Professional Counselor Associate
Professional Counselor Associate applicants must meet education and examination requirements. Associates can only practice under supervision, pursuant to an approved clinical supervision plan.
Click the link below to electronically submit the application, fee and required documentation to become a Professional Counselor Associate.
- Professional Counselor Associate Electronic Application
- LPC Plan for Clinical Supervision of Post-Master's Clinical Experience in Counseling Form
An LPC Associate license is a two-year license. If Post-Master's clinical experience has not been completed within that two-year period, you will need to apply for an Associate Extension. The Associate Extension Request application should be submitted before the Associate license expires.
- Associate Extension Request Application
- LPC Plan for Clinical Supervision of Post-Master's Clinical Experience in Counseling Form
- LPC Confirmation of Clinical Supervision of Post-Master's Client Contact Form
- Associate Supervision Log Form
To submit the Associate Extension request application and supporting documentation, log into your e-service account and upload under Document Submission.
Supervision
In order to obtain the Licensed Professional Counselor license, documentation of completion of a minimum of one thousand five hundred (1500) hours of post-master's clinical experience and post master's clinical supervision in the practice of professional counseling performed over a period of not fewer than two (2) years must be submitted to the Board. Of the one thousand five hundred (1500) hours, there must be a minimum of one thousand three hundred eighty (1,380) hours of documented direct client contact and a minimum of one hundred twenty (120) hours of documented supervision.
Supervision must be provided by a licensed professional counselor supervisor (LPCS) or other qualified licensed mental health practitioner approved by the Board that included experience assessing and treating clients with the more serious problems as categorized in standard diagnostic nomenclature. In addition to a licensed professional counselor supervisor, a qualified licensed mental health practitioner (QLMHP) includes a person licensed as a Marriage and Family Therapy Supervisor, and Addiction Counselor Supervisor, a Psychologist or a Medical Doctor. The LPCS or QLMHP must be approved by the Board and shown to have knowledge and expertise necessary to provide professional counseling supervision, including diagnosis and treatment of more serious problems categorized in standard diagnostic nomenclature.
A minimum of sixty (60) hours of the supervision hours must be individual/triadic, and the remaining sixty (60) hours may be individual/triadic or group.
These supervised experience hours are obtained as an Associate. The Plan for Clinical Supervision of Post-Master's Clinical Experience in Counseling Form may be submitted along with the Associate license application, or submitted once you have obtained employment; however, it must be effective once you have passed your exam and your Associate license has been issued. A Professional Counselor Associate cannot provide professional counseling services until the supervision plan is submitted to the Board and approved and the Associate license is issued.
CACREP Accredited Program
To meet education requirements for licensure, an applicant can either show evidence of graduation from a Clinical Mental Health counseling program accredited by the CACREP at the time of graduation;
OR
NON-CACREP Accredited Program
Submit evidence of successful completion of a master's degree, specialist's degree or doctoral degree with a minimum of sixty (60) graduate semester hours primarily in counseling from a program accredited by a national educational accrediting body such as CACREP or one that requires and follows substantially similar educational standards, and from a college or university accredited by the Commission on the Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, one of its transferring regional associations, the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada, or a regionally-accredited institution of higher learning subsequent to receiving the graduate degree.
NON-CACREP Required Graduate-Level Coursework Documentation
Complete and submit with your application the Coursework Description and Verification Form and the Practicum and Internship Review Form (Located in Applications & Forms section) along with official transcripts from all graduate institutions. Detailed instructions for completion are found on the forms. The coursework description must be copied from the catalogue for the year in which the courses were taken or taken from the institution's website. The Internship and Practicum descriptions are required as well. A syllabus will also be accepted.All licensure candidates must take and pass either the National Counselor Examination for Licensure and Certification (NCE) or National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination (NCMHCE). Both of these examinations are administered by NBCC. Once your educational experience and application has been approved, you will be sent instructions on how to apply for the exam. (If you have not already taken and passed the exam.)
Once you have completed the requirements of clinical supervision, click the link below to electronically submit the application, fee and required documentation to become a Licensed Professional Counselor.
Professional Counselor Supervisor
An applicant for licensure as a professional counselor supervisor must:
- hold a current, active, and unrestricted South Carolina Professional Counselor License; and
- either:
- a) hold a doctoral degree in Counselor Education and Supervision, or
- b) provide:
(i) evidence acceptable to the Board of at least five (5) years of continuous clinical experience immediately preceding the application; and
(ii) submit evidence of a minimum of thirty-six (36) hours of individual/triadic supervision over no less than a two-year period, by a Board licensed professional counselor supervisor, of the applicant's supervision of at least two (2) and no more than six (6) licensed professional counselor associates; and
(iii) submit evidence of a minimum of three (3) semester hours of graduate study in supervision or training approved by the Board.
Graduate Study in Supervision or Training Approved by Board
Per Regulation 36-06(3) - LPC - Supervisor
LPC Supervisor candidates are an active, licensed professional counselor in South Carolina who do not hold a doctoral degree in Counselor Education and Supervision and must provide, as part of the requirements to obtain an LPC Supervisor license, evidence to the Board of having completed a minimum of three (3) semester hours of graduate study in supervision oriented to their discipline or training approved by the Board.
This requirement can be met by:
- Taking a graduate level course in supervision as part of your master's degree program; OR
- Taking a graduate level course or training in supervision.
- LPC-Supervisor applicants should check with the following national associations for available supervision courses or CACREP accredited graduate level programs providing training in supervision. [NOTE: A course in supervision must be graduate level education. Courses structured in a continuing education format are NOT acceptable.]
- American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT)
- American Association of State Counseling Boards (AASCB)
- American Counseling Association
- South Carolina Clinical Mental Health Counselors Association
- South Carolina Counseling Association (SCCA)
- National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC)
- South Carolina Association of School Psychologists (SCASP)
- Association for Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE)
- The South Carolina Education Association (SCEA)
- South Carolina Department of Education
- South Carolina Recovering Professional Program (SCRPP)
- National Association of School Psychologists (NASP)
Professional Counselor / Professional Counselor Supervisor by Endorsement
An applicant for licensure as a professional counselor and/or professional counselor supervisor by endorsement must:
- hold a current, active, and unrestricted license in good standing under the laws of another state, and
- not have any current or pending investigations in the state where they are currently licensed; and
- submit an application on a form approved by the Board, in which the applicant certifies that they have read and understand the Board's statutes, regulations, and the Code of Ethics specific to the professional license(s) being sought, along with the required fee; and
- provide other documentation, as required by the Board.
- An applicant is only eligible for endorsement licensure in this state at an equivalent credential level.
A Supervisor seeking endorsement must have and maintain the underlying professional license, Licensed Professional Counselor, in addition to the Supervisor license. If you do not currently hold a Professional Counselor license, you should apply for that credential before applying for the Supervisor license.
To apply, click the link below to access the electronic applications. The Verification of Lawful Presence Form is required to be completed to upload with your application.
Professional Counselor by Reciprocity
An applicant for the reciprocity license must:
- hold a current, active and unrestricted NC LCMHC license that is in good standing, and
- submit an application approved by the Board, in which the applicant certifies that they have read and understand the SC Board's statutes, regulations and the Code of Ethics specific to the LPC license, along with the required fee; and
- provide other documentation, as required by the Board.
To apply for the reciprocity license, click the link below to access the application:
Reinstatement Applications
The reinstatement application below must be used if your license(s) has/have been lapsed for less than five (5) years.
The reinstatement application below must be used if your license(s) has/have been lapsed for more than five (5) years.