Does it Have to Be This Way?

As a student completes a master’s program in counseling and prepares to begin the work, they’re often faced with difficult decisions and even more questions:

• How long until I can actually do therapy?

• Where can I work while waiting to test and have my candidacy approved?

• Now that I have all my approvals, who should supervise me?

• Where can I earn my hours?

• Where will the clients come from?

• How long is this going to take?

These are the real challenges that future LPCs in Oklahoma face, often without enough support or clear guidance. Classmates are struggling with the same confusion. Graduates ahead of them seem overwhelmed. And fully licensed therapists sometimes appear distant from the process. Why is that?

To become a licensed therapist in Oklahoma, students must complete a 60-credit hour master’s degree from an accredited program. That’s more intensive than many other graduate degrees, and it comes at a significant financial and emotional cost. With that much investment, it’s fair to wonder — shouldn’t the path get easier from here?

Most future LPCs I’ve spoken with over the years find this stage of the journey frustrating, unclear, and far more stressful than expected. Some step away from the field altogether, taking their degree into an unrelated career. Not everyone who signs up for the work of becoming a mental health professional fully realizes it typically requires 2.5 years of graduate education, a six-month post-graduation waiting period, and then 1.5 to 2 years of supervised candidacy before they can be called a licensed therapist.

Many envision having a private practice — being their own boss, creating meaningful change, setting their own schedule. But few are taught the nuts and bolts of running a small business, managing billing systems, leasing office space, or marketing their practice to reach the right clients.

At Third Space, part of our mission is to support these future counselors.

Too many burn out before they begin. Others never receive the mentorship they need during those first critical years. And most of us? We didn’t go into this field for the paperwork. We went into it because we care about people.

Third Space is a creative, collaborative therapy office in East Norman, Oklahoma. We provide a supportive environment for new and early-career counselors — offering supervision, mentorship, guidance, and thoughtfully designed therapy spaces to help you build your practice with confidence.