Credentialing

Education:

A master's degree in counseling, per Oklahoma Law, includes:

  1. Various Core Classes (e.g. Human Growth and Development, Counseling Theories, Abnormal Human Behavior, etc.)
  2. Various Electives
  3. Practicum and Internship Hours totaling a minimum of 300 hours
  4. Completion of a master's program in counseling should include a minimum of 60 credit hours

Exams:

At the end of Graduate school, students must apply and be approved to be an LPC candidate before taking the NCE and the OLERE. There are two exams that are required in the path to obtain your LPC.

  1. NCE- The National Counselor Exam is used to assess the knowledge and skills of an LPC candidate.
  2. OLERE- The Oklahoma Legal and Ethical Responsibilities Exam addresses the understanding an LPC candidate has regarding their ethical responsibilities, coupled with the specifications of Oklahoma Law 

 

Both of these exams cost money to take, and failure to pass the exam requires retesting if you want to practice as an LPC candidate.

Fieldwork/Clinical Experience:

Clinical experience begins in a student's practicum/ internship, but more hours are required to move from an LPC candidate to an LPC. A minimum of 3000 supervised hours post-graduate is required. 

After this is completed, the candidate must apply to the board for full licensure. After this is received, you may now begin practicing as an LPC.

 

Types of licenses:

There are quite a few types of licenses, with many other certifications that one can obtain along the way. Some of these include a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), a Marriage and Family Counselor (LMFT), an Alcohol and Drug Counselor (LADC), and a few more. 

After you obtain your LPC, if you get certified to be a supervisor and gain more lived experience, you can oversee internship students for supervision.