Licensed Counselor Counseling

The first step in developing any career is inspection of the educational requirements. According to the Board of Licensed Professional Counselor Examiners (2016), a LPC in

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 would like to pursue counseling as my career and become a successful leader in the field. I have always had a passion to assist people in emotional distress. As a qualified professional in the counseling field, I would be able to identify their problems as well as offer them the most appropriate solutions that may help them deal with their situations. However, working as a professional counselor requires that I possess the relevant skills and knowledge that would enable me to offer quality services in which I think that I can obtain the skills at Capella University. As a

According to Porter, Gildon, & Zgliczynski (2000), people claiming to be counselors is a serious problem in the state of California because no formal standards are set for appropriate licensure except for that of a marriage counselor. This lack of standards and credentials causes many problems for those seeking advice and assistance with a particular problem. More importantly, the public is not protected even if they take a case to court and the “counselor” is found guilty. What is to be taken away? He can continue to practice because he does not have a certificate to begin with. Lreh

B. The counseling profession itself is a little more than a hundred years old. A license can be gained in almost every state for the profession. In order to unify the profession as a whole though there are still steps that need to be

In 2010, I obtained my Bachelor of Science in Human Services degree from University of Phoenix. I began the journey towards my Masters degree in Counseling in

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)

What is a Licensed Professional Counselor? “Licensed professional counselors are health service providers that are trained to work with individuals, families, and groups in treating mental, behavioral, and emotional problem disorders” (Who are Licensed Professional Counselors, 2011). Licensed Professional Counselors also provide substance abuse care to millions of Americans. LPCs are employed in community mental health centers, agencies, and organizations. (Who are Licensed Professional Counselors, 2011) They are covered by managed healthcare organizations and health plans. (Who are Licensed Professional

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.

A counselor must have a license as issued by the state in which they want to practice. One who wants to have a business as a counselor in private practice should think through all the obstacles first according to Remley & Herlihy (2016). One will need to acquire a business license as well as buy insurance for workers’ compensation. They will also need liability insurance and make sure they are acting within all state requirements. One in private practice should have an attorney on hand in case the need for one should arise. If the counselor in private practice is not going to handle all of the billing, payment and taxation issues they will need to hire an accountant. One should also decide if they have the financial stability to open their own business. Personally, I would gain as much experience and expertise as I could prior to establishing my own private

They can have a master’s or a doctorate in clinical, educational, counseling, or research psychology (NAMI, 2013).

Across the United States, there are different licensing procedures and protocol for each state in regards to Licensed Professional Counseling. Pennsylvania’s state licensure requirements were obtained through the Department of Services website under the State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors.

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

Therapists in training, who need intern hours (under supervision of a licensed therapist) to qualify for a therapist's license.