psychologist jobs (Los Angeles: insurance, home, to live)

[mindheart]

Hi, I am considering moving from Europe to Los Angeles to work as a psychologist/therapist. I am searching the jobsites, but I guess it's true that 'if you know someone who knows someone you can get lucky' or shorter: 'who' and knowing the right people in the field. I do not have any social network in LA..yet. Psychology is just not that huge in my city..

So I have a Masters Degree, counseling experience and good credentials. I am new in the field though, and my plan is to get at least one year of experience home before moving abroad. I now have 5 months of experience in private practice end 5 months in voluntary counseling in the public sector and many different clients and psychological issues. I am mostly interested in the private sector/practice. My clients here say I am good:-) and taking what my mentor said I believe them.

Does anybody know something I don't?
Please feel welcome to enlight me...advise and help and if you yourself have a private practice even better

[Green Irish Eyes]

First of all, unlike the European Union, you'll need the appropriate visa to be able to work here legally. Also, most psychologists are state-licensed, which means you'll need to meet specific education and practice requirements, as well as pass mandated exams.

And if you're in private practice, you'll have to start from scratch to build a clientele, which means you'll need a good deal of savings to live off while you're building your practice.

I hope that helps!

[mindheart]

Sorry, not really.
The thing is...I already know of that. 'Sad enough' it occurs in Europe too.
This isn't to say that there shouldn't be any rules, demands, regulations, requirements, etc. for the sake of me as a psychologist and my clients. My ethics are quite strong about this.
What I wish to get more info on is the overall 'culture' in the subject matter, the networks or the 'know who' (not exactly and entirely 'how'), the underlying categories. Sure you must know that one can be supervised to get a license, one doesn't have to have a license just after graduation or just after some well-grounded experiences. One doesn't have to have a visa either forehead. One can travel, get some contacts moving and then apply for a visa while staying there. And the money is here a necessary factor, I also know of. One doesn't have to have a license either, if one has a good reputation and trusts of his/her abilities in the field based upon others credentials and praisings or years of experiences that too can be enough to get started elsewhere and never have to have a 'license'. Its' all too conservative in-the-system-thinking to expect otherwise, its' what we get taught to do, go by the book at all times, though many get that license at the end just to please everybody. Rules have holes and gaps. You don't have to go entirely by the ''book'' at least at the beginning. As I said it's good for everyone especially the client that can end up going on a false pretence 'psychologist', but if one is a psychologist one shouldn't have to worry.

I didn't write here with the thought that once I get there I' d open my own place just like that. I know what it's all about.
Why I also joined this forum is to hear from good hearted and helpfull people especially from the field. Some positive thinking wouldn't be unwelcomed...at all!
So how can you help here?

[Green Irish Eyes]

Originally Posted by mindheart

One doesn't have to have a license either, if one has a good reputation and trusts of his/her abilities in the field based upon others credentials and praisings or years of experiences that too can be enough to get started elsewhere and never have to have a 'license'.

If you want to be able to bill insurance companies, which is how most Americans pay for mental health services then, sorry, you DO need to be licensed.

I'm not sure we have m/any mental health professionals here, so you might have better luck googling for a forum that's populated by those folks.