I have this same app by BTA on Iphone and have found it to be a fun thing to do in group supervision, or even for students to start to demystify (a little bit) the exam process. This is more focused on the written exam. 

And no, I don't know when the price will go up ;0) Happy interning! 

In fact, once, when I finally got to speak to one of the study material creators over the phone I got so frustrated I felt like yelling- "I'm trying to refer people to you!" I wasn't asking for a kickback, or cross referrals- I just wanted to know and undertand where they were coming from better! The tone was SO uncomfortable, I felt icky when I got off the phone. 

It is conversations like that that can keep you (and me) isolated, disconnected and feeling stuck! Before the holidays (man it has been busy), I got to speak to someone where we just clicked- and it was awesome! After the phone call I felt energized and excited, and a renewed hope for the intern and associate community! I've got some cool stuff in the works right now with a great lady who is ready to shake some stuff up and who shares some values with me in terms of the needs of MFT interns, MFT Trainees, and ACSWs! Woohoo! 

I hope today you step outside of your comfort zone and plan a coffee or a chat with a colleague you don't know very well and see if there is a click! No click? No problem! Just keep swimming... just keep swimming! 

Oooh- and here are some links to some old posts about networking! 

Learning To Network

Networking: Places To Go, People To See

I am telling all of my "friends" on MFTGuide, but I have to ask you a VERY big favor! PLEASE make sure you go in and post a review to BTA to let them know how much you love this program, how they could make it better, etc.- especially if you snag this at the .99 price! 

Studying for exams should be fun and done in a relaxation environment whenever possible. I love that you can take the studying process easily to the park or the beach. I also love that BTA has such a nice vibe and rationales. They were started by LCSWs and have two separate programs, one Iphone study app for MFTs and one Iphone study app for LCSWs. 

They do specialize in California exams. I will be posting a few review after I have a chance to go through the questions ;0) I just wanted to give you guys a "sneak peak" this fabulous Saturday morning! 

Just search MFT exam or LCSW exam and choose the BTA Exam for MFT or LCSW (or get both for that price)! Maybe we can get this into the Top 10 Downloads for a day! 

Download the MFT App here: 
Download the LCSW App here: 

This price will be changing soon! So if you miss it, you miss it! Happy Studying! 

I'm on the board of our local professional organization at http://valleysierracamft.org and am honored to be the board mentor for a new 3000 club in our area. We had our first meeting with our little committee of pre-licensed folks who were on board to organize our first event. 

In the first 20 minutes of our meeting, as we talked about the state of the pre-licensed experience- this theme come up almost immediately. In fact, we had all had the same feeling that many interns and trainees are feeling hopeless, and sometimes even apathetic. 

As just did as I always do, chatted/reframed, etc. Their eyes lit up... "I never thought of that..." "I can do that?" "What a great idea!" The thing was, they knew all the problems- everybody is talking about the PROBLEM- but nobody is talking about the SOLUTIONS- or the GIFTS in this kind of an economy! 

I want to share a few ideas from the meeting, but I also want to reiterate- the job market is TOUGH... in fact, it really sucks! HOWEVER, it isn't hopeless! And there are a few gifts of this funky job market: 

1. Thinning of the herd... I know this sounds horrible, but for every colleague that "gives up" right now, or decides to go in a different direction- gives the person who "stays the course" more opportunities. 
2. A re-think is emmerging... I used to hear the goal for many people was the ultimate "county job." And yet, once people got it, they were often miserable and described it as "golden handcuffs." People are now opening up their mind to building businesses and positions that truly inspire them for the long term- instead of relying on jobs to land in their lap. 
3. Connection & Community is re-emerging... It's hard for me to see it on certain days... but the pre-licensed and licensed people who are successful- they want to create a community, a movement, support networks, consultation groups and be INSPIRED in their work! (The only problem is getting connected with these people and escaping the negative grasp of the apathetic, hopeless people!) 

Are you ready to give up? It's ok... maybe there is something better out there for you? But, for those of you who are truly inspired by this kind of work and ready to create a brilliant future and healing business- stay the course- you can be successful! 

I have a couple of upcoming events that are super cheap for interns! 

Saturday (tomorrow) in Fresno, CA I will be presenting on Private Practice with a focus on websites. It is super cheap for pre-licensed folks and I promise you will learn SO much that you can use right now- and that will be fabulous when you start your private practice. If we have pre-licensed there- I'll even share how you can ethically start a website today that could get you a job! http://camft-csjvchapter.org/chapter-events/

November 19th in Modesto, CA, we will be having our first local 3000 club event. I know many of you aren't from Modesto- but if you are within a few hours drive- I'd love to meet you! It is a FREE event and I'll be doing a mini-talk and there will be lots of time for connecting and inspiration! Learn ore about our 3000 club here: http://3000clubmodesto.eventbrite.com/

Questions about today's blog? Post them below, or come hang out with me on Facebook at http://facebook.com/mftguide and http://facebook.com/zynnymeZynnyMe gives great website and technology tips ;0) 

Here are some quicks pros and cons- starting with the drawbacks: 

• more paperwork
• more testing
• more annual money at renewal time
• more regulations to know
• more headache
• more questions
• more stress

Possible benefits: 

• using the term counselor
• if you are not grandfathered in- it might be easier to transfer to other states- but, the grandfathering May or May not help you get a LPC easier in another state. (Oregon for example specifically states that grandfathered LPCs do not have an easier time ;0) 
• dual licensure
• perception of excellence

Here is why I will become dual licensed: I didn't really want to become a family or marriage therapist! I really only wanted to counsel individuals. In fact, my training was focused on individual therapy and didn't have a strong systems theory approach like AAMFT approved programs do. Now, along the way, I have LOVED doing couple's work- still not a family therapist... to claustrophobic ;0) 

I don't particular like the term Marriage and Family Therapist because it is confusing to potential clients- they don't know what that means, who it includes, etc. In fact, most people search for counseling or counselor- not therapist. And, if you do search for therapist you will likely find more physical therapy than MFTs! I refer to myself as a counselor much of the time for that reason- so this makes perfect sense. I am excited about the possiblity of having some refresher time if they make me do a gap exam- Might as well embrace it! 

So, there is my decision! What is yours? What are your questions about the LPCC? Keeping in mind we don't have all the answers yet ;0) 

Can I start a website before I am licensed? 

Can I start a blog while in school? 

What are the benefits of starting early? 

What should I avoid as an intern? 

What if my private practice supevisor doesn't want me to have a website? 

Can I have my won private practice before I am licensed? 

What about a coaching website as an intern? 

Hope you like it! Read the answers to questions about building a therapy website as a prelicensed therapist here. 

Today's blog posting helps you explore your strengths as a person, an intern, and as a professional. I want to share with you some questions that might help you to mine yourself for your strengths: 

1. What brought you into this field in the first place? I doubt it was about the money ;0) Think about to what inspired you- and where you imagined your degree would take you.

2. What inspired you while you were in school? Where did you feel "at home" as you talked about certain clinical populations, theories, or mindsets? 

3. What skills did you bring with you from previous careers? You would be suprised at how some of this experience can be a huge asset to your process. 

4. What experiences do you bring personally that, if healed and used properly, have developed particular strengths or aspects of your character? 

5. Where do your "business" strengths lie? Do you love writing, editing, numbers, chatting with people at an event, taking photographs, Facebook, graphic design, interior design, I could go on. These are just a few of the skills that might be useful to you, your business, or your employer along the path to becoming a successful MFT. 

Take some time and explore this. REALLY explore this. Write it down. Reflect, ponder, and validate the strengths that you have. If you don't honor and identify them- who will? And if you don't realize they are there- can really make the most use of them in interviews, clinical, or business situations? 

Hope this finds you well. 

Miranda

p.s. if you want some straight talk about Facebook, Blogs, Websites, and more- check out http://zynnyme.com I promise it won't be tech talk! It is down to earth for real people! 

I noticed in the forum, that you were answering a question from another member of CAMFT that you stated you cannot add to the BBS form doing process notes.  Is this true today?  I am wondering because as a trainee, I am doing such a thing and don't want to do it wrong.  I was also wondering, if you CANNOT add process notes on the BBS summary of hours form, can a trainee (such as myself) add the additional hours utilized in the organization I am at while I am NOT working face-to-face with my clients?  In other words, what do I do with the additional hours I am working, while NOT working with clients?  Please advise and any information will be greatly appreciated, as now I am confused.  Thanks a bunch!  :-}

Answer: 

That post was from some time ago. Trainees can list process notes while tracking hours as of over a year ago. You can also talk to your clinical supervisor about tracking "client advocacy hours." These are hours you spend searching for referrals, advocating with other professionals, etc. They aren't face to face hours- but they are client centered. Supervisors have some flexibility on how they interpret the client advocacy hours. There are maximums to both process notes and client advocacy hours. 

Rules for this process will continue to change over the years that you gather your hours. It is great to learn to start navigating http://bbs.ca.gov now. I know a lot of clinical supervisors and well meaning folks who just use their memory to advise people. If they aren't keeping up with the BBS website- it is easy to give wrong information. 

This is another reason why I LOVE the www.trackyourhours.com service. It is so easy to track all of your hours and it shows you exactly what counts, minimums, maximums, ratios, etc. When it comes time to print out your paperwork for submitting for exams- it is SUPER easy to print out. Howard, the developer of the program is a MFT Intern himself and has a great relationship with the BBS. He really ensures that his program fully reflects the needs of the BBS. 

Hope that helps! 

In addition, they had my relationship status, income bracket, and on and on. I have talked before to pre-licensed and licensed folks about protecting your data online and taking charge of your internet presence. Here is something you can do TODAY! 

Here is the information you need to look up your data, and more importantly, block it from being shown on this site. I would suggest you do this immediately. The longer you wait, the more likely this information will start to be crawled by Google, Yahoo, and Bing and become part of a general search result! 

There's a site called spokeo.com that's an online phone book w/personal information: pics you've posted on FB or web, your approx credit score, address and home value, income, age. 
Remove yourself by searching your name, click on your link, copy the URL that comes up on your page, then go to the bottom right corner of the page and click on the Privacy button to remove yourself. They will send you an email to confirm and once you confirm, the listing is gone immediately. 

How are you protecting your online reputation and privacy online? Share in the comments below.