Becoming Licensed During COVID-19: 
A Moment of Celebration and Excitement

Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic I became licensed, experiencing the surreal nature of life when a moment of intense trauma and grief is accompanied by a moment of celebration and excitement. The grounding presence through it all has been this work, requiring me to maintain my wellness priorities so that I can show up professionally. As LA-CAMFT’s Pre-Licensed Representative and 3000 Club Co-Chair, being with fellow associates and newly licensed clinicians in supportive online forums reminds me that I am part of a greater community. I leave those gatherings feeling rejuvenated and inspired.

The connection I receive through involvement with LA-CAMFT has and will continue to be a vital comfort in embarking on my life’s work. At a recent LA-CAMFT 3000 Club support group for pre-licensed and newly licensed members, someone provided the encouragement that we are “planting seeds” of change for people with whom we work. This is a phrase I’ve heard from various supervisors throughout training, and I began considering this image a step further:

In my mind, therapy is guiding another to a shelf in the dusty shed where the seeds have been sitting. We are dusting off the shelf so that they can see, encouraging them to keep coming back to the shed as they choose the flower, herb, or plant to start their garden. And we are walking alongside them as they encounter mole holes, rain showers, hummingbirds, and newfound joy on the way to the garden. And LA-CAMFT’s community has been this guide for me on the journey to licensure.  

I love the image of a garden because I celebrate life through plants. While volunteering for hospice and in my personal life, many loved ones have passed. And each time, I plant a new plant (now given to friends and neighbors as my apartment fills). I wonder, do we have enough planters to hold the grief of this moment? I think, yes; within this community, we will continue to hold space.

My hope is that these snippets of thought remind you to hang in there, especially to those associates and students feeling overcome by difficulties in training during a pandemic; take care of yourself. Take breaks, go outside, put on an old favorite and dance around in your apartment, do what you need to do to get through this unprecedented time. Be patient with wherever you are and reach out to LA-CAMFT.

I am enlivened in thinking about the collective power within the therapy community; an inimitable force for healing and connection that our grieving world so needs right now. You and your gifts are invaluable. Thank you to all who have welcomed me in as a member of this community and of the LA-CAMFT community.

To contact Hannah as Pre-Licensed Rep and 3000 Club Co-Chair, email her at prelicensed@lacamft.org

Hannah Campbell, LMFT, is in private practice in Santa Monica where she specializes in life transitions, developing identity and healthy relationships as a teen, rediscovering the self as an older adult, and building a thriving partnership and family. Hannah has an MA in Clinical Psychology from Pepperdine along with two undergraduate degrees, Psychology and Cinematic Arts, from USC. She also provides early interventional substance counseling to teens and families at a local non-profit. Website: hannahcampbelltherapy.com.