Professional Practice and Psychologist

Licensure Plan

Rachel Faybyshev

Foundations of Mental Health Counseling

Dr. Mary Owens

My Personal Licensure Plan

The process of obtaining licensure as a Mental Health Counselor begins with attending and graduating from an approved NY State Education Department (SED) Master's Program. Having stated that, I am a step in the right direction by attending LIU's Clinical Mental Health Counseling program at the moment. While that is the case, my plan is to further my education by obtaining a Psyd immediately after graduation and then get licensed as a psychologist. I do not believe it makes sense to do the 3,000 hours of supervision and take the NCMHCE and then take the EPPP exam and do another 3,500 hours. To graduate from the MHC program, you need a total of 60 credit hours, which also includes 100 hours of practicum and 600 hours of internship. I am currently enrolled in four classes, which is a total of 12 credits, the maximum credits a student is allowed to take each semester. I plan to continue taking the maximum credits each semester including summer semesters in order to graduate May 2018. I will apply for Psyd programs in the fall of 2017. I am beyond thankful and lucky to have the support of my family financially and emotionally through these difficult next couple of years.

I have started looking into some possible Psyd programs and realized there aren't as many programs as I thought there would be. I am choosing to undertake a Psyd program over Phd because I want to be a clinical psychologist. My top choices at the moment include Rutgers LIU Post and Yeshiva. I am not exactly sure if going to Rutgers would make sense though after graduating from a NY Mental Health Counseling program. I feel that it might make sense staying in New York because the licensing procedures for New York and New Jersey are different. The Psyd program I desire to engage in consists of 3 full years of courses and 1 full year of supervised internship and practicum. I'm fully prepared for it because I know that it is going to be a difficult ride or journey.

However, I have my family and loving boyfriend to lean on in order to keep my sanity throughout this journey. As previously stated, I have been extremely fortunate enough to have my family's financial and emotional support, which is not a luxury most people have. I am extremely family oriented and know I can always turn to them when experiencing any difficult time. Additionally, I also turn to exercise and dancing when the stress builds up. Running outside always helps me clear my mind and regroup. I make an effort to either run outside or go to the gym every morning and will continue to do so. I believe it is highly important to take time for yourself in order to have a healthy state of mind.

My other escape is taking dance classes. I use to be a competitive dancer for 15 years and even went to a performing arts high school for dance. Dancing has always helped me escape from the real world and be able to have peace of mind. Since I started college I have been unable to keep up with dancing like I used to because of a very hectic schedule. However, I try my best to still incorporate into my schedule every month. With the overwhelming support of my family and my personal leisure, I know I have the ability to get through these next couple of years and achieve my dream of becoming a Doctor of Psychology.