MC, CT, CCC

 I've heard it said that a diamond is still a diamond even if you find it in a pigsty. Well, I can't say that the past week has been a pigsty week, but it's been pretty crappy (the whole family has COVID-19). However, news I've been waiting for has finally arrived: I passed my qualifying exam for the CCTPEI (College of Counselling Therapists of PEI) and the subsequent jurisprudence exam. Then, I received an email from the CCTPEI welcoming me to the College, and so I am a Counselling Therapist! Just like that!

These are gates through which I hope never to have to pass again! As long as I keep my membership and education current, I won't have to!

And they also mean that I can offer my services to more people and have those services covered by more health insurance companies. Implied in the title of Counselling Therapist is the word "registered" - which means automatic recognition by the provincial (and in some cases, federal) government as a provider of counselling services, up to but not including assessment and diagnosis.

The letters after my name, contrary to what I always thought as a child, are NOT about tooting my own horn, but me telling other people that I am recognized and authorized to do what I do by the powers that be. Those letters give folks a sense of safety, of comfort, as they speak of a certain standard of training, practice, and experience that assures them that I can be trusted when they open up to me.  


I worked hard for those letters, and I am pleased to be able to offer them up to any future clientele as a safety net. 

Today, for some reason, my thoughts dwell on my brother Ben, who passed away on February 24, 2020. He was so proud of me for getting my degree and always told people that I was studying to be a psychologist (his word, not mine). I always reminded him of the difference between psychologist and psychotherapist: the first is a protected term and requires a PhD; the second is a Master's level counsellor. 

And now I can also use a protected term: Counselling Therapist. How do I feel about that? 

Pretty darn good.

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