I am finally licensed in another state

Well, kinda…. I am now licensed in the state of Florida to do teletherapy, not in person therapy, but, I have never been to Florida so I am fine with it. The LMFT licensing process isn’t easy in general, and it’s different for other states. However, Florida was not so bad, and I can say with confidence, it was low stress. Some states you can get a subsequent license via endorsement, other states require you to basically start all over, and a few states allow you can get a temporary license. Ultimately in looking through requirements to every state, I decided to go with the most populated states, and apply to the lower stress more straightforward ones (Virginia).

Other states I'm applying to

I just submitted my application for Virginia and hopefully will hear back by March. I am also currently in the process with Washington—and naturally I already fucked up my application. I will most likely end up applying for licensure in New York, Texas, and maybe Connecticut.

I haven't taken an exam in almost 9 years

I will most likely have to take the LMFT National Exam to get licensed in WA, NY, TX, and CT. Although I will only have to take it once, the idea of studying for an exam right now brings up mixed feelings. On the one hand, it does not matter at all if I fail. On the other hand, I can’t help but think, it would be a pain in the ass if I failed. Luckily at this point in my life, failure doesn’t feel like a huge ego bruise like it used to, but the trade off is the dread of re-applying to take the exam, studying more, and balancing work, studying, friends, etc.

The ultimate testament to my difficulty paying attention

Whenever there’s anything that has to do with paperwork, reading, and getting different types of one thing done (old school fingerprints and livescan fingerprints), I make tons of mistakes. I misread information and forget to fill out a sections because I skipped it and didn’t come back. The ultimate move for me has been the one where I take a pause that results in my application lapsing, only for me to start all over. Maybe you can relate to this type of chaos, if so, you’re not alone.

My Florida favorites

Go listen to one of my favorite Florida musicians, Northbound.

......and also this classic because I can't help myself (artist not from FL)