Counseling 521: Requirements for Counselor in the State of PA

This internship is 3000 clock-hours with at least 1,500 being direct client care (Texas State Board of Examiners, 2015). The intern hours may not be completed in less than 18 months and not longer than 5 years (Counseling licensure in Texas, 2015). After completing the internship, the person will apply to the Texas State Board of Examiners of Professional Counselors for the LPC title (Counseling licensure in Texas, 2015). A LPC license must be renewed every two years. The person must complete 24 hours of continuing education credit and retake the Texas Jurisprudence examination every renewal period (Counseling licensure in Texas, 2015).

Becoming a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) has important components to consider. Careful research about Colorado’s requirements to attain licensure is needed to learn more about these requirements. Once you have researched your state’s statutes and regulations, requirements of education, practicum and internship, and staying in good standing as a counselor, you are ready to consider a career as a professional counselor. A LPC is a futuristic goal that can be achieved once important components are considered.

According to the American Counseling Association (ACA) website the organization’s mission is to help society by offering well trained professional counselors. In the process, assisting counselors develop into the contingent professional’s in which society can depend upon, at the same time stimulating human self-worth and diversity. When counselors are trained in graduate school the aspects that goes into becoming a professional counselor, is they equipped with a vast amount of knowledge. Some of the basics include how to work with diverse populations, acknowledging their own biases, how to advocate for the client who is among an oppressed population, congruency with their clients, empathic listening and communication skills, knowing when to refer a client to the appropriately trained counselor and many more. All of these elements and more are just some of the tools, professional counselors are required in order maintain the standards the American Counseling Association’s mission statement entails.

I desire to pursue school counseling as my career to become an effective and successful leader in this profession. Why? I have always held a passion for touching the lives of the youth in a great and positive manner. A licensed school counselor entails helping students with academic achievement, personal/social growth and career development, ensuring students become the industrious, well-balanced adults of tomorrow. while, operating as a professional school counselor involves me obtaining the appropriate knowledge and skills that will support me with providing exceptional service for clients. I believe that I can obtain this intelligence here at Capella University. I comprehend that as a professional school counselor I would be expected

Mrs. Freeman currently holds a Bachelors degree in Elementary Education with a minor in Geography and a Masters in Counseling from A&M University. She also has an English as a Second Language Certification from B University. The cost of tuition from A&M was approximate $10,000. Then the approximate cost of tuition from B was $4,000. With the help of family members and loans Mrs. Freeman was able to pay for books and tuition for both of the Universities. Participation in continuing education is often required for the renewal of a license or certification. In states without licensure or certification laws, professional counselors are certified by the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC). The law requires counselors to hold certification from the State Board of Educator Certification (SBEC) or The Texas Education Agency (TEA). Mrs. Freeman would also like to add, “The cost of a education does not compare to the benefits of one!” And “ A higher education can provide options to various opportunities” (R. Freeman, personal communication, June 15,2009)

For Middle School counselors the work environment they typically work with students on social skills and study skills, as they make the difficult transition from youth to young adult. Middle school counselors may also assist some students with their educational goals particularly students in gifted programs and students with special needs or disabilities. Early adolescence is the time when most students first begin to consider their future goals and their place in the world, and a school counselor can provide vital guidance in what opportunities lie ahead. he first step in the education of a school counselor is to obtain a bachelor 's degree - usually in counseling, psychology, education or social work, though a degree in a related field can be acceptable. Following this four-year program, candidates must obtain a specialized master 's degree in school counseling, which is required by most states for employment as a counselor in a school or university setting. Some school counselors first work more directly in education (as

Counselors have a responsibility to monitor their effectiveness, in order to do this they need someone who is trained to assist them in understanding what is effective. Counselors have to seek supervision when appropriate and in order to do so a program needs to be in place that has supervisors readily available. The absence of clinical supervision may lead to counselors-in-training to lack the necessary skills to be a successful and productive counselor. Counselors need to develop a comprehensive understanding of the setting, population, needs, contexts and tasks of a counselor. As explained by Milne and Oliver (2000), Clinical supervision is central to initial professional training and to continuing professional development. It is necessary for counselors-in-training to refine their skills and get assistance in applying theories to any issues they may encounter with their clients. In addition to the everyday assistance necessary, a supervisor needs to present/model ethical behavior and counseling practices. In any profession the need for improvement is prominent and therefore any assistance and feedback given is appreciated and necessary. Expectations are increasing and therefore supervision is expected. Evidence shows that supervision results in school counselors’ increased effectiveness and accountability, improved professional development, and improved job performance, confidence, and comfort

Up to two to three years of work experience, internships and professional counselor outlook is a must. Internships are said to be the most important part on the path to becoming any sort of counselor. During these internships students are required to participate in assigned community group sessions, private-tutor individual sessions, present and organize group lessons, participate in student achievement activities and excel in mock/exit level interviews. By doing all this you will hopefully gain confidence in real a real life setting with a mentor constantly guiding you to the point that you no longer need them. Moreover it gives you a real life perspective of whether this career is for you or not while opening your eyes to your own abilities. And lastly after partaking in about two to three years under supervision, this gets you ready for the licensing exam (The National Counselor Examination or the “NCE”) which is a 200 question application based test that includes the entire curriculum and is timed for 4 hours exactly. The curriculum will test as following counseling issues, processes, assessments and diagnostics, professional development and consultation, professional practice, human growth and development, relationship work, group work, social and cultural diversity, research and evaluation, and ethics.

The initial step to becoming a LPC in the state is to complete a graduate level educational program at an accredited college. This same program has to be accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) or the Council on Rehabilitation Education (CORE). In any instances that the program is not accredited by either of these councils, it must be the equivalent. About 48 semester hours of coursework are expected of each candidate. The state law allows prospective counselors to acquire a high-quality education that initially serves them as they prepare to meet the needs of individual patients.

The role of a school counselor is an intriguing one because they do not work with a specific type of client. While they will always be working with young children or teenagers, the problems their clients come to them with can be so different from client to client. One session might be dealing with questions about career choices. Another might be about dealing with bullying. Some days a school counselor may even have to be there for a child who was a victim of sexual or physical abuse. It is because of this wide range of demands that a school counselor should be well-versed in many types of counseling theories.

The school counseling profession has evolved over time into a collaborative model. This collaborative model involves teachers, school administrators, parents, counselors, other school personal, and community stakeholders. The first guidance program was developed in 1895. In 1926 New York became the first state to require guidance workers to be certified; in 1929 New York became the first state to have full time guidance workers. In 1952 the American Personnel and Guidance Association (APGA) was established, now known as American Counseling Association (ACA). In 1952 The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) was established. In 1958 the National Defense Education Act was passed, which increased training and

After going over the rules/regulations for Georgia's school counseling, I found it to be very important to go ahead and read so that I can be prepare on what next steps to take in order to become licensed. One of Georgia's rules and regulations for school counseling that I found to be interesting was that in order to receive a certificate in school counseling; rule 505-2-144 states that a person must complete a state certification preparation program in school counseling program at the master's degree level. It also mentions that a person also has to submit a valid state of Georgia professional school counselors license. For the requirements of licensure, Georgia's school counseling rules and regulations states that a person must show proof

Although professional standards were promoted throughout the 20th century in a wide range of settings (Centore & Milacci, 2008), it has only within the last quarter century or so that the counseling profession established a formal entity called the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) in 1981 for this purpose (Adams, 2006). A year later, the National Board for Certified Counselors, Inc. and Affiliates (NBCC) was established in 1982 to provide accreditation standards for counselor education as well as a method of assessing educational knowledge (Adams, 2006). In this regard, Juhnke (2009) reports that, "The NBCC was established through the American Counseling Association (ACA) in 1982. The reason for NBCC's original existence

According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook, it is evident that these counselors are able to work in public or private school settings. They are also able to work in settings other than schools, such as in career centers. Another attractive feature is that it requires a master’s degree. I feel that pursuing a master’s degree would open many doors for my professional career. One thing I learned about this occupation is that school counselors do not typically work in the summer when school is out of session.

Allison must then complete the Praxis 1 exam which measures basic skills in reading, writing and mathematics.