43-47-06. Licenses - Qualifications - Reciprocity
1. Except as otherwise provided in this chapter, a person may not engage in counseling
in this state unless that person is a licensed professional counselor or licensed
associate professional counselor.
2. The board shall issue a license as a licensed professional counselor to each applicant
who files an application upon a form and in a manner the board prescribes,
accompanied by the required fee, and who furnishes evidence to the board that the
applicant:
a. Has a master's degree from an accredited school or college in counseling or
other program that meets the academic and training standards adopted by the
board;
b. Provided personal and professional recommendations that meet the requirements
adopted by the board and satisfied the board that the applicant will adhere to the
highest standards of the profession of counseling;
c. Has two years of supervised experience, at least fifty percent of which must have
been under a licensed professional counselor or licensed psychologist, or its
equivalent as determined by the board, and the additional supervised experience
may have been with other qualified professionals designated by the board which
are competent in the area of practice being supervised, if barriers due to
geographical location, disability, or other factors determined by the board to
create a hardship exist for the applicant. The qualified professional must be
registered or otherwise qualified as a clinical supervisor by the board that
licenses the other professional;
d. Provided a statement of professional intent to practice in this state describing the
applicant's proposed use of the license, the intended client population, and the
counseling procedures, as defined by the board, the applicant intends to use in
serving the client population; and
e. Has demonstrated knowledge in the field of counseling by successful completion
of an examination prescribed by the board.
3. The board shall issue a license as a licensed associate professional counselor to each
applicant who files an application upon a form and in a manner the board prescribes,
accompanied by the required fee, and who furnishes sufficient evidence to the board
that the applicant:
a. Has a master's degree from an accredited school or college in counseling or
other program that meets the academic and training standards adopted by the
board;
b. Provided personal and professional recommendations that meet the requirements
adopted by the board and satisfied the board that the applicant will adhere to the
standards of the profession of counseling; and
c. Provided a written plan for supervised experience which meets the requirements
adopted by the board.
4. The board may waive the formal examination requirements for a professional
counselor license if the applicant has been licensed or certified to practice counseling
in another state under standards and qualifications similar to or greater than those set
by the board.
5. A professional counselor shall renew the license every two years. The board shall
renew a license upon payment of a fee set by the board and upon demonstration by
the licenseholder of completion of continuing education requirements set by the board.
6. An associate professional counselor initially licensed under this chapter may be
licensed for no more than two years. The associate professional counselor's license
may not be extended beyond two years, except upon recommendation of the
associate professional counselor's supervisor and three other counselors, at least one
of whom must be a professor from the associate professional counselor's training
program.
