REGISTERED   PROFESSIONAL  COUNSELORS

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Requirements

 

Registered Professional Counselors must meet the following standards:

  • Education: Hold a graduate degree in counseling or a related field from a regionally accredited institution of higher education. The applicant must have completed  48 semester or 72 quarter hours/units of graduate level coursework with at least one graduate level course, three semester hours or four and one half quarter hours/units in length,  in each of the following areas: Human Growth and Development, Social and Cultural Foundations, Helping Relationships, Group Work, Career and Lifestyle Development, Appraisal, Research and Program Evaluation, and Professional Orientation and Ethics. Complete two academic terms of supervised field experience in a counseling setting (details of course requirements).

    Note:   Professional Counselor licensure will require a course in psychopathology. 

  • Examination: Pass the National Counselor Exam (NCE) of the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) (details of exam).   The Registry will administer the NCE twice a year.  See testing page for dates and locations.

Applicants who have completed their degrees may apply to take the NCE before they have completed two years of supervised experience.

  • Experience: Document two years post-masters counseling experience with 3,000 hours of work as a counselor and 100 hours of face-to-face supervision over the two year period.

The two-year experience requirement is waived for graduates of programs accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP).

Note: The education, exam and experience requirements may have already been met for those who currently hold the National Certified Counselor (NCC) by the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC), the Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) by the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification, or are licensed in  another state with equivalent requirements.

  • Ethics: Agree to abide by the Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice of the American Counseling Association (ACA) (http://www.counseling.org).

  • Renewal: Document 100 hours of continuing education each five years or re-take and pass the exam.

 

 
 

 

Fees

 

Application fee:              $125.00


Examination fee:            $125.00


Five-year renewal fee:   $125.00

All fees are subject to change.