N.J. Admin. Code § 13:34-12.1 - Licensure by endorsement

(a) Applicants licensed to practice professional counseling by a professional counseling licensing board in the United States may apply to the Committee for a license by endorsement as a licensed professional counselor. Applicants shall have been engaged in active licensed practice for a period of three years immediately preceding the date of application and shall satisfy the requirements of this section.

(b) Applicants for licensure by endorsement shall register with the National Credentials Registry or its successor, approved by the American Association of State Counseling Boards (AASCB).

(c) An applicant for licensure by endorsement shall hold a master's degree or doctorate in counseling from a counseling program accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). The institution offering the degree shall state in the catalog or in another format acceptable to the Committee that the purpose of the graduate degree is to prepare students for the professional practice of counseling. The degree shall consist of at least 60 semester hours or 80 quarter hours of clinical and didactic instruction.

(d) If an applicant for licensure by endorsement has a master's degree or doctorate in counseling from a regionally accredited program related to the practice of counseling that is not accredited by CACREP, the institution offering the degree shall state in the catalog or in another format acceptable to the Committee that the purpose of the graduate degree is to prepare students for the professional practice of counseling. The applicant shall establish that the coursework and practicum, internship, and/or fieldwork for the program consists of at least 60 semester hours or 80 quarter hours, and is consistent with the following minimum requirements:

1. Thirty-three semester hours or 44 quarter hours of graduate coursework, which shall include a minimum of three semester hours or four quarter hours of graduate-level coursework in each of the following nine content areas: counseling theories and practice; human growth and development; diagnosis and treatment of psychopathology; group theories and practice; individual evaluation and assessment; career and lifestyle assessment; research and program evaluation; social and cultural foundations; and counseling in community settings. Courses in research, thesis or dissertation work, practicums, internships, or fieldwork may not be applied toward this requirement; and

2. Three semester hours or four quarter hours of graduate-level coursework in legal, ethical, and professional standards in the practice of mental health counseling, which includes goals, objectives, and practices of professional counseling organizations, codes of ethics, legal considerations, standards of preparation, certifications and licensing, and the role identity and professional obligations of mental health counselors. Courses in research, thesis or dissertation work, practicums, internships, or fieldwork may not be applied toward this requirement.

(e) The master's or doctoral degrees required by (c) above shall be from programs that:

1. Require students to hold a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher education prior to entry; or

2. Award a bachelor's degree in conjunction with the master's or doctoral degree.

(f) An applicant for licensure by endorsement shall have 4,500 hours of work experience obtained over a period of time between three and six years.

(g) An applicant for licensure by endorsement shall have passed either the National Counselor Examination (NCE) or the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination (CMHCE).

Notes

N.J. Admin. Code § 13:34-12.1

Amended by 48 N.J.R. 1371(b), effective 7/5/2016