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Couples Therapy

Licensed Professional Counselor Associate (LPCA)

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Part A: Education Requirements To Apply For LPCA Licensure

per 201 KAR 36:070 Licensing requirements

Applicants for licensure shall have received a BACHELOR DEGREE. One option is the online Bachelor’s of Science in Organizational Leadership and Learning from University of Louisville is a 120 credit hour program. The Organizational Leadership and Learning (OLL) program through the University of Louisville offers an accelerated pathway to a college degree for individuals, including veterans, by giving them college credit for prior military service and work experience. Concentrations within the OLL program include Leadership, Training and Organizational Development, Career and Technical Education, Healthcare Leadership, Early Childhood Education, and Counseling and Human Relations.

 

Includes the following curriculum components:

  1. Cardinal Core requirements– transferred credits or completed at U of L (31 credit hours)

  2. OLL Program Core Courses (24-29 credit hours)

  3. Work Specialization/Prior Learning Award (PLA) - up to 48 credit hours

  4. Track Courses (12-15 credit hours)

  5. Elective Courses (5-44 credit hours)

How Much Will I Pay?

$508 per credit hour


$250 per credit hour active-duty rate

Tuition rate does not include costs associated with a specific course or program, such as textbooks. Tuition and fees are subject to change at any time without prior notice.

Admission Requirements for U of L Organizational Leadership and Learning program

  • Completed undergraduate application

  • $25 non-refundable application fee

  • Minimum undergraduate GPA of 2.25 to be admitted in good standing (applicants with a 2.0 - 2.24 GPA may inquire about conditional admission)

  • Official transcripts for all college credits earned at an accredited institution*

  • Copy of official JST

  • Minimum age: 22

  • Prior education: 24 college credit hours or more completed prior to applying

* See the UofL Transfer Credit Policy for more information.

U OF L Resources

  • Office of U of L Veterans Student Services

  • Waived application fees and priority registration for personnel currently serving in the Armed Forces of the United States LINK

  • Military Tuition Assistance LINK

  • You can also find out which education benefit is best for you at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Road Map for Success. See more information on our Tuition for Military Students page and Financial Aid for Military Students page for active duty military and veterans.

Successful completion of the B.S. in OLL could lead to a Master’s of Science in Counseling. The veteran applicant could also then further their education to pursue a Ph.D.

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Part B: Education Requirements For Master’s or Doctoral Degree

  • Applicants for licensure shall have received a master's, specialist, or doctoral degree in counseling or a related field from a regionally-accredited institution; and

  • Shall have sixty (60) graduate semester hours in specified areas; and

  • Include three (3) semester hours or four and one-half (4.5) quarter hours, at the minimum, on professional orientation and ethics with the concentration on the American Counseling Association Code of Ethics; and

  • Include practicum or internship experience of at least 600 hours in a counseling program which includes the following:

    • At least 240 clock hours of direct service, including experience leading groups;

    • Weekly interaction that averages one (1) hour per week of individual or triadic supervision throughout the internship, usually performed by the onsite supervisor;

    • An average of one and one-half (1 1/2) hours per week of group supervision provided on a regular schedule throughout the internship and performed by a licensed program faculty member;

    • The opportunity for the student to become familiar with a variety of professional activities and resources in addition to direct service (e.g., record keeping, assessment instruments, supervision, information and referral, in-service and staff meetings);

    • The opportunity for the student to develop program-appropriate audio or video recordings for use in supervision or to receive live supervision of his or her interactions with clients; and

    • Evaluation of the student's counseling performance throughout the internship, including documentation of a formal evaluation after the student completes the internship by a program faculty member in consultation with the site supervisor;

 

  • Has completed a minimum of sixty (60) graduate semester hours in the following:

    • 1. The helping relationship, including counseling theory and practice;

    • 2. Human growth and development;

    • 3. Lifestyle and career development;

    • 4. Group dynamics, process, counseling, and consulting;

    • 5. Assessment, appraisal, and testing of individuals;

    • 6. Social and cultural foundations, including multicultural issues;

    • 7. Principles of etiology, diagnosis, treatment planning, and prevention of mental and emotional disorders and dysfunctional behavior;

    • 8. Research and evaluation; and

    • 9. Professional orientation and ethics;

  • Has obtained a board-approved supervisor of record.

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Part C: Complete Either Experience or Exam Option

OPTION 1 - EXPERIENCE*

Completed a minimum of four thousand (4,000) hours of experience in the practice of counseling, all of which must have been obtained since obtaining the master's degree and must be under approved supervision and shall include but not be limited to a minimum of one thousand six hundred (1,600) hours of direct counseling with individuals, couples, families, or groups and a minimum of one hundred (100) hours of individual, face-to-face clinical supervision with an approved supervisor. Each applicant is encouraged to include as part of the total hours of experience a minimum of ten (10) hours of direct counseling with individuals in a jail or corrections setting. All applicants shall complete an organized practicum or internship consisting of at least four hundred (400) hours;

OPTION 2 - EXAM REQUIREMENTS*

When ready, send the Licensure Examination Registration Form LINK

  • Examination fee ($275)

  • Academic transcript identifying the conferral date of a master’s degree in counseling or a related field to CCE. (Fees are subject to change.)

 

*Candidate Handbook for State Credentialing for the National Counselor Examination for Licensure and Certification (NCE)   Link to Handbook

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Part D: Application Requirements

Fees per 201 KAR 036:020

  • LPCA fee $50

  • Background Check

Submit the results of a background check performed within the last ninety (90) days by the Kentucky State Police and a criminal background check performed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). If an applicant submits an application for a nationwide criminal background check performed by the FBI and the FBI cannot complete the background check within thirty (30) days of the request, an applicant may submit an Optional Affidavit for Licensure and shall submit the performed nationwide criminal background check within fourteen (14) days of its receipt. If an applicant has a felony conviction during the applicant's lifetime, a misdemeanor conviction within the past five (5) years, or a pending charge, the applicant shall not use the Optional Affidavit for Licensure. Any cases officially expunged do not have to be disclosed by the applicant and shall not be considered by the board as a conviction for the purposes of this subparagraph. If an applicant does not receive the criminal background check within 180 days of the issuance of a license, the applicant shall notify the board immediately in writing; per 201 KAR 36:070

RECIPROCITY

per 201 KAR 36:072

 

Reciprocity requirements for applicants licensed or certified in another state.

  • An applicant seeking licensure as a licensed professional clinical counselor shall:

  1. Submit an Application for Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor by Reciprocity to the board;

  2. Pay the application fee as established in 201 KAR 36:020, Section 1(1);

  3. Submit a letter of good standing from each jurisdiction where the person holds a license or certificate; and

  4. Submit the results of a background check performed within the last ninety (90) days

  • No person shall be licensed as a licensed professional associate through reciprocity.

  • The Kentucky Board of Licensed Professional Counselors has an alternative route to licensure for counselors who have already obtained their licenses in other states. This process is known as “licensing reciprocity.” For Ohio  and Tennessee, Kentucky has reciprocity agreements that allow professional licensed counselors from these states to allow practice in Kentucky with reciprocal application.

 

LPCA’s should secure a Kentucky credentialed supervisor per 201 KAR 36:060 to qualify experience under supervision.

 

The board shall evaluate the period of supervised experience required by KRS 335.525(1)(e) according to one (1) of the following methods:

  1. A candidate who seeks to obtain experience in the Commonwealth of Kentucky shall submit the supervision agreement required by Section 3 of this administrative regulation for the experience prior to beginning to accrue the required experience; or

  2. A candidate who obtained the experience in another state shall submit:

    1. Documentation of the hours of supervision with the Application for Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor required by 201 KAR 36:070;

    2. Information that verifies:

      • That the requirements for the license or certificate of the supervisor from the state in which the license or certificate was held are substantially equivalent to the requirements for that license or certificate in Kentucky;

      • That the supervisor is in good standing with the certifying or licensing state; and

      • That the practice and supervision requirements in the state from which the candidate is applying are substantially equivalent to the requirements established under this administrative regulation.

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LICENSURE BOARD CONTACT INFO

All questions and requests for information about Kentucky licensure should be directed to one of the addresses below:

(Regular mail) Kentucky Board of Licensed Professional Counselors P.O. Box 1360 Frankfort, KY 40602-1360.

(Overnight mail) 911 Leawood Drive Frankfort, KY 40601.

Office: 502-782-8803
Fax: 502-564-4818

Licensure Board website

 

All questions and requests for information about the Kentucky licensure examination program should be directed to:

CCE Assessment Dept. 3 Terrace Way Greensboro, NC 27403. Telephone: 336-482-2856 website: www.nbcc.org/directory

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Kentucky Board of Licensed Professional Counselors

For your convenience, you can access the steps below via a PDF

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