Or. Admin. R. 833-030-0011 - Educational Requirements for Licensure as a Professional Counselor

To qualify for licensure as a professional counselor under ORS 675.715(1)(b), an applicant must hold a graduate degree from one of the following:

(1) A counseling program approved by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) as of the date the degree was conferred;

(2) A counseling program approved by the Council on Rehabilitation Education (CORE) as of the date the degree was conferred;

(3) A program at an institution of higher learning that was accredited by a regional accrediting agency as of the date the degree was conferred; or

(4) A foreign program that has been evaluated by a credentialing body recognized by the Board. Submission of foreign degree evaluation and cost of the foreign degree qualification determination are the responsibility of the applicant.

(5) A graduate degree under sections (1) or (2) must have included at least two semester credit hours or three credit quarter hours of coursework in the diagnosis of mental disorders.

(6) A graduate degree under sections (3) or (4) must have included all of the following requirements:

(a) At least two years in duration, including at least:

(A) 48 semester credit hours or 72 quarter hours for graduate degrees granted before October 1, 2014; or

(B) 60 semester credit hours or 90 quarter credit hours for graduate degrees granted on or after October 1, 2014.

(b) At least two semester credit hours or three credit quarter hours in each of the following coursework:

(A) Counseling Theory;

(B) Human Growth and Development;

(C) Social and Cultural Foundations;

(D) The Helping Relationship;

(E) Group Dynamics Processing and Counseling;

(F) Lifestyle and Career Development;

(G) Diagnosis of mental disorders;

(H) Research and Evaluation; and

(I) Professional Orientation (Ethics).

(c) At least 16 semester hours or 24 quarter hours of supporting coursework for specialty areas; and

(d) A supervised clinical practicum or internship experience that:

(A) Included at least 600 total clock hours, including 240 direct client contact hours, for graduate degrees granted before October 1, 2014;

(B) Included at least 700 total clock hours, including 280 direct client contact hours, for graduate degrees granted on or after October 1, 2014;

(C) Had supervisory staff with a minimum of a master's degree in the program emphasis and with pertinent professional experience;

(D) Made provision for faculty monitoring of operations;

(E) Kept records of student-client contact hours including summary of student progress by the supervisor;

(F) Had a written agreement with the program and student specifying learning objectives; and

(G) Had a mechanism for program evaluation.

(e) Deficiencies in the credit hour requirements of sections (a), (b) or (c) may be remedied by completing graduate level coursework in the deficient area(s) at a regionally accredited institution.

(f) For reciprocity applicants only, five years or more of licensed clinical experience in another state may substitute for a maximum of 15 semester or 20 quarter credits of academic education required for licensure. Clinical experience may not substitute for diagnosis training.

(g) Deficiencies in the supervised experience requirement of section (d) may be remedied by completion of:

(A) At least 700 clock hours of supervised clinical experience, including 280 direct client contact hours; or

(B) At least five years of full-time post-degree clinical experience.

Notes

Or. Admin. R. 833-030-0011

BLPCT 1-2010, f. & cert. ef. 1-5-10; BLPCT 4-2016, f. & cert. ef. 10/10/2016

Stat. Auth.: ORS 675.785 - 675.835 & 676.160 - 676.180

Stats. Implemented: ORS 675.785 - 675.835