License: Licensed Professional Counselor

MS State Board of Examiners for Licensed Professional Counselors external site

239 North Lamar Street

Suite 402

Jackson, MS 39201

(601) 359-1010

General information, terms, and definitions: “Licensed professional counselor” shall mean and is restricted to any person who holds himself or herself out to the public by any title or description of services incorporating the words licensed professional counselor or psychotherapist, and who offers to render professional counseling or psychotherapy services to individuals, groups, organizations, corporations, institutions, government agencies or the general public for a fee, monetary or otherwise, implying that he or she is licensed. “Provisional licensed professional counselor” (P-LPC) shall mean and is restricted to any person who holds himself or herself out to the public by any title or description of services incorporating the words provisional licensed professional counselor or psychotherapist, and who offers to render professional counseling or psychotherapy services, under the supervision of a board qualified supervisor, to individuals, groups, organizations, corporations, institutions, government agencies or the general public for a fee, monetary or otherwise, implying that he or she is licensed. “Practice of counseling/psychotherapy” shall mean rendering, offering to render or supervising those who render to individuals, groups, organizations, corporations, institutions, government agencies or the general public any service involving the applications of counseling procedures and other related areas of the behavioral sciences to help in learning how to solve problems or make decisions related to personal growth, marriage, family or other interpersonal or intrapersonal concerns. “Counseling/Psychotherapy procedures” shall mean the application of mental health, psychological or human development principles, through cognitive, affective, behavioral or systematic intervention strategies that address wellness, personal growth or career development, as well as pathology. Counseling/ Psychotherapy involves diagnosis, assessment and treatment by use of the following: (i) Counseling/psychotherapy methods and techniques, both verbal and nonverbal, which require the application of principles, methods or procedures of understanding, predicting and/or influencing behavior, and motivation; (ii) Informational and community resources for personal or social development; (iii) Group and/or placement methods and techniques which serve to further the goals of counseling; (iv) Designing, conducting and interpreting research on human subjects or any consultation on any item above; and (v) Appraisal techniques including, but not limited to, testing of achievement, abilities, interests, aptitudes and personality. “Fees for licensed counseling services” shall mean any form of compensation received for the practice of counseling. “Board” shall mean the Mississippi State Board of Examiners for Licensed Professional Counselors Any person who represents himself or herself by the title “Licensed Professional Counselor” or “Provisional Licensed Professional Counselor” without having first complied with the provisions of this chapter shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by a fine of not less than Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) nor more than One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00) for each offense. The board shall adopt the code of ethics of The American Counseling Association. The chairman of the board shall file these ethical standards with the Secretary of State. The application process for licensure must be completed within 365 days of the Board’s receipt of the individual’s application packet. “Completed” with respect to this provision means either Board approved for candidacy or Board approved for licensure (as appropriate). As stipulated in the rules, an individual who has not completed the application process within the 365 days’ time frame must pay a Reapplication Fee in order to reactivate his/her application to continue the application process. As stipulated in the rules, incomplete applications will be kept on file for two (2) years, after which time they will be destroyed. License Requirements: (1) The board shall issue a license as a Provisional Licensed Professional Counselor, without regard to race, religion, sex or national origin, to each applicant who furnishes satisfactory evidence of the following: (a) The applicant has completed an application on a form prescribed by the board accompanied by a nonrefundable licensing fee of Fifty Dollars ($50.00). (b) The applicant is at least twenty-one (21) years of age. (c) The applicant is of good moral character. (d) The applicant is a citizen of the United States, or has an immigration document to verify legal alien work status in the United States. The immigration document must be current and issued by the United States Immigration Bureau. (e) The applicant is not in violation of any of the provisions of the rules and regulations adopted hereunder. (f) The applicant shall have a minimum acceptable graduate semester hour or acceptable quarter-hour master's degree as determined by applicable laws, rules, and regulations primarily in counseling or related counseling field from a regionally or nationally accredited college or university program in counselor education or a related counseling program subject to Mississippi State Board of Examiners for Licensed Professional Counselors' approval. All applicants shall provide official transcripts of all graduate work. (g) The applicant must pass the examination approved by the board, as set forth by all applicable rules and regulations (h) A provisional license issued under this section shall require that the individual confine one's practice to a board-approved site and accrue counseling experience under the supervision of a board-qualified supervisor. (i) The limited license shall be renewable for not more than four (4) years, with a nonrefundable license fee of Fifty Dollars ($50.00) per year. Licensees may appeal to the board for an extension of the renewal period. (j) Each applicant for licensure and renewal shall apply to undergo a fingerprint-based criminal history records check of the Mississippi central criminal database and the Federal Bureau of Investigation criminal history database. Each applicant shall submit a full set of the applicant's fingerprints in a form and manner prescribed by the board, which shall be forwarded to the Mississippi Department of Public Safety and the Federal Bureau of Investigation Identification Division for this purpose. (2) The board shall issue a license as a licensed professional counselor, without regard to race, religion, sex or national origin, to each applicant who furnishes satisfactory evidence of the following: (a) The applicant has completed an application on a form prescribed by the board accompanied by a nonrefundable full application licensing fee of Fifty Dollars ($50.00). (b) The applicant is at least twenty-one (21) years of age. (c) The applicant is of good moral character. (d) The applicant is a citizen of the United States, or has an immigration document to verify legal alien work status in the United States. The immigration document must be current and issued by the United States Immigration Bureau. (e) The applicant is not in violation of any of the provisions of this chapter and the rules and regulations adopted hereunder. (f) The applicant shall have a minimum acceptable graduate semester hour or acceptable quarter-hour master's degree as determined by the Mississippi State Board of Examiners for Licensed Professional Counselors primarily in counseling or a related counseling field from a regionally or nationally accredited college or university program in counselor education or a related counseling program subject to board approval. All applicants shall provide official transcripts of all graduate work. (g) The applicant must pass the examination approved by the board, as set forth by applicable laws, rules, and regulations (h) The applicant has had post graduate supervised experience in professional counseling acceptable to the board. Applicant shall submit verification of supervised experience. Each application or filing made under this section shall include the social security number(s) of the applicant in accordance with applicable laws, rules, and regulations. The board shall require each first-time applicant for licensure and may require applicants for license renewal to undergo a fingerprint-based criminal history records check of the Mississippi central criminal database and the Federal Bureau of Investigation criminal history database. Each applicant for licensure and renewal shall apply to undergo a fingerprint-based criminal history records check of the Mississippi central criminal database and the Federal Bureau of Investigation criminal history database. Each applicant shall submit a full set of the applicant's fingerprints in a form and manner prescribed by the board, which shall be forwarded to the Mississippi Department of Public Safety and the Federal Bureau of Investigation Identification Division for this purpose. Renewal: All licenses will be renewed biennially on or before June 30 of the applicable year. The evidence of the following must be received in the Office of the State Board of Examiners for Licensed Professional Counselors on or before June 30 of the year of renewal by every license holder who intends to continue to practice: Each active Licensed Professional Counselor and Provisional Licensed Professional Counselor licensee must accrue twenty-four (24) Continuing Education Hours during the preceding license period, six (6) of which must involve topics in professional ethics or legal issues in the delivery of counseling service