My California Marriage and Family Therapist license is now current and renewed until May 31, 2016. Inactive license no more. Yes, that’s right, inactive no more. Coming out of a long, very long, two decade long, sabbatical. Wahoo!

Here are my California Marriage and Family Therapist license stats:

License Number: 29796 Current Date: 05/11/2014 10:01 AM
Name: O’MALLEY, KITT KATHLEEN
License Type: Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
License Status: License Renewed & Current  
Expiration Date: 05/31/2016
Original Issuance Date: 07/01/1992

Yes, my original license date was July 1, 1992. I graduated with a Masters in Psychology from New College of California in June 1990, was an intern for two years, logged the required 3,000 internship hours, passed my written and oral exams, and received my original license back in 1992. As an intern and later as a licensed psychotherapist, I worked with battered women, severely emotionally disturbed (SED) latency-aged (pre-adolescent) children, pregnant and parenting teenagers, SED adolescent girls in residential treatment, and finally SED adolescent boys in day treatment, until I burned out and fell into a deep depression at the age of thirty. Since then I have not practiced psychotherapy professionally. My training has come in handy, of course, but it has not inoculated me from mental illness or the hardships of life.

It feels good to be back, to reclaim my professional training, to not think of myself as unable to do what I had worked so hard to achieve. Once again I see myself as capable of helping others. And, it feels good, really good.


Comments

  1. Nowadays the requirements are quite different. I don’t even think they do orals anymore.

    Thanks for the support. Your education still is an asset both personally and as your work as an advocate.

  2. Good for you! I have often wished I had acquired my education long enough ago to get my license before my major troubles kicked in…I have the degree and was an MFT Intern for a while, but got nowhere near the 3000. Sounds like you were doing great work, and will again. Congratulations.

  3. Thank you, thank you, thank you. And, please pass the chocolates!

  4. Thank you, Phil!

  5. Good idea. Thanks for the tip!

  6. Aww thank you…for everything 🙂
    Aul

  7. Congratulations!

  8. Now that I’ve read about what you had to do to earn your license and learn more about your professional experience, I’m even more impressed! Whatever you decide to do career-wise, this is a hugely positive step and it’s fun to see that you are excited about it too!!! I’ve always considered MFT’s/CMFT’s to be amazing because the work is daunting.

    You give me hope that we don’t ever have to give up pursuing our goals, especially if we’ve been “touched with fire”. This is a fitting post to read on Mother’s Day. I’d rather get this kind of news about someone I now consider a friend than eat an entire box of chocolates…and that’s saying a lot! :)) Once again, major congratulations!!!

  9. Thank you, Aul! You should include your blog URL to your Gravatar profile so that people can easily find your work when they click on your Gravatar.

  10. Thank you, Aul. You are an incredibly caring and generous young man. Your parents must be proud. God bless you, and God bless your family. God bless your mother on today, Mother’s Day. She’s done a fabulous job educating you.

  11. And happy Mother’s Day!

  12. Wow. That job sounds really tough, but extremely meaningful and charitable. You’re awesome 🙂
    Aul

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