PROFESSIONAL COUNSELORS? credits/hours after obtaining Licensed professional counselors (or in licensure; some states, licensed clinical profession- passage of the National Counselor al counselors or licensed mental health Examination (NCE) or a similar counselors) provide mental health and state-recognized exam; and substance abuse care to millions of adherence to a strict Code of Ethics Americans. and recognized standards of practice, Licensed professional counselors as regulated by the states counselor (LPCs) are masters-degreed mental health service providers, trained to work licensure board. with individuals, families, and groups in treating mental, behavioral, and WHAT DO LPCS DO? emotional problems and disorders. The practice of professional counsel- LPCs make up a large percentage of the ing includes, but is not limited to, the workforce employed in community diagnosis and treatment of mental and mental health centers, agencies, and emotional disorders, including addictive organizations, and are employed within disorders; psychoeducational techniques and covered by managed care organiza- aimed at the prevention of such disor- tions and health plans. LPCs also work ders; consultation to individuals, cou- with active duty military personnel and ples, families, groups, and organizations; their families, as well as veterans. and research into more effective thera- peutic treatment modalities. LPC QUALIFICATIONS Counselors training in the provision More than 120,000 professional of counseling and therapy includes the counselors are licensed across the coun- try, under licensure laws enacted in all 50 etiology of mental illness and substance states, the District of Columbia, and abuse disorders, and the provision of Puerto Rico. LPC education and train- the well-established treatments of cogni- ing standards for licensure are on par tive-behavioral, interpersonal, and with those of the other two masters level psychodynamic therapy. Counselors mental health providers (clinical social education and training is oriented workers and marriage and family thera- toward the adoption of a truly client- pists). State licensure requirements for centered, and not primarily illness- professional counselors typically include: centered, approach to therapy. possession of a masters or doctoral Licensed professional counselors and degree in counseling from a national members of the other non-physician or regionally-accredited institution mental health professions of psychology, of higher education, including an clinical social work, marriage and family internship and coursework on therapy, and psychiatric nursing provide human behavior and development, effective counseling strategies, the large majority of mental health ethical practice, and other core services in the U.S. Roughly one in knowledge areas; four Americans suffer from a diagnos- completion of a minimum of 3,000 able mental disorder in a given year, and hours of post-masters degree super- about one in five Americans experience vised clinical experience, performed a mood disorder such as depression at within two years, and periodic com- some point in the course of their life. HOW TO FIND A LICENSED NEED FOR SERVICES COUNSELOR 45.1 million adults (19.9%) in the In 2009, an estimated 8.4 million To search for a licensed counselor United States had mental illness in adults (3.7%) age 18 or older had online, visit The Therapy Directory on the past year. Of those, nearly 8.9 serious thoughts of suicide in the the Psychology Today website at http:// million (20%) also had a substance past year. 2.2 million adults made therapists.psychologytoday.com/rms/. You use disorder. suicide plans in the past year and can search by zip code, area of 11 million adults (4.8%) had seri- approximately 1 million adults specialty, and/or other criteria. Two ous mental illness (SMI)a diag- attempted suicide in the past year. other common ways to find a licensed nosable mental disorder that sub- counselor are by word-of-mouth and by stantially interfered with or limited Substance Abuse and Mental Health looking in the yellow pages (typically one or more major life activities Services Administration. (2010). Results under counseling or counselors; in the past year. from the 2009 National Survey on Drug marriage and family counseling; or Less than 4 in 10 adults with men- Use and Health: Mental Health Findings mental health services). Look for tal illness in the past year received (Office of Applied Studies, NSDUH individuals who identify themselves as a mental health services. Series H-39, HHS Publication No. Licensed Professional Counselor or In 2009, 14.8 million people (6.5% SMA 10-4609). Rockville, MD. LPC. While some states have a varia- of adults aged 18 or older) had at tion of this title, the key words to look least one major depressive episode for are licensed and counselor. during the past year. Your states counselor board website In 2009, 2 million youths (8.1% can let you know the specific designa- of the population aged 12 to 17) tion in your state. Go to http://www. had at least one major depressive counseling.org/Counselors/Licensure episode during the past year. AndCert.aspx to find a directory of state counselor licensure boards, including their phone number and internet address. Many state board web sites include search functions which let Copyright 2011 you verify the licensure of individual American Counseling Association practitioners.