Natran

Hi there,

I would really appreciate any advice or pointers. I am a recently qualified child and Adolescent Psychotherapist with an MA. My family and I are moving to LA and I am trying to figure out how I license myself in California. According to my research so far The board of Behavioural Sciences do not have a category for Child and Adolescent psychotherapists, rather they have 'Family and marriage therapist', of which my training and experience will not cover much of the requirements for this licence. After lots of time searching online I have hit a bit of dead end. I would hugely appreciate any advice on how other therapists with uk training have navigated their way into working in CA.

Also I will initially be on a spouse Visa so will not be able to work. I hope though to eventually be able to apply for a work visa, if there are any other therapists from the Uk that have managed this I would love to hear from you. Thanks so much!

scrubbedexpat099

May be moot as it sounds you have a H4, no idea but does not surprise me that there is no direct correlation.

I assumed most Therapists were self employed, may need to retrain but if there is no Employer likely to want to sponsor you may not be worth it.

Pulaski

That is a lot easier said than done.

The chances of sponsorship by an employer seems unlikely. If you can retrain and get a licence to practice then maybe self employment on an E-1 or E-2 might be possible.

If you're qualified to lecture, an uncapped H-1B is a possibility.

Noorah101

What exactly do you mean by "spouse visa"? Are you the spouse of a US citizen and will have an Immigrant Visa in hand?

Or is your spouse a UKC who is getting a work visa, with you getting a derivative spouse visa? If so, what visa is your spouse getting?

Rene