Counselor Licensing Requirements in Missouri
Counselor Licensing Requirements Missouri are important to follow. For the state of Missouri, we want to ensure that you have the important information needed to conduct intelligent decision-making about gaining your licensure to become a licensed professional counselor. You can receive your counseling license from the Missouri Committee for Professional Counselors at the level of Provisional Licensed Professional Counselor (once you have finished schooling, passed an test, and turned in your paperwork), and for your license as an LPC, after you have successfully met all requirements pertaining to your experience level. The information we have provided on this website is an overview to help you through counseling licensure requirements in Missouri. Whenever you have inquiries, or want to ensure that you’re headed in the right direction, please contact the the Missouri Division of Professional Registration.Missouri Counselor Credential Titles
Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) Counselor-in-Training – Issued automatically when supervision is registered and approved and all other requirements are met.
Missouri Counselor Education Requirements
Master’s degree or higher in counseling, counseling psychology, clinical psychology, or school psychology from a regionally accredited college/university, with at least 48 semester hours reflecting the CACREP or CORE curriculum and a practicum, internship, or field experience consisting of 6 semester hours in the practice of counseling.
Missouri Counselor Experiential Requirements
2 years/3,000 hours of post-master’s continuous counseling experience (full or part-time), to be completed within 60 months. 1,200 hours must be direct client contact. 30 hours of post-master’s study may be substituted for 1,500 of the 3,000 hours. If obtained a doctorate or specialist’s degree: 1 year/1,500 hours of counseling experience (full or part-time), to be completed within 36 months. 600 hours must be direct client contact. For both degree paths: 15 hours of supervised counseling experience per week is required, with 1 hour a week of face-to-face supervision. If electronic supervision is continuously interactive, it can count towards required hours. Supervision must be under an LPC or licensed psychologist or psychiatrist approved and registered with the board.Missouri Counseling Exams Required
NCERequirements for Clinical Supervisors
Licensed as a professional counselor, psychologist, or psychiatrist for at least 2 years and training and experience in counseling and in supervisory activities involving counseling with a resume or vitae detailing coursework, supervision training, and experience as a supervisor. Supervisor must be approved and registered with the board and the supervision agreement must be approved by the board.Requirements for Out of State Applicants
337.510.3 RSMo of the Missouri law defines licensure by reciprocity as follows:- Currently be licensed in another state with no discipline and;
- Approval by the American Association of State Counseling Boards (AASCB) or its successor organization according to the eligibility criteria established by AASCB. The successor organization shall be defined by board rule; or
- In good standing and currently certified by the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) or its successor organization and has completed acceptable supervised counseling experience defined by board rule. The successor organization shall be defined by board rule; or
- Determined by the board that the requirements of the other state or territory are substantially the same as Missouri and certified by the applicant’s current licensing entity that the applicant has a current license. The applicant shall also consent to examination of any disciplinary history.
Scope of Practice
“PRACTICE OF PROFESSIONAL COUNSELING” means rendering, offering to render, or supervising those who render to individuals, couples, groups, organizations, institutions, corporations, schools, government agencies, or the general public any counseling service involving the application of counseling procedures, and the principles and methods thereof, to assist in achieving more effective intrapersonal or interpersonal, marital, decisional, social, educational, vocational, developmental, or rehabilitative adjustments; “Professional counseling”, includes, but is not limited to:- The use of verbal or nonverbal counseling or both techniques, methods, or procedures based on principles for assessing, understanding, or influencing behavior (such as principles of learning, conditioning, perception, motivation, thinking, emotions, or social systems);
- Appraisal or assessment, which means selecting, administering, scoring, or interpreting instruments designed to assess a person’s or group’s aptitudes, intelligence, attitudes, abilities, achievement, interests, and personal characteristics;
- The use of referral or placement techniques or both which serve to further the goals of counseling;
- Therapeutic vocational or personal or both rehabilitation in relation to coping with or adapting to physical disability, emotional disability, or intellectual disability or any combination of the three;
- Designing, conducting, and interpreting research;
- The use of group methods or techniques to promote the goals of counseling;
- The use of informational and community resources for career, personal, or social development;
- Consultation on any item in paragraphs (a) through (g) above; and
- No provision of sections 337.500 to 337.540, or of chapter 354 or 375, RSMo, shall be construed to mandate benefits or third- party reimbursement for services of professional counselors in the policies or contracts of any insurance company, health services corporation or other third-party payer.
Salary Expectations for Missouri Counselors
In the state of Missouri, counseling can be a very viable option to earn a living. Missouri counselors, on average, bring home between $36,210 and $51,870 per year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Now that you are familiar with the counselor licensing requirements in Missouri, visit our How to Become a Counselor in Missouri page for a more detailed look into the steps you will need to take to make your dream of becoming a counselor a reality.Additional Information about LPC Requirements in Missouri
MO Committee for Professional Counselors 3605 Missouri Boulevard P.O. Box 1335 Jefferson City, MO 65102 573-751-0018 http://pr.mo.gov/counselors.asp Application fee: $150 Registration of Supervision fee: $100 Background Fingerprint Check (if done electronically through L-1 Enrollment Services): $52.20 www.l1id.com Other helpful resources include:Sources: http://web.oru