My Journey From A School Counselor To A Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)
*Please note that these are my experiences and recommendations following the policies required for the State of Georgia. This process varies from state to state.*
For more information regarding the licensure process within your specific state, please visit www.counseling.org. (The catch is, you must be a member to access the information.)
Just for you, here is the direct link for the licensure process here.
Prehistory:
So, I finished my Masters in School Counseling back in 2016 from a CACREP institution. However, policies have changed since then and my process has looked differently from others before me. My CACREP program at the time was a 48 hour program, and now the requirements are 60 hours.
| If you have received your CACREP graduate level coursework from an accredited institution that demonstrates that the degree is primarily counseling content or a program of applied psychology with 60 hours obtained…feel free to skip to My Journey From A School Counselor To A Licensed Professional Counselor: I Found My Supervisor, What’s Next? . |
Present Day:
Step 1:
The process of obtaining the requirement amount of coursework
Process:
- Applying to a graduate program to obtain your specialist or doctorate degree to obtain the 12 additional hours of coursework
- Applying for non-degree courses within a CACREP school to obtain the additional 12 hours of coursework.
I have gone back and forth on which path I want to take within step one. I think about my end goal, and if paying more for schooling will be beneficial for me. I thought about how bad I wanted my LPC, and I knew obtaining my license would allow me to do what I love on a more in-depth level.
So now that I have committed to seeing this process through, I thought about which path (another degree or non-degree).
For me, I am going to go with another degree. 12 hours of additional coursework could go towards the 30 hours of semester hours needed in order to obtain a specialist. This was not an easy decision for me. In my journey to a debt-free life, free from student loans, paying for another degree was not high on my to-do list. It was nowhere on the dang list!
Remember this process can be taken in baby steps. I plan to take non-degree courses first in order to obtain the necessary hours to apply for my licensure first. Obtaining the additional courses needed, so you can apply for your LPC after you have completed your supervision hours is always priority number one.
Step 2:
Applying for an Aspiring Professional Counselor (APC) licensure or not?
For an in-depth explanation of the process for applying for your APC please visit my blog My Journey From A School Counselor To A Licensed Professional Counselor: I Found My Supervisor, What’s Next?
If you are like me, I needed more coursework hours. In addition, I had not taken the NCE so my supervisor advised me to skip the APC process.
So you may be thinking “wait what? Skip the APC process?”
Yes, you can continue to obtain supervision hours and work beneath your supervisor without being an APC. After you have obtained your hours, and completed your coursework, you will then apply directly for your LPC.
Some people state that receiving your APC first, before you apply for your LPC is the best practice because this will make the process to be approved by the board a lot smoother.
Honestly, best practices are just that…a path that many take. It is okay to be an outlier within this process. (Or at least, this is my motivational speech for myself.)
Remember future therapists, your passion led you here. This is a journey, not a sprint. You will invest time and money within your process to become a licensed professional counselor.
If you like to stay connected through this process, feel free to follow me on Instagram @thecounselorcompass. You got this! Good Luck!
Looking for more tips and guides to assist with obtaining your licensed professional counselor?
Stay tuned for more posts on The Counselor Compass in August:
- My journey from a school counselor to a licensed professional counselor: The First Step
- Supervisor Interview Cheat Sheet For Aspiring Associate Professional Counselors
- Finding your tribe within your journey to obtaining your LPC
- HELP! I need a supervisor that helps my transition from school counselor to LPC
- How much does getting your LPC cost?