Credentials Needed And Plan For Completing Credentials

Obtaining and maintaining licensure (in Virginia) for mental health counseling:

  1. Completing a Masters degree in counseling from a CACREP accredited program that is 60 credit hours in length. Courses in the program need to cover the following content areas:
    • Professional counseling identity, function, and ethics
    • Theories of counseling and psychotherapy
    • Counseling and psychotherapy techniques
    • Human growth and development
    • Group counseling and psychotherapy, theories and techniques
    • Career counseling and development theories and techniques
    • Appraisal, evaluation, and diagnostic procedures
    • Abnormal behavior and psychopathology
    • Multicultural counseling, theories and techniques
    • Research
    • Diagnosis and treatment of addictive disorders
    • Marriage and family systems theory
    • Supervised internship (600 hours)
  2. Applying for and be considered a Resident in counseling to obtain hours
  3. Residency requirements are to be completed:
    • 3,400 hours of supervised residency
    • 2,000 hours of face-to-face contact with clients (is included in the 3,400 hours)
    • At least 200 hours of supervisory sessions
    • Residency must be completed between 21 months-4 years
  4. Completing 20 hours of continuing education after obtaining licensure annually.
  5. Pass the National Mental Health Counselors Examination within 6 years of being issued residency.
  6. Submit an online application with the required documents to obtain licensure.

Obtaining specialty in couples/marital counseling:

  1. Complete a Masters program in psychology, family/marriage counseling, or other related field from a CACREP accredited program.
  2. Obtaining licensure to practice counseling (requirements seen above).

*Since I do not wish to solely become a Licensed Family and Marriage Therapist, there are no other specified credentials needed for this specialty area.

I have already begun completing the Counselor Education program at Longwood University for the education requirement for obtaining licensure. So far, I have completed one semester (12/60 credit hours) of the program. Completion of the program should be projected for Summer 2023 and I plan to begin residency as soon as possible after graduation in order to start getting the residency hours required.

Resources:

Virginia Board of Counseling. (2021). LPC licensure process handbook.