Unlicensed The two therapists who killed Candace Newmaker were both legally allowed to practice in Colorado Connell Watkins had been an unlicensed psychotherapist registered with the State of Colorado which allowed her to practice which she had done for over fifteen years in Colorado Julie Ponder was a marriage and family therapist in California and under reciprocity agreements was allowed to practice in Colorado These are facts which came out in trial It was part of the scandal of this case that the little girl was a killed during what was claimed to be psychotherapy and b killed by persons legally allowed to practice Additionally part of the importance of the case was that these convictions were the first time that practicing therapists were criminally convicted for maltreatment during a therapy session where the criminality did not involve sexual misconduct Thus it is both inaccurate and misses the point to qualify these therapists as unlicensed While some mental health practitioners would like to place Newmaker s killers as outside the legal framework mental health practice licensing but that is only their point of view and is not supported by the facts of the matter I have accordingly improved the article to remove the words unlicensed as being wrong POV and misleading to Wiki readers