Scope of Practice
This post explains a few things related to the scope of practice of my work, for anyone who would like to do some healing work together. Please read what feels relevant for you and feel free to ask any questions using my contact form.
Coaching and Expressive Arts Therapy Facilitation
The work I currently do now, coaching work for organizations (hollymaehaddock.com) and Expressive Arts Facilitation provided through LionSong process, is not the same as clinical work with a licensed therapist, offered under the governance of the Board of Psychology.
I do not diagnose or treat psychological disorders or make treatment plans. This work is not intended to replace work with a licensed psychotherapist. Inevitably, my style is informed by my clinical background and experiences, making this coaching and facilitation trauma-informed and deeply steeped in psychotherapeutic principles, but I am not currently working in the role of clinician.
Associate Marriage and Family Therapist registration, current standing
In 2025, I submitted paperwork to re-register as an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist in the State of California.
My intention is to slowly pursue the licensure path in the State of California so that I may have more options in the future for providing the clinical services that my education and training actually permits and qualifies me to do.
I am at the start of this re-entry to the field, and have begun with participating in clinician trainings that will help situate me back into the field of psychology as it is now in 2025.
It is permitted to be both a coach and a psychotherapist, as long as you’re not providing those services to the same client, and as long as you have a clarifying discussion about how coaching differs from psychotherapy.
Law and Ethics of Providing Healing Services as a Coach
I take ethical and legal concerns and requirements very seriously. My intention is always to work in alignment to health and wholeness at every level, with full consent and awareness of participants and people who hire me.
If you have questions about my education, training in a certain modality, certification, and whether my healing approaches will be appropriate for you, please do not hesitate to ask me using the contact form.
More About My Clinical Background
There are established legal and ethical requirements for practicing psychology as profession, to ensure that consumers of mental health services are protected from potentially inappropriate forms of help. The licensure process requires a Masters level of education in combination with a minimum number of supervised clinical hours (different by state, but generally requiring a few years to complete).
Licensure can be understood as a safeguard, to guarantee that services are provided by someone who has been adequately trained. Licensure currently defines and delimits what types of healing can take place under the umbrella of a certain title, such as therapist, counselor, or coach.
My Masters in Counseling Psychology from California Institute of Integral Studies (2004-2007) prepared me for licensure as a clinician, according to legal and ethical requirements to practice psychotherapy as a Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT) in the State of California. I first registered with the Board of Psychology in 2006 in Berkeley, California.
I completed the required number of supervised clinical hours by working in California and Michigan, where I worked for 4+ years with homeless children and families, dual diagnosis, severe and chronic mental illness, addictions treatment, and juvenile justice. During this time, I was working as a supervised intern (now called an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist). I offered my services under the license of another professional while accruing experience and hours towards licensure, as is the standard in the profession of Marriage and Family Therapy.
Moving to Europe
At the moment in time when licensure was a possibility (after completing my hours), I decided for personal reasons to move to Germany. I ended up staying for a longer period of time, and this is when things got interesting!
Moving outside of the United States made it impossible to submit my accrued hours and apply for licensure, as physical residence within the licensing state is required. There is also a time window for counting of those accrued hours, and by staying outside of the United States for too long (I ended up staying for 6 years), I missed the window of time. I worked in a private practice in Berlin working with ex-pats, receiving supervision from another ex-pat therapist who had been licensed in the United States, for about 2 years. I eventually began to work as a coach in a Berlin tech company, where it was my full time position to meet with employees and teams, coaching principles of psychological safety and creative work psychology.
When I returned to working in the United States in 2015, I was required to start over in the accrual of hours, if I wanted to work in the field of mental health. I re-registered in the state of California in 2016, and worked for one year again as an AMFT potentially working towards licensure. I then moved, for personal reasons, to Portland, OR, which has a somewhat different state and licensure journey, which again complicated the path. For the years I lived in Portland, I worked solely in non-clinical contexts, providing coaching, teaching, and group facilitation, and my California registration expired.
I have continued a practice offering work coaching services throughout this time, through my workplace coaching practice, Creative Work Ecosystems (hollymaehaddock.com). I also offer private coaching sessions through LionSong, for a different type of client. When I offer sessions through LionSong Process, I am offering private coaching of the use of Expressive Arts therapeutic practices and principles for self-healing, creativity, and spirituality, through facilitation of Expressive Arts Therapy experiences.
Thank you for reading!