What is the difference between a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and a Registered Intern?

After earning a masters degree in counseling or social work, the state requires further experience before licensure. Before graduating, a student has earned 700 hours of on-site training, and passed a competency exam. Much like medical school, after graduation, one must complete a residency, to gain more experience in a specialized area. Our field refers to this as the “registered intern” process. It takes a minimum of two years, and another 1500 hours of experience, while working with a qualified supervisor, who is their mentor through the process. All of our interns are highly qualified and competent in the areas they advertise.