Hello again rue1-ga,
I’ve collected all of the relevant information so that you can
determine how to move forward with completing your plans for working
as a counselor.
Mississippi requires licensing for professional counselors. The
requirements for licensing are listed below. It looks like you can
easily meet them except graduation from an accredited college. I could
not find any information to convince me that the Southeastern
Association of Christian Colleges, the accreditation agency for St.
Thomas Christian college, is recognized by the Mississippi State Board
of Examiners for Licensed Professional Counselors. You should check
with them so that you can decide what to do next.
You said you weren’t sure where you wanted to work. Please note that
not all states require licensing for professional counselors. You may
want to investigate whether you want to relocate to a state that
doesn’t. Please also note that states that require licensing also
require 3000+ supervised clinical experience hours. Some counselors
find this a tough requirement to fulfill.
I’ve included links to various counseling profession organizations so
that you can explore additional options.
Please ask for clarification if any of this is confusing.
Best wishes for finding the career that will make you happy.
~ czh ~
================================
COUNSELOR LICENSING REQUIREMENTS
================================
http://www.nbcc.org/index.htm
National Board of Certified Counselors
Definitions in Counseling
The Practice of Professional Counseling:
The application of mental health, psychological, or human development
principles, through cognitive, affective, behavioral or systemic
intervention strategies, that address wellness, personal growth, or
career development, as well as pathology.
Professional Counseling Specialty:
A Professional Counseling Specialty is narrowly focused, requiring
advanced knowledge in the field founded on the premise that all
Professional Counselors must first meet the requirements for the
general practice of professional counseling.
http://www.nbcc.org/cert/ncc.htm
General Information – National Certified Counselor Certification
The three basic components of the requirements for the NCC credential
are education, supervised experience, and examination.
-- Candidates for the NCC credential must hold an advanced degree
with a major study in counseling from a regionally accredited college
or university. They also must meet specific semester or quarter hour
requirements and content area requirements. (Click here for details.)
-- Candidates for national certification must meet the supervised
experience requirements specific to the option under which they
qualify and apply. (Click here for complete information.)
-- Candidates for national certification must achieve a national
passing score on the National Counselor Examination for Licensure and
Certification (NCE). You may be exempt from examination if you have
already taken the NCE or NCMHCE. Please see your application for
details.
http://www.nbcc.org/cert/licensurevscert.htm
Difference in National and State Credentialing
National certification in counseling is a voluntary professional
credential. It is not required for practice, but it attests to a
certificant's commitment to the importance of a national credentialing
standard developed for counselors, by counselors. Currently, over
31,000 professionals hold the National Certified Counselor (NCC)
credential.
Applying for the National Certified Counselor (NCC) credential
involves an application process independent of the state credentialing
processes. When you apply for national certification, you do not
automatically become state credentialed, and when you become state
credentialed, you are not automatically an NCC.
State Credentialing
Almost all state governments have adopted requirements regulating
those who wish to practice counseling within that state. Any
professional intending to practice counseling must meet and adhere to
the regulations of the state(s) in which he or she intends to
practice. Before you practice within the United States, contact your
state counselor credentialing board to obtain information and provide
any required documentation BEFORE contacting NBCC about registering to
take the exam for your state. Click here for contact information for
each state's credentialing board.
http://www.nbcc.org/exams/stateboards.htm
State Credentialing Boards List
Please check with individual state licensure boards for specific
information about application procedures and any additional
requirements. If you have achieved a passing score on an NBCC
examination, contact your state board to determine if you are
exam-exempt.
Some states may accept alternative national certification examinations
as satisfying the written exam component of state credentialing
requirements. Contact individual states if you have questions
regarding equivalent examinations.
MISSISSIPPI
Ms. Ann A. Cox, Executive Director
Mississippi State Board of Examiners for Licensed Professional
Counselors
419 East Broadway
Yazoo City, MS 39194
Phone: (662) 716-3932, (888) 860-7001
Fax: (662) 751-4628
website: www.lpc.state.ms.us
Exam: NCE
===============================================
COUNSELOR LICENSING REQUIREMENTS IN MISSISSIPPI
===============================================
http://www.lpc.state.ms.us/
Mississippi State Board of Examiners for Licensed Professional
Counselors
Rules and Regulations
CHAPTER 4
Licensure Requirements
Section 1: General Requirements
A. No person shall practice as a professional counselor in the State
of Mississippi except as provided by state statute and these
regulations. See Chapter 1, Section 1, p. 1.
Section 2: Education Requirements
The following is a list of education requirements which all applicants
must meet in order to be licensed:
A. A doctoral degree primarily in counseling, guidance, or a related
counseling field, or a master's degree or educational specialist's
degree in counselor education or a related counseling program. The
degree must be from a regionally or nationally accredited college or
university program and is subject to Board approval. See Chapter 1.,
Section 4., B., p. 2. (Section 4:Definitions B. Approved Educational
Institution: An institution offering a graduate degree which is
accredited by a regional or national accrediting body approved by the
Board.)
B. Sixty (60) semester hours or ninety (90) quarter hours of graduate
study.
C. A graduate program related to counselor education is defined as one
that contains course work in all of the following areas. Each
applicant must have completed course work in all of the following
areas. The content areas listed below may be covered in more than one
(1) course: (See list)
Section 3: Experience Requirements
A. An applicant must have completed the following supervised
experience requirements prior to applying for licensure:
1. A total of three thousand five hundred (3,500) supervised hours of
counseling in a clinical setting (See Chapter 1, Section 4., E., p. 2)
comprised of the following
Section 4: Examination Requirements
A. Prior to licensure, all applicants must pass the National Counselor
Examination for Licensure and Certification (NCE) published by the
National Board for Certified Counselors, Inc.
==========================================
ACCREDITATION ST. THOMAS CHRISTIAN COLLEGE
==========================================
http://www.greateducation.com/home
ACCREDITATION
Saint Thomas Christian College and Theological Seminary are full
members of the Southeastern Association of Christian Colleges
http://www.utexas.edu/world/univ/alpha/#accred
Web U.S. Universities, Alphabetic
Alphabetic list of regionally-accredited U.S. universities.
***** St. Thomas Christian College is not on this list.
http://www.utexas.edu/world/univ/alpha/#otherresources
Other Resources:
U.S. Regional Accrediting Organization Membership Lists -
*****The Southeastern Association of Christian Colleges is not on this
list. I suggest that you check with the Mississippi Licensing Board to
ask specifically if it might be accredited in Mississippi.
================================================
GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT COUNSELING PROFESSIONS
================================================
http://www.allaboutcounseling.com/counseling_professionals.htm
Counseling Professionals
http://www.nbcc.org/index.htm
National Board Certified Counselors
http://www.aascb.org/
American Association of State Counseling Boards
http://www.counseling.org/site/PageServer
American Counseling Association
===============
SEARCH STRATEGY
===============
licensing counselors mississippi |
Clarification of Answer by
czh-ga
on
01 Nov 2003 18:23 PST
Hello again rue1-ga,
Thank you for the clarification request. Licensing is a complex
subject and it’s sometimes difficult to figure out what rules and
regulations apply to you and the counselor practice you want to
pursue.
Yes, there is a difference between Christian counselors and secular
counselors when it comes to licensing. Professional counselors require
a license in all states but four -- Minnesota, California, Nevada and
Hawaii. If you want to practice in any of the other 46 states you have
to meet the state’s requirements for licensing. The information I
found for you about Mississippi is fairly typical.
If you want to practice as a Christian counselor you have to make
clear that you are not licensed by the state and present yourself as a
Christian counselor. There are also Christian counselor licensing
organizations that have their own rules about meeting their
qualifications. Christian counselors are not regulated by state
agencies because of the legal requirements for “separation of church
and state” and anyone can set up as a Christian counselor without
state oversight.
I’ve included a variety of resources to help you explore these issues
further. How you want to proceed depends on what kind of counseling
practice you want to set up and where your practice will be located.
Best wishes for your career.
~ czh ~
http://www.nbcc.org/pdfs/recert/newsletters/nbcc_winter2003.pdf
New York Licensure Passes: 46 States Now Have Counselor Licensure
The only states currently without counselor licensure are Minnesota,
California, Nevada and Hawaii.
http:// www.educationusa.state.gov/study/admissions/
accreditation/institutional.htm
I had trouble with reaching the web site but the cache copy comes up
fine.
http://216.239.57.104/search?q=cache:eNr5dNG6MjEJ:www.educationusa.state.gov/study/admissions/accreditation/institutional.htm++regional+or+national+accrediting+body+&hl=en&ie=UTF-8
http://www.aacc.net/
American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC)
AACC exists to help professional, pastoral and lay caregivers provide
effective Christ-centered soulcare for those seeking direction in
life.
AACC is committed to assisting Christian counselors whether those
counselors are licensed professionals or caring church members with
little or no formal training. It is our intention to equip
professional, pastoral and lay caregivers with biblical, theological
and psychological truth that ministers to the soul of a hurting person
and helps them move to personal wholeness, interpersonal competence,
mental stability, and spiritual maturity.
http://www.ncca-usa.com/home.html
National Christian Counselors Association
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to be state licensed to be a counselor?
No. In fact we recommend not applying for a state license since the
regulations limit your right to provide Faith-based counsel.
Institutional Accreditation
Regional Accreditation | National Accreditation | Regional Versus
National Accreditation
There are two basic types of accreditation for degree-granting
institutions in the United States: institutional and programmatic. As
its name implies, institutional accreditation reviews and accredits
the whole institution. Programmatic accreditation, sometimes called
professional accreditation or specialized accreditation, deals with
programs, departments, or schools within an institution; for example,
a physical therapy program, a business school, or a school of
engineering. (For more information, see "Programmatic Accreditation.")
Several different accrediting associations or bodies carry out each of
these types of accreditation.
Institutional accreditation can be divided into two types: regional
accreditation and national accreditation.
Regional Accreditation
Regional accreditation is the primary type of institutional
accreditation used in the United States. It is carried out by six
organizations that cover different geographic regions of the country.
The six regional accrediting bodies collectively serve more than 3,500
of the approximately 3,600 degree-granting institutions in the United
States. They are: (See web page for list)
National Accreditation
In addition, there are several national accrediting bodies that carry
out institutional accreditation and are recognized by the Council for
Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) and/or the U.S. Department of
Education. For a complete and current list of these organizations,
see: (See web page for list)
Regional Versus National Accreditation
Some institutions hold national rather than regional accreditation
because they are unwilling or unable to meet the standards of regional
accreditation. For example, regional accrediting bodies require that
between one-quarter and one-third of the institution's curriculum be
allocated to courses in general education (humanities, social
sciences, and physical sciences); this is a problem for some
specialized institutions. Another example involves colleges that are
controlled by religious denominations that require that certain
concepts (for example, creation) be taken on faith; since all regional
accrediting associations require that institutions allow faculty and
students the academic freedom to pursue all ideas, these institutions
are not eligible for regional accreditation.
http://www.fulbright.cz/czech/Poradna/accredit.htm
Accredtitation in the United States
Accreditation is a voluntary process by which an institution
volunteers to be evaluated by a specific, non-governmental accrediting
body. The conferral of this accreditation indicates the institution
has met pre-set standards of the accrediting body. It does not mean
that all institutions with similar accreditation are the same;
however, there is an implied assurance that a minimal level of quality
is provided by an accredited institution. This method of industry
self-regulation and quality control is fairly unique to the U.S.
Accrediting bodies are recognized by both the U. S. Department of
Education and Council for Higher Education Accreditaton (CHEA). Two
main categories of accreditation exist, outlined as follows.
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=244046
Q: Pros and Cons of Licensure for Christian Counselors
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