new job! I work in utilization management now and so far I like it. I still do therapy in the weekends. I was also in a car accident a couple of months ago and it's been a nightmare! My mind is all over the place right now trying to do many things. I'd still like to write...not going to promise when but when the ball starts rolling you'll know for sure!

The honeymoon is DEFINITELY over :(

Well that didn't last...

The high of being licensed I mean.

Making my next moves is proving more difficult than I thought. Because of *private insurance*...they want you to be licensed for 5 years otherwise you have to be under the supervision of someone licensed longer than you have. I'm newly licensed so finding work in private practice will be kind of difficult.

They don't tell you any of this on graduate school. They sure as hell didn't in mine.

They say anything not easy is worth it...only time will tell.

I'll just keep on swimming :)

What is it Like to be Licensed?

Hello There!

It's been almost 3 months since I've been licensed and the excitement as worn off (unfortunately).  People have asked me this a lot over the past several weeks and honestly, it feels like this:

1. It feels like I've joined a secret society of mental health professionals.  I'm treated differently as soon as I say I'm licensed.  It kind of makes me mad that's the case because all mental health providers should be treated the same because we're here to serve individuals with mental illness.

2. It's a relief and rewarding to achieve a goal you've been working on for 6 years when you've been told it's take 3-4 years.

I have a NPI number and I'm working on coming up with a different counseling business name to put on my business cards.  I've also started working as a therapist on the weekends at the psychiatric hospital I work PRN for.  As usual, I'm a busy body but I need to re-engage in doing my online stuff. I'm getting there slowly mentally...I'm getting there :)

Be on the lookout for more updates and posts!  I have Blogger on my phone so there's really no excuse for me!

Take Care,
Kimmy :)

I did it!!

After many years of hard work, I'm a LMHC!!!

I'm so relieved that the process is over and proud of myself of this accomplishment.

Mind you that this is a much more subdued reaction from when I was notified two weeks ago.  LOL!

Lately, the question of the day is "What are you going to do now????"

The answer to that is, I'm figuring that out now.  A few things I know for sure:

• I want to re-engage in online therapy so I'm going to work on my e-therapy certification as well as redesign this blog, my website, and work on writing.  I'm going to have to schedule time to work on these things.
• I want to work on my CAP.  MUCH easier once you're a LMHC.  Shouldn't be to difficult...
• Get my finances back in order.  The aftermath is a Federal Disaster Area.

If something comes along, great!  If not, I'm okay (except for my commute but that's in my "things I cannot control" pile).  I've made things work for this long, what's a little bit longer?

I also want to add that I have the best friends, family, and co-workers a girl could ask for.  The congrats I received made me feel really good.  Anything is possible when you have good people around you.

If you're a registered intern, associate counselor, whatever, in mental health, my advice to you is...

“Never, never, never give up.” ― Winston Churchill

You'll be hearing from me a lot more :)

Take Care,

Kimmy