Licensing Requirements before 2012

Following is a summary of requirements for those who began graduate study BEFORE AUGUST 1, 2012 and completed that study on or before December 31, 2018.

Education: A 48-semester-unit master’s or doctoral degree from an accredited or approved institution, which is counseling or psychotherapy in content, includes 6 semester units or 9 quarter units of supervised practicum or fieldwork study, and contains at least 3 semester units, or four and one half quarter units, of coursework in 7 of the following 9 core content areas. All 9 core content areas must be completed before education can be approved. 

No more than two core content areas can be added post-degree.  Units cannot be added post-degree to make the 48-unit requirement.  Supervised practicum units cannot be added post-degree.

• (A)  Counseling and psychotherapeutic theories and techniques (includes counseling theories, selection of counseling interventions, orientation to wellness and prevention, etc.)
• (B)  Human growth and development across the lifespan (includes psychopathology, normal and abnormal behavior, developmental crises)
• (C)  Career development theories and techniques
• (D)  Group counseling theories and techniques
• (E)  Assessment, appraisal and testing
• (F)  Multicultural counseling theories and techniques
• (G)  Principles of diagnosis, treatment planning and prevention of mental and emotional disorders and dysfunctional behavior
• (H)  Research and evaluation
• (I)  Professional orientation, ethics and law in counseling
• View definitions of each core content area.

In addition to the course requirements described above, a minimum of 12 semester units of advanced coursework to develop knowledge of specific treatment issues, special populations, application of counseling constructs, assessment and treatment planning, clinical interventions, therapeutic relationships, psychopathology or other clinical topics.

In addition to, or as part of the graduate degree, instruction in each of the following topics must be completed prior to licensure or registration as an intern:

Note: With the exception of the course in psychopharmacology, which is a university graduate or undergraduate credit course, the following requirements can be fulfilled with either university courses or  continuing education courses. See Course Providers on this website for available courses.

• (1)  Minimum of 15 contact hours of instruction in alcoholism and other chemical substance dependency
• (2)  Minimum of 10 contact hours of instruction in human sexuality
• (3)  Minimum of 15 contact hours of instruction in spousal or partner abuse
• (4)  Minimum of seven contact hours of instruction in child abuse assessment & reporting
• (5)  Minimum of 18 contact hours of instruction in California law and professional ethics, if not included in required core content area
• (6)  Minimum of 10 contact hours of instruction in aging and long-term care
• (7)  Minimum of 15 contact hours of instruction in crisis/trauma counseling

• (8)  Two-semester unit or three quarter-unit survey course in psychopharmacology

View section 4999.32 in the LPCC law, regarding education for those who began graduate study before 2012 and complete that study on before 2018.

Supervision:  A minimum of 3,000 post-degree hours of supervised experience, by a LPCC, LMFT, LCSW, licensed psychologist or licensed physician and surgeon, who is certified in psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, over a period of not less than two years, including not less than 1,750 hours of direct counseling with individuals or groups in a clinical mental health counseling setting and 150 hours in a hospital or community mental health setting.  Note that LPCC supervisors must have been licensed in California for two years.

Examination: Passing score on the National Clinical Mental Health Counselor Examination (NCMHCE) and the California LPCC Law and Ethics exam.