§34-8A-7. Qualifications for licensed professional counselor; specialty designation.

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 as the board prescribes, accompanied by a fee as is required in this chapter, and who furnishes satisfactory evidence of the following to the board:

(1) The applicant is at least 19 years of age.

(2) The applicant is of good moral character.

(3) The applicant is not in violation of any of the provisions of this chapter and the rules and regulations adopted hereunder.

(4) The applicant has received a master's degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher learning which is primarily professional counseling in content based on national standards, or the substantial equivalent in both subject matter and extent of training. The board shall use the standards of nationally recognized professional counseling associations as guides in establishing the standards for counselor licensure.

(5) The applicant submits documentation of completion of 3,000 hours of supervised experience in professional counseling acceptable to the board. An applicant may subtract 1,000 hours of the required professional experience for every 15 graduate semester hours obtained beyond the master's degree, provided that those hours are clearly related to the field of professional counseling and are acceptable to the board. In no case may the applicant have less than 1,000 hours of the required professional supervised experience.

(6) The applicant demonstrates competence and knowledge in professional counseling by passing an examination, as the board prescribes. A specialty designation may be added upon demonstration to the board that the applicant has met the recognized minimum standards as established by nationally recognized certification agencies. Upon successful passage of an examination, and upon receipt of credentials from certifying agencies the board may, by a majority of the board members present and voting, consider the credentials adequate evidence of professional competence and recommend to the chair of the board that a license with appropriate specialty designation, if any, be approved. A licensed professional counselor cannot claim or advertise a counseling specialty unless the qualifications of that specialty have been met and have been approved by the board.

(7) The applicant is a citizen of the United States or, if not a citizen of the United States, a person who is legally present in the United States with appropriate documentation from the federal government.

(Acts 1979, No. 79-423, p. 649, §7; Acts 1997, No. 97-154, p. 196, §3; Act 2000-810, p. 1925, §1; Act 2006-566, p. 1314, §1; Act 2008-175, p. 288, §3.)