License Information
Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)
The license information below is specific to the state of Minnesota.
Description
License Requirements:
Applicants must have, in addition to other requirements, "a supervised field experience of not fewer than 700 hours that is counseling in nature." Accordingly, the applicant's graduate records must be able to support 700 hours of supervised field experience.
The 700 hours of supervised field experience must be supported by a letter from the Graduate Program sent directly from the program to the board office if that information is not documented on the applicant's transcript.
Applicants must have completed a master's or doctoral degree program in counseling that includes a minimum of 48 semester hours. In order to meet licensure requirements, graduate semester credits earned after the degree was awarded can be used to reach the 48 hour requirement.
At the completion of the first four years of licensure, every licensee must provide evidence to the board of completion of 12 additional postgraduate semester credit hours (or its equivalent) in counseling, except that no licensee is required to show evidence of greater than 60 semester hours or its equivalent (Minnesota Session Laws 2005, chapter 147, article 5, amending Minn. Stat. section 148B.54, subd. 2).
Licensure requirements:
1. By Examination (Minn. Stat. sec. 148B.53, subd. 1).
a) Master's or Doctoral degree in counseling or a related field, from a program that is Council for Accreditation of Counseling & Related Educational Programs (CACREP) accredited or by an accrediting agency recognized by CHEA.
b) Degree upon which licensure is based must include at least 48 semester or 72 quarter credits; a minimum 700 hour supervised field experience; and specific academic course content in ten subject areas. However, Minn. Stat. sec.148B.531 allows up to 20 semester or 30 quarter credits and any of the field experience hours to be completed post-degree for licensure purposes. If more than 20 semester or 30 quarter credits are earned post-degree, they must be earned in an organized sequence of study. Additionally, Minn. Stat. sec. 148B.53, subd. 1(e) indicates that if the degree program upon which licensure is based was accredited by the CACREP, the ten subject areas are deemed to have been met. The ten core content areas are:
1. The helping relationship, including counseling theory and practice;
2. Human growth and development;
3. Lifestyle and career development;
4. Group dynamics, processes, counseling, and consulting;
5. Assessment and appraisal;
6. Social and cultural foundations, including multicultural issues;
7. Principles of etiology, treatment planning, and prevention of mental and emotional disorders and dysfunctional behavior;
8. Family counseling and therapy;
9. Research and evaluation; and
10. Professional counseling orientation and ethics.
c) 2,000 hours of supervised professional practice; these hours may be (1) hours that were completed prior to licensure, if the Board finds the past supervision acceptable, or (2) they may be completed after licensure, based on a supervision plan that is accepted by the Board.
d) Successful completion of the National Counseling Examination (NCE) administered by the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC) or an alternate examination, determined by the Board to be equivalent to the NCE.
2. LPP or LP (Minn. Stat. sec. 148B.53, subd. 1[c] and 1[d])
a) Current Minnesota LPP or LP licensure.
b) Supervision: 2,000 hours of supervised professional practice.
LPP: These hours may be completed prior to or after LPC licensure if based on supervision that is accepted by the Minnesota Board of Psychology.
LP: Supervision completed for the LP license is accepted as meeting the 2,000 hours. True and correct copies of supervision verification submitted to the Minnesota Board of Psychology should be submitted to the BBHT.
3. Experienced Counselor Transition (Minn. Stat. sec. 148B.555)
a) Master's or Doctoral degree in counseling or a related field, from a program that is CACREP accredited or a institution that is CHEA accredited.
b) Documentation of five years of full-time postdegree work experience (or equivalent of 10,000 hours if part-time postdegree work experience) within the practice of professional counseling.
c) 2,000 hours of supervised professional practice; these hours may be (1) hours that were completed prior to licensure, if the Board finds the past supervision acceptable, or (2) they may be completed after licensure, based on a supervision plan that is accepted by the Board.
d) Successful completion of the National Counseling Examination (NCE) administered by the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC) or an alternate examination, determined by the Board to be equivalent to the NCE.
4. Reciprocity (Minn. Stat. sec. 148B.56)
a) Current licensure or a credential in another state that is determined by the Board to have substantially similar licensure requirements and scope of practice as Minnesota LPCs, pursuant to Minns. Stat. 148B.50 - .593.
APPLICATION PROCESS
Incomplete applications are returned to the applicant for completion. Each applicant is asked to review their application thoroughly before submission to ensure that it is completely and accurately filled out. Attachments that must be mailed directly to the board office from the issuing source are not required to be received before the application in order for the application to be accepted. These documents include NCE results, proof of 700 practicum/internship hours, official transcripts, and letters of standing. However, the application process will be delayed if these documents are not in the board office at the time the application is submitted.
Upon receipt of a completed application, any application materials that were submitted to the board office prior to receipt of the application, such as transcripts and letters of standing, will be incorporated into the file.
Upon completion, files are forwarded to the board's application and licensure committee for review. Completed files are reviewed in the order in which they were completed. The committee may take the following action on applications:
1. Delay making a decision pending additional information.: If the committee has any questions or concerns related to the application, no action will be taken on the application. The applicant will be notified in writing of the committee's decision and be asked to respond in writing to its concerns. Files that require re-review will be given priority at subsequent committee meetings.
2. Recommend that the application be denied: If the committee recommends denial of the application, the applicant will be notified in writing of all licensure options available.
3. Recommend that the application be approved: If the committee recommends approval of the application, it will be forwarded to the full board for final approval and the applicant will be notified in writing of his or her licensure.
License Fees:
License application fee for Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) - $250
Annual active license renewal fee for LPC - $200
License renewal late fee for LPC - $100 (per month or portion thereof)
Annual inactive license renewal fee for LPC - $100
Period:
Annual renewals.
Determination:
Not defined.
Other Information:
See Minn. Stat. 148B.50-.593
The National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC) web site, www.nbcc.org, has information about the National Counseling Exam and also has materials you may request to use as study guides.
Other resources for information:
American Counseling Association, www.counseling.org
The Minnesota Counseling Association, www.mncounseling.org
The Council for Accreditation of Counseling & Related Educational Programs (CACREP) www.cacrep.org
Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA)
www.chea.org.
Licensing Authority
Behavioral Health and Therapy (BBHT), Minnesota Board of ,2829 University Ave SE, Suite 210,Minneapolis,MN 55414,6512012758,http://www.bbht.state.mn.us
Phone: (651) 201-2758
http://www.bbht.state.mn.us
Data is collected by the Department of Employment and Economic Development.
