Credentials

By now you may wonder why I have so many different degree’s, licenses, and certifications. The reason is simple; I have a passion for providing the highest level of care to others. I believe that if you are going to work with an individual that is struggling with a mental health issue, a substance use disorder, trauma, or compulsive sexual behavior that it is important to be as knowledgeable about best practices for treatment. The field of behavioral health is an emerging industry. New treatment protocols come on line, best practices are enhanced and out dated models for treatment are also eliminated.

As such, I have taken it upon myself to train with some of the leading experts in the country in order to provide my clients with the highest level of care.

Below you will find explanations of my different credentials and the training necessary in order to both achieve and maintain my credentials.

LPC-Supervisor – Licensed Professional Counselor-Supervisor

The practice of professional counseling includes, but is not limited to, the diagnosis and treatment of mental and emotional disorders, including addictive disorders; psychoeducational techniques aimed at the prevention of such disorders; consultation to individuals, couples, families, groups, and organizations; and research into more effective therapeutic treatment modalities.

  • A master’s or doctoral degree in counseling or a counseling-related field from an accredited college or university.
  • A planned graduate program in counseling or a counseling-related field of at least 48 graduate semester hours.
  • A graduate degree and graduate coursework that was awarded or earned more than 10 years prior to the application date may not be used to fulfill the requirements for licensure unless the applicant has held a license issued by another state or has been counseling in Texas in an exempt setting for at least five years prior to the application date.
  • NOTE: Board rules specifically define “counseling -related field”: §681.2. Definitions (9) Counseling-related field – A mental health discipline utilizing human development, psychotherapeutic, and mental health principles including, but not limited to, psychology, psychiatry, social work, marriage and family therapy, and guidance and counseling. Non-counseling fields include, but are not limited to dance therapy, sociology, education, administration, and theology.
  • Applicants must obtain academic course work in each of the following areas: normal human growth and development; abnormal human behavior; appraisal or assessment techniques; counseling theories; counseling methods or techniques (individual and group); research; lifestyle and career development; social, cultural and family issues; and professional orientation
  • As part of the graduate program, a supervised practicum experience that is primarily counseling in nature. The practicum should be at least 300 clock-hours with at least 100 clock-hours of direct client contact. Academic credit for the practicum must appear on the applicant’s transcript.
  • After completion of the graduate degree and before application, an applicant must take and pass the National Counselor Exam and the Texas Jurisprudence Exam. After receiving a temporary LPC license from the board, the applicant may begin the supervised post-graduate counseling experience (internship). 3000 clock-hours with at least 1,500 being direct client contact of internship under the supervision of a board-approved supervisor is required. The 3000 clock-hours may not be completed in a time period of less than 18 months.
  • After working in the field for 5 years Marie then studied attended a 40 hour Supervisor training course in order to earn this designation.

LCDC – Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor

A licensed chemical dependency counselor, or LCDC, provides group, individual and family therapy sessions to people struggling with alcohol or drug problems. Training is extensive, requiring 270 classroom hours, followed by a 300-hour practicum, a 4,000-hour internship and passing a licensing examination.

SRT – Sexual Recovery Therapist

Certification Process
Marie trained with Dr. Doug Weiss founder of AASAT (American Association of Sex Addiction Therapists) as a Sexual Recovery Therapist. Dr. Weiss developed this 47-hour certification program utilizing his own proven methodology and modality, as well as his clinical application for treating sexual addiction. In addition, Dr. Weiss utilizes more than 200 sources for his curriculum. With this AASAT training, I gained proven clinical insight into treating addictive behaviors, involving pornography, prostitutes, multiple affairs plus training on counseling their partners and adult children.

  • Have A Masters Degree From A Regionally Accredited School Or University.
  • Must Be A Licensed Counselor In Your State (LPC, LMFT, LCDC, LPCP, LMHW, LCSW)
  • Complete The Sex Addiction Training (47 Hours)
  • Complete 6 Months Supervision With An Approved AASAT Supervisor**
  • Achieve A Passing Score On The Certification Exam.

CCPS – Certified Clinical Partner Specialist – Supervisor

Certification Process
APSATS (Association of Partners of Sex Addiction Trauma Specialists) has approved the following certification process for those therapists or coaches who have completed the 4 day APSATS MPTM Certification Training program. Once the applicant has successfully completed the training and receives a certificate of completion of the program, the applicant will then complete the following requirements for consideration for Certification by APSATS as a Certified Partner Specialist (CPS) or Certified Partner Coach (CPC).

To become certified after completion of the required training modules, an applicant will meet the following requirements:

  1. Licensed or license eligible in their state or comparable process from another country
  2. Completion of 30 hours of case consultation with an APSATS approved supervisor, which can be face-to-face or via telephone or Skype, and any combination of individual or group. You will also complete at least 125 hours of direct service with partners, couples, groups etc. while working toward certification.
  3. Copy of any state licenses or certifications
  4. Copy of graduate level education transcripts.
  5. In order to become a CCPS-Supervisor, a clinician must meet the Supervisor criteria of their state as well as attend continuing education in order to maintain this designation.

MAC – Master Addiction Counselor

  • Master’s Degree or higher in Substance Use Disorders and/or related counseling subjects from a regionally accredited institution of higher learning.
  • Current credential or license as a Substance Use Disorders or Professional Counselor (social worker, mental health, marriage & family, professional counselor, psychologist, psychiatrist, medical doctor) issued by a state or credentialing authority.
  • At least three years full-time or 6,000 hours of supervised experience as a Substance Use Disorder counselor.
  • At least 500 contact hours of education and training in Substance Use Disorders. Must include six hours of ethics training and six hours of HIV/AIDS-specific training within the last six years, all of which can be online.

NCACII – National Certified Addiction Counselor II

  • Bachelor’s Degree or higher in Substance Use Disorder/Addiction and/or related counseling subjects (social work, mental health counseling, psychology) from a regionally accredited institution of higher learning.
  • Current credential or license as a Substance Use Disorder/Addiction counselor issued by a state or credentialing authority.
  • At least five years full-time or 10,000 hours of supervised experience as a Substance Use Disorder/Addiction counselor.
  • At least 450 contact hours of education and training in Substance Use Disorder/Addiction. Must include six hours of ethics training and six hours of HIV/bloodborne pathogens training within the last six years. At least 50% of training hours must be face-to-face.
  • Passing score on the NCAC II examination within four years of the application.

PACT (Psychobiologial Approach to Couples Therapy) Level I

  • Developed by Dr. Stan Tatkin, PACT is a fusion of attachment theory, developmental neuroscience, and arousal regulation.  PACT has a reputation for effectively treating the most challenging couples.
  • PACT level 1 is 40 hours of training over 4 days
  • Focus on assessment strategies of partners’ attachment styles, Interventions that really work through didactic, experiential and small group exercises in order to integrate PACT techniques into practice.