LPCC and MFTs

LPCC Track for Pre-Licensed MFTs

Click here for online
CE Courses for MFT Interns
and LMFTs
In 2009, the Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor licensure law was passed and signed here in California . For already licensed MFTs, grandparenting is available from January 1, 2011 through June 30, 2011. For interns who expect to be licensed before June 30, 2011, they too will have the option to apply for LPCC grandparenting. However, pre-licensed members who wish to obtain their LPCC license, and who are already in the pipeline (but will not be licensed by June 30, 2011) will need to adhere to specific education and experience requirements, as well as take the required licensing examinations.



For those who are outside of the grandparenting timeframe, the required education and experience is reviewed below. However, the specific regulations still need to be drafted by the Board of Behavioral Sciences. For example, can you count any and all supervised hours of experience towards both LPCC and MFT licensure? Will the BBS require national and/or state-developed examinations? Will the BBS allow more than one course to satisfy a particular required core course content area? These types of questions still need to be addressed through regulation, and we will share that information as the regulations evolve. As to the general education and experience required, please see the summary below[i]:





Education Requirements
Experience Requirements



· Masters or doctoral degree that is counseling or psychotherapy in content obtained from an accredited or approved institution containing not less than 48 graduate semester or 72 graduate quarter units of instruction.

· Three semester units or four and one-half quarter units of graduate study in each of following nine (9) areas: counseling and psychotherapeutic theories and techniques; human growth and development; career development; group counseling; assessment, appraisal, and testing of individuals; multicultural counseling; principles of the diagnostic process; research and evaluation; and, law and ethics.[ii] NOTE: An applicant whose degree is deficient in no more than two of the required nine (9) areas of study listed above, may satisfy those deficiencies by successfully completing post-master’s or postdoctoral degree coursework at an accredited or approved institution.

· A minimum of 12 semester units or 18 quarter units of advanced coursework to develop knowledge of specific treatment issues, special populations, application of counseling constructs, assessment and treatment planning, clinical interventions, therapeutic relationships, psychopathology, or other clinical topics.

· Six semester units or nine quarter units of supervised practicum or field study experience.[iii]
· A minimum of 15 contact hours of instruction in alcoholism and other chemical substance abuse dependency.

· A minimum of 10 contact hours of training or coursework in human sexuality.

· A two semester unit or three quarter unit survey course in psychopharmacology (at an accredited or approved institution).

· A minimum of 15 contact hours of instruction in spousal or partner abuse assessment, detection, and intervention strategies.

· A minimum of seven contact hours of training or coursework in child abuse assessment and reporting.

· A minimum of 18 contact hours of instruction in California law and ethics (school coursework may count towards this requirement.)

· A minimum of 10 contact hours of instruction in aging and long-term care.

· A minimum of 15 contact hours of instruction in crisis or trauma counseling.