Curt and Katie talk about the advocacy efforts to make paying prelicensed individuals a best practice. We talk about a statement recently approved by CAMFT, looking at the process, the implications, and a call to action. It’s time to reimagine therapy and what it means to be a therapist. To support you as a whole person and a therapist, your hosts, Curt Widhalm and Katie Vernoy talk about how to approach the role of therapist in the modern age. In this episode we talk about: A public statement approved at the most recent meeting of California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists The supporting information that suggests that paying prelicensed individuals is a best practice of supervision The importance of a living wage, benefits, and meaningful work Curt’s journey in support of this statement The ability (and the challenge) for each of us in these types of advocacy efforts. The call to action to take this statement to your own professional organization The type of push back to expect and how to address it Laws and best practices versus implementation and accountability Addressing bad actors and the goal of keeping good actors good How a single voice can be silenced, but a movement can make a difference The mission of the #therapymovement to leave our profession better A second call to action for you to stand up and advocate for the necessary changes you see Resources mentioned: We’ve pulled together resources mentioned in this episode and put together some handy-dandy links. California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists The Public Board book from the December CAMFT board meeting (statement on pg. 204-206) The CAMFT Task Force who crafted the statement: Curt Widhalm, Lisa Romain, LMFT, Jeff Kashou, LMFT, and Katie Vernoy The statement approved by the CAMFT Board: Statement on Paying Associates as a Best Practice of Supervision In alignment with CAMFT’s mission, this organization works to anticipate and address the professional needs of its members and to advance the Marriage and Family Therapist profession, with a foundational value of inclusion. The current employment model for Associate Marriage and Family Therapists makes it difficult for them to support themselves financially during the time period when they are accruing required supervised experience. The lack of pay can also create barriers to entry into the workforce based on socio-economic status, decreasing the potential diversity in our profession (Hoge, Morris, Daniels, Stuart, Huey, & Adams, 2007, pg 272). When organizations offer competitive wage and benefits packages, meaningful work, and appropriate infrastructure, they are able to hire and retain qualified professionals who can provide high quality mental health services (Hoge et al., 2007, pg 18). Staff turnover is costly to employers (Hoge et al., 2007, pg 16), has negative effects on clients, and undermines quality of care (Knudsen, Johnson, & Roman, 2003; Eby, Burnk, & Maher, 2010) There are concerns related to the rights of therapists who take unpaid or volunteer work. These workers often are not extended the legal rights afforded to employees. In truth, the Civil Rights Act, FMLA, and EEOC do not apply to unpaid positions, leaving our prelicensees at risk for discriminatory abuses (Hickman, 2014). Further, many unpaid positions are actually displacing work that other paid employees could perform, further impacting the wages of others in the field (Crain, 2016). Low wages are shown to increase turnover and burnout, leading to inconsistency in the workforce and a decrease in the quality of mental health services (SAMHSA, 2014, pg 157, Hoge 16, pp. 105-109). Lack of pay for Associate MFTs has a longer term effect on employment for Associates. Associate MFTs may take longer to earn their MFT license, directly affecting their salary. In addition, workers who obtain unpaid internships are often required to work additional jobs or seek additional financial support. This is considered “under