Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC)
Note: Counselors need two years post-master's experience to qualify for grandfathering.
Summary of REQUIREMENTS during GRANDFATHERING PERIOD: January 1, 2011 – June 30, 2011.
Note: Applicants will submit their qualifications to the Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) during this six-month period. If there are deficiencies, the applicant will have 12 months from the date of notification from the BBS to complete requirements. Requirements that may be completed during this 12-month period may include deficiencies in the years of experience, supervised hours, coursework and examinations.
Education: A master’s or doctoral degree from an accredited institution, which is counseling or psychotherapy in content, includes 6 semester units of supervised practicum or fieldwork study, and contains at least 3 semester units, or four and one half quarter units, of coursework in the following 9 core content areas.
Degrees issued Jan 1, 1996 and after shall include a minimum of 48 semester units and 7 of the 9 core content areas, all of which must be completed before licensure.
Degrees issued prior to Jan 1, 1996 shall include a minimum of 30 semester units and include 6 of the 9 core content areas, all of which must be completed before licensure.
(A) Counseling and psychotherapeutic theories and techniques (includes counseling theories, selection of counseling interventions, orientation to wellness and prevention, etc.)
(B) Human growth and development across the lifespan (includes psychopathology, normal and abnormal behavior, developmental crises)
(C) Career development theories and techniques
(D) Group counseling theories and techniques
(E) Assessment, appraisal and testing
(F) Multicultural counseling theories and techniques
(G) Principles of diagnosis, treatment planning and prevention of mental and emotional disorders and dysfunctional behavior
(H) Research and evaluation
(I) Professional orientation, ethics and law in counseling
In addition to, or as part of the graduate degree, instruction in each the following content areas must be completed prior to licensure:
Note: With the exception of the course in psychopharmacology, which is a university graduate or undergraduate credit course, these are continuing education courses. See Providers of Coursework on this website for available courses.
(1) Minimum of 15 contact hours of instruction in alcoholism and other chemical substance dependency
(2) Minimum of 10 contact hours of instruction in human sexuality
(3) Two-semester unit or three quarter-unit survey course in psychopharmacology
(4) Minimum of 15 contact hours of instruction in spousal or partner abuse
(5) Minimum of seven contact hours of instruction in child abuse assessment & reporting
(6) Minimum of 18 contact hours of instruction in California law and professional ethics, if not included in required core content area
(7) Minimum of 10 contact hours of instruction in aging and long-term care
(8) Minimum of 15 contact hours of instruction in crisis/trauma counselingSupervision: Two years full-time or the equivalent, post-degree counseling experience, that includes 1,700 hours of experience in a clinical setting supervised by a licensed marriage and family therapist, a licensed clinical social worker, a licensed psychologist, a licensed physician and surgeon specializing in psychiatry, or a master’s level counselor or therapist who is certified by a national certifying or registering organization, including, but not limited to, the National Board for Certified Counselors or the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification.
Note: Counselors who have not been supervised may earn the 1,700 supervised hours between now and application for grandfathering and then complete any additional hours needed in the 12 months allowed for completion of deficiencies. The BBS will not oversee supervision for grandfathering, but a form for the supevisor to sign will be included in the LPCC application packet, which will be available from the BBS about October 2010.
Examination: Passing score on the following three exams:
The National Counselor Examination (NCE) or the Certified Rehabilitation Counselor Examination CRCE)
The National Clinical Mental Health Counselor Examination (NCMHCE)
A California jurisprudence and ethics examination
Note: The national exams will be administered in California before and during the grandfathering period by the National Board for Certified Counselors. Watch this website for a schedule and locations. See study guides for these exams under Providers of Coursework on this website. The California jurisprudence exam is yet to be written. The required 18-unit continuing education course on California law and ethics should be good preparation. See Providers of Coursework on this website.
Renewal: A license issued under the grandfathering regulations is valid for six years, provided it is renewed annually. After the six-year period, the license will be cancelled unless the licensee renews the license annually and passes exams required for licensure on or after January 1, 2012, or documents that he or she has already passed those exams. The Board of Behavioral Sciences has until 2012 to adopt the national exams or develop California licensing exams, which grandparented licensees will have to pass to retain licensure.
Currently licensed MFTs and LCSWs in the State of California must meet all of the above coursework requirements and meet the following examination requirement.
The BBS and the Office of Professional Examination Services shall jointly develop an examination on the differences, if any differences exist, between the following:
- The practice of professional clinical counseling and the marriage and family therapy professions.
- The practice of professional counseling and the clinical social work professions.
If the BBS, in consultation with the Office of Professional Examination Services, determines that an exam is necessary pursuant to this section, the applicant shall pass the examination as a condition of licensure.
Click here to see entire section 4999.54 in the bill, regarding grandparenting, and 4999.56, regarding renewal.
