Maryland Department of Health Professional Counselor Licensure Requirements

Professional Counselor Licensure Requirements (LCPC)

SUPERVISED CLINICAL EXPERIENCE

A. Master’s Level Applicants

Applicants must complete 3 years with a minimum of 3,000 hours of supervised clinical experience in professional counseling under an approved supervisor. Of the required 3 years, 2 years must be post-graduate clinical supervision hours. One year may be acquired before the awarding of the master’s degree.

At least half of the requisite direct and indirect hours included as supervised clinical experience hours shall be completed under the supervision of a Board-approved supervisor who is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC).

B. Doctoral Level Applicants

Applicants must complete 2 years with a minimum of 2,000 hours of supervised clinical experience in professional counseling. Of the required 2 years, 1,000 hours must be acquired after the doctoral degree has been awarded.

At least half of the requisite direct and indirect hours included as supervised clinical experience hours shall be completed under the supervision of a Board-approved supervisor who is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC).

Education Requirements

Applicants must have:

(1)	One of the following in a professional counseling or related field from an accredited educational institution approved by the Board:
	(a)	A master’s degree with a minimum of 60 graduate semester credit hours or 90 graduate quarter credit hours or
	(b)	A doctoral degree with a minimum of 90 graduate semester credit hours or 135 graduate quarter credit hours.
(2)	A minimum of 3 graduate semester credit hours or 5 graduate quarter hours of instruction in each of the following areas:
	A.	HUMAN GROWTH AND PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT
	Instruction in this area shall include all of the following content:
		1.	The various stages of human development over the life span.
		2.	Theories of personality and human development.
		3.	The influence of human development and experiences on the development of Psychopathology.
	Examples of courses in this area:
		1.	Human Growth and Development
		2.	Personality Development
	B.	SOCIAL AND CULTURAL FOUNDATIONS OF COUNSELING
	Instruction in this area shall include all of the following content:
		1.	Aging, ethnicity, gender, psycho-sexual orientation.
		2.	Impact of social and cultural norms on human development.
		3.	Culture, subculture and socioeconomic influences on the counseling relationship.
	Examples of courses in this area:
		1.	Multicultural Counseling.
		2.	Social and Cultural Foundations of Counseling.
	C.	COUNSELING THEORY
	Instruction in this area shall include all of the following content:
		1.	Overview of major counseling/psychology theories.
		2.	The techniques and practices associated with the above theories.
	Examples of courses in this area:
		1.	Counseling Theory and Techniques.
		2.	Theories of Counseling and/or Psychotherapy.
		3.	Introduction to Psychotherapy Theories.
	D.	COUNSELING TECHNIQUES
	Instruction in this area shall include all of the following content:
		1.	The parameters and limitations of the treatment relationship.
		2.	The establishment of the client-counselor treatment contract.
		3.	Listening and interviewing skills.
		4.	The stages of clinical treatment.
		5.	Referral and termination.
	Examples of courses in this area:
		1.	Helping Relationship.
		2.	Introduction to Counseling.
		3.	Counseling Methods.
		4.	Techniques of Interviewing.
	E.	GROUP DYNAMICS, PROCESSING, AND COUNSELING
	Instruction in this area shall include all of the following content:
		1.	Theories, practices, and treatment in group counseling.
		2.	Principles of leading groups.
		3.	Experience in leading groups.
	Examples of courses in this area:
		1.	Group Counseling (or Therapy).
		2.	Group Therapy and Practice.
	F.	LIFESTYLE AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT
	Instruction in this area shall include all of the following content:
		1.	Life-Long processes that influence work values.
		2.	Occupational choice.
		3.	Creation of career patterns.
		4.	Career decision-making style.
		5.	Integration of occupational roles.
		6.	Career identity.
		7.	Patterns of work adjustment.
	Examples of courses in this area:
		1.	Career Guidance and Counseling
		2.	Career Development
		3.	Occupational Information
	G.	APPRAISAL
	Instruction in this area shall include all of the following content:
		1.	Formalized testing and measurements.
		2.	Informal assessment such as observations, interviews, and rating scales.
		3.	Mental status examination.
		4.	Theory of test construction, validity, and reliability.
		5.	Testing procedures and interpretation.
	Examples of courses in this area:
		1.	Individual Appraisal
		2.	Psychological Testing
		3.	Personality Testing
		4.	Psychological Measurement
		5.	Tests and Measurements
	H.	RESEARCH AND EVALUATION
	Instruction in this area shall include all of the following content:
		1.	Principles of performing quantitative and qualitative research.
		2.	Research design and methods.
		3.	Statistical tools and methods.
		4.	Reading and interpreting research.
	Examples of courses in this area:
		1.	Methods of Research
		2.	Statistics and Data Analysis
		3.	Research designs
		4.	Research in counseling
	I.	PROFESSIONAL, LEGAL, AND ETHICAL RESPONSIBILITIES
	Instruction in this area shall include all of the following content:
		1.	Professional orientation and responsibility.
		2.	Legal Issues.
		3.	Ethics of Practice.
		4.	Practice Specialization.
		5.	Codes of Ethics of National, Professional, Counseling Organizations.
	Examples of courses in this area:
		1.	Professional and Ethical Issues
		2.	Ethics and Legal Issues in Counseling
	J.	MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPY
	Instruction in this area shall include all of the following content:
		1.	Overview of system theories.
		2.	Principles of working with couples and families.
		3.	Stages of family life cycle development.
		4.	Intervention strategies.
	Examples of courses in this area:
		1.	Marriage and Family Counseling (or Therapy)
		2.	Family Systems and Intervention
	K.	ALCOHOL AND DRUG COUNSELING
	Instruction in this area shall include all of the following content:
		1.	Assessment of addictive disorders.
		2.	Pharmacology of psychoactive drugs.
		3.	Overview of theories of addictive disorders.
		4.	Overview of basic models of treatment.
	Examples of courses in this area:
		1.	Foundations of Chemical Dependency Counseling
		2.	Overview of Alcohol and Drug Counseling
	L.	SUPERVISED FIELD EXPERIENCED*
	Instruction in this area shall include all of the following content:
		1.	A supervised clinical internship, externship, field experience, or practicum placement.
		2.	Direct client contact in counseling experience with a minimum of 125 hours of face-to-face client counseling.
	Examples of courses in this area:
		1.	Supervised Field Experience
		2.	Practicum
		2.	Internship/Externship
		4.	Clinical Field Experience
		5.	Clinical Case Conference or Supervision
	M.	DIAGNOSIS AND PSYCHOPATHOLOGY
	Instruction in this area shall include all of the following content:
		1.	Diagnosis based on current DSM AND ICD criteria.
		2.	Major categories of mental disorders.
		3.	An understanding of the impact of abnormal behavior not only to individuals, but to society as a whole.
		4.	An examination of various theories relative to the etiology of abnormal behavior.
	Examples of courses in this area:
		1.	Psychology and Diagnosis
		2.	Psychopathology
		3.	Abnormal Psychology
		4.	Diagnosis
	N.	PSYCHOTHERAPY AND TREATMENT OF MENTAL AND EMOTIONAL DISORDERS
	Instruction in this area shall include all of the following content:
		1.	An Overview and application of one or more treatment models to various disorders.
	Examples of courses in this area:
		1.	Treatment Techniques
		2.	Behavior Therapy
		3.	Cognitive Therapy
		4.	Psycho-dynamic Therapy
		5.	Advanced Techniques of Counseling

	EXAMINATION REQUIREMENT Achieve a passing score on the National Counselors Examination of the National Board for Certified Counselors and the State Law Test.