Certification and Licensure
School Counseling Certification and Rank Change
School Counseling Certification and Rank Change
Provisional School Counseling Certification (P-12) requirement is completion of the M.A. of School Counseling Program. Provisional Certificates must be renewed every five (5) years by taking nine (9) credit hours of counseling coursework, post-masters degree and then reapplying for the certificate.
Standard School Counseling Certification (P-12) requirement is completion of two years
school counseling experience (one year for counselors with teaching certification)
and six (6) credit hours of approved counseling coursework, post-masters degree. Standard
Certificates must be renewed every five (5) years by reapplying for the certificate.
Approved courses........................................6 hours
CNS 625 Legal and Ethical Issues (Required)
CNS 676 Clinical Diagnosis and Treatment Planning
CNS 694 Advanced Counseling and Supervision
CNS 722 Substance Abuse and Addictions Counseling
CNS 734 Marriage, Couple, and Family Counseling
CNS 752 Trauma and Crisis Counseling
Rank change for salary purposes may be received on the completion of the Midpoint
Clinical Application Exam in the M.A. of School Counseling Program (Rank II) and on
the completion of the Ed.S. degree in School Counseling (Rank I).
Application for any and each of these, certification or rank change, follows the same
procedure:
1) Retrieve the CA-1 Application for Certification or Rank Change. It may be found
at your local school board office or online on the Education Professional Standards
Board (EPSB) for Kentucky webpage, www.epsb.ky.gov.
2) Complete all of page 1, page 3 and the top portion of page 5 (part A) of the CA-1
form.
3) Mail the form to the Teacher Education Services (TES) office: Debbie Sawyers, Teacher
Education Services 2101 Alexander Hall Murray State University Murray, KY 42071 The
TES office will complete the form and submit it to the EPSB in Frankfort, KY.
4) Pay the certification fee by mailing it directly to EPSB or you may pay online.
5) Send an official transcript directly to EPSB.
To renew the Provisional or Standard Certificate:
1) Retrieve the CA-2 Application for Certification Renewal/Duplicate. It may be found
at your local school board office or online on the Education Professional Standards
Board (EPSB) for Kentucky webpage, www.epsb.ky.gov.
2) Complete all sections of the CA-2 form.
3) Mail the completed form and an official transcript directly to the EPSB in Frankfort,
KY.
4) Pay the renewal fee by mailing it directly to EPSB or you may pay online.
For credentialing outside of Kentucky please refer to ASCA's State Certification Requirements.
Clinical Mental Health Counseling Licensure
Licensure: (Procedure)
The Kentucky Board of Licensed Professional Counselors may issue credentials of Licensed
Professional Counselor Associate (LPCA) to an applicant who:
1. Has paid the application fee and the appropriate examination fee to the board;
Is of good moral character;
2. Has received a master's, specialist, or doctoral degree in counseling or a related
field from a regionally accredited institution;
3. Has completed a minimum of sixty (60) graduate semester hours in the following:
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- The helping relationship, including counseling theory and practice;
- Human growth and development;
- Lifestyle and career development;
- Group dynamics, process, counseling, and consulting;
- Assessment, appraisal, and testing of individuals;
- Social and cultural foundations, including multicultural issues;
- Principles of etiology, diagnosis, treatment planning, and prevention of mental and emotional disorders and dysfunctional behavior;
- Research and evaluation; and
Professional orientation and ethics;
4. Has obtained a board-approved supervisor of record.
The Kentucky Board of Licensed Professional Counselors may issue credentials of Licensed
Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) to an applicant who:
1. Has completed all requirements of sections (A) to (D) for the LPCA
2. Has completed a minimum of four thousand (4,000) hours of experience in the practice
of counseling, all of which must have been obtained since obtaining the master's degree
and must be under approved supervision and shall include but not be limited to a minimum
of one thousand six hundred (1,600) hours of direct counseling with individuals, couples,
families, or groups and a minimum of one hundred (100) hours of individual, face-to-face
clinical supervision with an approved supervisor. Each applicant is encouraged to
include as part of the total hours of experience a minimum of ten (10) hours of direct
counseling with individuals in a jail or corrections setting. All applicants shall
complete an organized practicum or internship consisting of at least four hundred
(400) hours; and
3. Has achieved passing scores on all portions of the examinations required by the
board.
Specific and current information regarding Kentucky licensure requirements can be
found at the following website: http://lpc.ky.gov/Pages/default.aspx
For licensing outside of Kentucky please refer to ACA’s listing of State Professional
Counselor Licensure Boards: http://www.counseling.org/knowledge-center/licensure-requirements/state-professional-counselor-licensure-boards