Hello again yellowdandelion-ga,
I?m not surprised that you?re having a hard time figuring out which
exam to take. It?s amazing how difficult it is to track down the
licensing requirements for each of the three states you?re interested
in so that you can make a good decision about which licensing exam you
should choose.
Making a comparison between the NCE and NCMHCE is fairly easy. I?ve
included the NBCC links for both of them. I suggest that you print out
the list of requirements for each and then take your qualifications
and see whether you meet the requirements for both. If not, then your
choice is made. If yes, consider which exam better fits your education
and experience and is likely to be easier for you. You need to sort
out this information before you take the next step of reviewing what
counseling licenses are offered by the states where you?re considering
getting licensed.
Sorting out the licenses offered and licensing requirements for
Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Jersey is a more difficult project.
The problem is that each state has its own requirements beyond
specifying which of the two licensing exams you have to take.
Connecticut and New Jersey include Licensed Professional Counselor in
their Mental Health Licensed Professions. Massachusetts licenses
Mental Health Counselors who are also called Clinical Mental Health
Counselors. The education and experience requirements vary for all
three states. I?m providing you with links to all three states?
requirements so that you can compare your qualifications with each of
them. If you meet the requirements for all three states then you must
use whatever other criteria are important to you for deciding where
you?re likely to practice as a counselor. If you don?t meet the
criteria for all three your options will be modified accordingly.
You didn?t indicate what kind of work you plan to do with your degree
and license. The kind of prospective work setting (i.e., private
practice, social service agency, medical facility, school, etc.) may
also influence your decision.
I?m including many more sites than I normally would for a $5 question
since I had to sift through them to find the nuggets of information
you seek. You can use them for further exploration on your own.
I trust that the information I?ve furnished will help you sort out
your choices so you can make a good decision. Best wishes for your
career as a counselor.
~ czh ~
================================
COMPARE THE NCE AND NCMHCE EXAMS
================================
http://www.nbcc.org/exams/nce.htm
National Counselor Examination (NCEŽ)
Satisfactory performance on the National Counselor Examination (NCEŽ)
is one of the criteria used by NBCC to identify professionals who may
be eligible to become a National Certified Counselor (NCC).
Many states also use the NCE for state credentialing.
The purpose of the NCE is to assess knowledge, skills, and abilities
viewed as important for providing effective counseling services. The
NCE is designed to be general in nature. It is intended to assess
cognitive knowledge which should be known by all counselors regardless
of their individual professional specialties.
Content Areas & Work Behaviors
Examination Format
Special Accommodations
Scoring Procedures
Examination Results
***** Print out the requirements and compare them to your education and experience.
-------------------------------------------------
http://www.nbcc.org/exams/ncmhce.htm
National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination (NCMHCE)
The National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination (NCMHCE) is
used exclusively by state credentialing boards. Please click here for
state board contact information in order to determine if your state
board uses the NCMHCE.
The simulated cases on the NCMCHE are designed to sample a broad area
of competencies, not merely the recall of isolated facts. Therefore,
the problems assess clinical problem-solving ability, including
identifying, analyzing, diagnosing, and treating clinical issues.
The examination consists of ten clinical mental health counseling
cases. Each case is divided into approximately five to eight sections
classified as either information gathering or decision-making. The
areas covered by the exam include:
Evaluation & Assessment (including but not limited to):
Diagnosis & Treatment Planning:
Clinical Practice:
Scoring Procedures
Examination Results
***** Print out the requirements and compare them to your education and experience.
=========================================
CHOOSING BETWEEN THE NCE AND NCMHCE EXAMS
=========================================
***** Review the licensing requirements for each of the three states.
Specifying which licensing exam you have to take is just one of the
requirements. Be sure to review the education and experience
requirements and compare them to your own record and personal history.
You will know which test to take when you decide which state?s license
you want to get.
---------------------------------
State requirements -- CONNECTICUT
---------------------------------
http://www.dph.state.ct.us/Licensure/apps/profcoun_stats.pdf
CONNECTICUT GENERAL STATUTES CHAPTER 383c PROFESSIONAL COUNSELORS
http://www.ct-clic.com/detail.asp?code=1924
Counselor Licensure - Professional Counselors
Prerequisites: Masters, 6th year, or doctoral degree; NBCC's NCE or
NCMHCE exam; 3000 hours of postgraduate-degree-supervised experience
in professional counseling that includes a minimum of 100 hours of
direct supervision by an appropriately licensed individual
-----------------------------------
State requirements -- MASSACHUSETTS
-----------------------------------
http://www.mass.gov/dpl/boards/mh/cmr.htm
Division of Professional Licensure
The Board of Registration of Allied Mental Health Professions
Rules and Regulations - 262 CMR
http://www.mass.gov/dpl/boards/mh/cmr/26202.htm
2.00: Requirements For Licensure As a Mental Health Counselor
2.05: Education and Degree Requirements: Post-July 1, 1998
2.07 Post-master's Clinical Field Experience Requirements
http://www.mass.gov/dpl/boards/mh/
Division of Professional Licensure
http://www.mass.gov/dpl/boards/mh/forms.htm
Mental Health Counseling:
http://www.mass.gov/dpl/boards/mh/cmr/26202.htm
Licensed Mental Health Counselor.
Licensure Examination.
-------------------------------
State requirements ? NEW JERSEY
-------------------------------
http://nj-health.com/directory/mental_health.html
NJ Health Online
Directory ? Mental Health Professions
The professional groups licensed to provide mental health treatment in
New Jersey are Psychologists, Psychiatrists, Social Workers, Marriage
and Family Therapists, and Counselors.
http://www.state.nj.us/lps/ca/adoption/mftado419.htm
STATE BOARD OF MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPY EXAMINERS
BOARD OF MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPY EXAMINERS RULES
SUBCHAPTER 11. PROFESSIONAL COUNSELORS AND ASSOCIATE COUNSELORS:
APPLICATION PROCEDURE; DEFINITIONS
13:34-11.2 Professional counselor: application and educational requirements
13:34-11.3 Professional counselor: experience requirements
http://www.state.nj.us/lps/ca/medical/familytherapy.htm
State Board of Marriage and Family Therapy Examiners
==================================================
COUNSELOR ASSOCIATIONS AND MISCELLANEOUS RESOURCES
==================================================
http://www.nbcc.org/exams/nce.htm
National Counselor Examination (NCEŽ)
Satisfactory performance on the National Counselor Examination (NCEŽ)
is one of the criteria used by NBCC to identify professionals who may
be eligible to become a National Certified Counselor (NCC).
Many states also use the NCE for state credentialing. Click here for a
list of state board contact information.
--------------------
http://www.nbcc.org/exams/stateboards.htm
State Credentialing Board List
CONNECTICUT
Dept of Public Health - State of Connecticut
410 Capitol Avenue - MS # 12APP
P. O. Box 340308
Hartford CT 06134-0308
Phone: (860) 509-7603
Fax: (860) 509-8457
WebSite: www.ct-clic.com
Exam: NCE / NCMHCE
MASSACHUSETTS
Erin Arnold, Board Administrator
Board Allied Mental Health & Human Services Professions
239 Causeway Street, 5th Floor
Boston MA 02114
Phone: (617) 727-3080
Fax: (617)727-2366
E-mail: erin.m.arnold@state.ma.us
WebSite:http://www.mass.gov/reg/boards/mh
Exam: NCMHCE
NEW JERSEY
Ms. Elaine DeMars, Executive Director
New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs State Board of Marriage &
Family Therapy Examiners
Professional Counselor Examiners Committee
P.O. Box 45007
Newark NJ 07101
Phone: (973) 504-6415
Fax: (973) 648-3536
WebSite: http://www.state.nj.us/lps/ca/medical/familytherapy.htm
Exam: NCE
-------------------------------------------------
http://www.nbcc.org/pdfs/exam/licensurechart.pdf
State Licensure Chart
Connecticut ? LPC
Massachusetts ? LMHC
New Jersey ? CMHC and LPC
-------------------------------------------------
http://www.counseling.org/
American Counseling Association
--------------------
http://www.counseling.org/Content/NavigationMenu/JOINRENEW/STATELICENSURECERTIFICATIONDETAILEDCHART/Connecticut.htm
Credential Title(s) -- Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)
Examination Requirements -- NCE or NCMHCE
--------------------
http://www.counseling.org/Content/NavigationMenu/JOINRENEW/STATELICENSURECERTIFICATIONDETAILEDCHART/Massachusetts.htm
Credential Title(s) -- Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC)
Examination Requirements -- NCMHCE
--------------------
http://www.counseling.org/Content/NavigationMenu/JOINRENEW/STATELICENSURECERTIFICATIONDETAILEDCHART/New_Jersey.htm
Credential Title(s) -- Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)
Examination Requirements -- NCE
--------------------
http://www.counseling.org/Content/NavigationMenu/RESOURCES/LICENSUREANDCERTIFICATION/INTERSTATEENDORSEMENT/RECIPROCITY.htm
Licensing - Reciprocity
-------------------------------------------------
http://www.ccamain.org/
Connecticut Counseling Association
Connecticut Mental Health Counselors Association
-------------------------------------------------
http://www.ccamain.com/massachusetts.htm
MaCA
This page is reserved for CCA members from Massachusetts who are
members of CCA pending re-establishment of an ACA Branch in
Massachusetts. These members should check here periodically for
information about Massachusetts activities or information of interest
to members of the state
-------------------------------------------------
http://www.mamhca.org/
Massachusetts Mental Health Counselors Association
--------------------
http://www.mamhca.org/licspprt.htm
Licensure Support Services
-------------------------------------------------
http://www.njcounseling.org/
New Jersey Counseling Association
-------------------------------------------------
http://www.njmhca.org/index.html
New Jersey Mental Health Counselors Association
===============
SEARCH STRATEGY
===============
NBCC
NCE
NCMHCE
Connecticut/Massachusetts/New Jersey counselor
Connecticut/Massachusetts/New Jersey counselor lincensing |
Clarification of Answer by
czh-ga
on
25 Jan 2005 13:56 PST
Hello again yellowdandelion-ga,
I?m glad that the answer was helpful. Thank you for the tip and five
stars. Here are the two lists I suggested that you print out. As you
can see, the two tests emphasizes different areas of competency and
take a different approach to testing. I think it might be helpful to
you to match your qualifications to both lists and see which fits
better.
Best wishes for your career.
~ czh ~
http://www.nbcc.org/exams/nce.htm
National Counselor Examination (NCEŽ)
Content Areas & Work Behaviors
Although different questions are used for each administration of the
examination, the following eight content areas are always covered:
-- Human Growth and Development
-- Social and Cultural Foundations
-- Helping Relationships
-- Group Work
-- Career and Lifestyle Development
-- Appraisal
-- Research and Program Evaluation
-- Professional Orientation & Ethics
In addition, the NCE is based on the following five work behaviors:
-- Fundamentals of Counseling
-- Assessment and Career Counseling
-- Group Counseling
-- Programmatic and Clinical Intervention
-- Professional Practice Issues
http://www.nbcc.org/exams/ncmhce.htm
National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination (NCMHCE)
The simulated cases on the NCMCHE are designed to sample a broad area
of competencies, not merely the recall of isolated facts. Therefore,
the problems assess clinical problem-solving ability, including
identifying, analyzing, diagnosing, and treating clinical issues.
The examination consists of ten clinical mental health counseling
cases. Each case is divided into approximately five to eight sections
classified as either information gathering or decision-making. The
areas covered by the exam include:
Evaluation & Assessment (including but not limited to):
-- Identify precipitating problems or symptoms
-- Conduct mental status exam
-- Conduct comprehensive biopsychosocial assessment histories
-- Identify individual and relationship functioning
Diagnosis & Treatment Planning:
-- Integrate client assessment and observational data with clinical
judgment to formulate a differential diagnosis
-- Develop a treatment plan in collaboration with the client
-- Coordinate treatment plan with other service providers
-- Monitor client progress toward goal attainment
Clinical Practice:
-- Determine if services meet client needs
-- Discuss ethical and legal issues
-- Understand scope of practice parameters
|
