By JORDAN REDMOND
Executive Director
Los Alamos Family Council
Mental health providers, like those employed by Los Alamos Family Council, move through a series of stages for their licensure. These stages help the clinician move from student to independent provider over the course of several years.
Los Alamos Family Council seeks to improve the social and emotional well-being of the members of our community. In addition to providing mental and behavioral health counseling, LAFC provides the necessary clinical supervision to help grow the mental health provider field – further expanding the well-being of our community beyond our direct service capacity.
For decades, LAFC has helped the mental health provider field grow by offering a space to work and clinical supervision to students and non-independently licensed professionals alike. While students, learning providers participate in a practicum and later an internship. During these times they learn more about the provision of mental health through both direct and in-direct service hours.
Upon completing their graduate degree, they then apply to becoming the first level of licensed provider. The State of New Mexico has two levels of licensure for mental health counselors: the Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC; a non-independently licensed provider) and the Professional Clinical Mental Health Counselor (LPCC; an independently licensed provider).
To progress from LMHC to LPCC, a clinician must be directly providing services for a minimum of two years under the supervision of an independently licensed provider. During this time, they must average 22 client hours a week to receive the number of hours needed to apply for LPCC.
Several therapists in town completed their internships or supervised hours as part of the team of Los Alamos Family Council. We continue that work today.
Los Alamos Family Council is blessed with a wonderful Clinical Supervisor, Laura Woodring. Woodring not only provides direct services but also supervised our team of LMHCs and an intern. As Los Alamos Family Council looks into the future, we excitedly anticipate growing our clinical team through the addition of a second Clinical Supervisor. A second Clinical Supervisor would allow LAFC’s clinical team to grow to a much larger number to help keep up with the demand for services. I encourage any local LPCCs to contact us if they’re interested in joining our clinical team.
Thank you for joining us in our 60th Anniversary CountUP! Celebration! Watch for our second 60th Anniversary Trivia contest on our Facebook page at facebook.com/LosAlamosFamilyCouncil.
