Professional Licensed Counselor Credentialing Requirements

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).

Along with getting licensed you will need thirty hours of continuing education every two years. You must take a three hour class in ethics and boundary issues and a two hour class in medical errors. However, every three renewal cycles, you must complete a two hour class in domestic violence. (Licensed Mental Health Counselor, 2015)

tuition and training, these are bodies like BACP. However, for counsellors who have done distance

Counseling is a tool that is widely used by many people. Merriam Webster’s Learner’s Dictionary defines counseling as advice and support that is given to people to help them deal with problems, and make important decisions. This paper examines the career of a Licensed Professional Counselor, the education requirements, certification and licensure levels or requirements, salary, and the future of this profession.

The interview occurred at 8:30 am in the Main Office of Towles Montessori. It began with discussing the education needed to obtain a certification or license as an Educational Counselor. As it turns out, an individual does not need to major in psychology during their undergraduate; however, one does need to complete a Master’s Degree in the Sciences in whatever area of expertise the individual wants to focus on within their future career. In her case, she obtained a Master’s Degree in Educational Counseling. During her time in the Master’s Program, the courses that really made an impact were family and marriage and roughly 300 hours of clinical. The program she attended was a three year, year round program. After she

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.

A prospective LASW must complete 3,200 hours of supervised practice. This must include at least 800 hours of direct client contact. During this time, the candidate must have 90 supervision hours. 50 supervision hours must be by an LASW or LICSW who has met DOH experience requirements; group or individual supervision is permitted. Up to 40 hours may be individual supervision with another qualified mental health professional.

Texas State Board of Examiners of Professional Counselors requires anyone who want a counselor’s license have a master’s degree between 2,000 and 4,000 hours of supervised clinical experience and pass the state exam as well a complete continuing education each year (DSHS, 2014).

The legislation now as of October has made it mandatory that anyone that does not have his or her CADC licenses, which is at the bachelors level, is now going to require individuals to qualify to new master level qualification of LADC for the state of Oklahoma. The state has also mandatory continuing education requirements for LADC and CADC for individuals to keep active with the licensure. Diana elaborated on some of these classes that the state sends out information on locations of these classes and the cost of each seminar and dates. There are also some online classes that you can take that are accredited for continuing education requirements for licensure.

My career goals are to become at license professional counselor, license chemical dependency counselor and a certified crisis counselor who specializes in trauma and career counseling. The steps I will take to achieve my career goals are, finish my degree and pass the required exams required by the state of Texas. In addition, I have to take 3, 000 supervised hours for the state of Texas to be license as a professional counselor. Since, I already have my LCDC-I, I just need 4,000 supervised hours to complete my chemical dependency counselor license. My personal growth is; I would like to growth as a professional counselor. I want to be able to be knowledgeable in the different approaches that I uses doing my practice. I believe the best way

An applicant must obtain a master’s or doctoral degree from a mental health field and accumulate 60 graduate semester hours in counseling from a regionally accredited institution of higher education including 9 courses specific to counseling. Candidates must pass a DPH exam in counseling. In October of 2017, the state is changing its requirements for graduate programs to add 100 hours of practicum with at least 40 hours of direct client contact and 600 hours in mental health counseling internship consisting of 240 hours of direct client contact. (Department of Health, 2016)

Required coursework for certification includes 60 hours of providing supervised counseling of direct services to individuals and groups outside of the candidate's official internship/field experience working with individuals and groups (60 clock hours) (State certification requirements, 2012, American School Counselor).

In the statue of rules of regulations in Indiana to become a certified addiction counselor, the three statues that I found interested is: a certification in addiction counseling is acceptable, ten years of experience of being a addiction counselor, and under supervision, there is one hundred fifty credit hours needs to be complete in a internship. The credentials that needed to have a certification in addiction counselor is to have thirty-six credits and a practicum. An addiction counselor can have a minimum of a high school diploma or can have a bachelor degree. I can receive a certification unless than a year and can practice in the State of Indiana.

The licensing process in California requires a total of 3,000 hours and a minimum of 104 weeks.  Trainees need 1 hour of supervised training for every 5 direct client hours.  For internship there is a total of 600 hours which consists of 360 direct client contact, 180 couple and family therapy and 40 hours of direct service (BBS, 2012).  California students can only acquire a maximum of 750 hours before receiving the master’s degree (BBS, 2012). Capella does not exceed the California maximum with practicum or internship.