Degree Requirement: A candidate must hold a Master's degree or Doctoral degree in counseling or a field determined by the board by regulation to be closely related to the practice of professional counseling from an accredited educational institution.
Examination: The examination required as a prerequisite to being granted a license as a professional counselor shall be one of the following:
- The National Counselor Examination for Licensure and Certification (NCE) given by the National Board for Certified Counselors.
- The Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) Examination given by the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification.
- The Art Therapy Credentials Board (ATCB) Certification Examination given by ATCB.
- The Board Certification Examination given by Certification Board for Music Therapists.
- The practice examination of psychological knowledge given by the North American Association of Master's in Psychology (NAMP).
- The Advanced Alcohol & Other Drug Abuse Counselor Examination (AAODA) given by the International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium/Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Inc. (IC & RC/AODA).
- The Examination for Master Addictions Counselors (EMAC) given by National Board for Certified Counselors.
Experience: Experience Requirement Varies Based on Degree
Master's Degree - 3,000 hours of Supervised Clinical Experience completed in no less than 2 years and no more than 6 years.
Doctoral Degree – 2,400 hours of Supervised Clinical Experience, of which 1,200 hours was obtained subsequent to the granting of the doctoral degree.
Continuing Education:
3 Hours (for initial licensure)
Applicants must complete 3 hours of Board-approved continuing education in child abuse recognition and reporting for initial licensure.
30 Hours for Each Biennial Renewal Period (when renewing license)
30 hours of continuing education in acceptable courses and programs offered by approved providers. The 30 hours shall include at least 3 hours in ethics, 2 hours of the mandated Act 31 Child Abuse Reporter Training and 1 hour in suicide prevention.
Licensure by Endorsement without Examination and Licensure by Act 41:
Act 41 allows for portability of out-of-state professional licensees coming to work in Pennsylvania. Act 41 does this by granting all boards and commissions within the Commonwealth the authority to endorse licensees from other states, territories, or jurisdictions (with substantially equivalent licensing requirements) who are active, in good standing and without discipline against their license or criminal conviction and who have been actively engaged in the practice for 2 of the last 5 years.
Check out the Pennsylvania Department of State website for more information.