2003 Minnesota Statutes

     148B.53 Requirements for licensure. 

    Subdivision 1.    General requirements.  (a) To be 
 licensed as a licensed professional counselor (LPC), an 
 applicant must provide evidence satisfactory to the board that 
 the applicant: 

    (1) is at least 18 years of age; 

    (2) is of good moral character; 

    (3) has completed a master's degree program in counseling 
 that includes a minimum of 48 semester hours and a supervised 
 field experience of not fewer than 700 hours that is counseling 
 in nature; 

    (4) has submitted to the board a plan for supervision 
 during the first 2,000 hours of professional practice; 

    (5) has demonstrated competence in professional counseling 
 by passing the National Counseling Exam (NCE) administered by 
 the National Board for Certified Counselors, Inc. (NBCC) 
 including obtaining a passing score on the examination accepted 
 by the board based on the determinations made by the NBCC and 
 oral and situational examinations if prescribed by the board; 

    (6) will conduct all professional activities as a licensed 
 professional counselor in accordance with standards for 
 professional conduct established by the rules of the board; and 

    (7) has declared to the board and agrees to continue to 
 declare areas of professional competencies through a statement 
 of professional disclosure, describing the intended use of the 
 license and the population to be served.  

    (b) The degree described in paragraph (a), clause (3), must 
 be from a counseling program recognized by the Council for 
 Accreditation of Counseling and Related Education Programs 
 (CACREP) or from an institution of higher education that is 
 accredited by a regional accrediting organization recognized by 
 the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).  Specific 
 academic course content and training must meet standards 
 established by the CACREP, including course work in the 
 following subject areas: 

    (1) the helping relationship, including counseling theory 
 and practice; 

    (2) human growth and development; 

    (3) lifestyle and career development; 

    (4) group dynamics, processes, counseling, and consulting; 

    (5) assessment and appraisal; 

    (6) social and cultural foundations, including 
 multicultural issues; 

    (7) principles of etiology, treatment planning, and 
 prevention of mental and emotional disorders and dysfunctional 
 behavior; 

    (8) family counseling and therapy; 

    (9) research and evaluation; and 

    (10) professional counseling orientation and ethics. 

    (c) To be licensed as a professional counselor, a 
 psychological practitioner licensed under section 148.908 need 
 only show evidence of licensure under that section and is not 
 required to comply with paragraph (a) or (b). 

    Subd. 2.    Minimum hour effective date.  The minimum 
 semester hour requirement imposed by subdivision 1, paragraph 
 (a), clause (3), is not effective until July 1, 2004.  This 
 subdivision expires July 1, 2005. 

    Subd. 3.    Fee.  Each applicant shall pay a 
 nonrefundable fee set by the board. 

    HIST: 2003 c 118 s 7