MINNESOTA LICENSURE OPTIONS IN MENTAL HEALTH

BOARD OF PSYCHOLOGY

Licensed as Licensed Psychologist (LP) which allows for independent practice. Must have a doctorate in psychology and one year fulltime post-degree supervised experience.

Licensure at the masters’ level which is Licensed Psychological Practitioner (LPP) requires continued supervision by an LP and is being phased out. The Board stopped accepting applications to be an LPP as of 12/31/05 and will allow existing LPP’s to convert to LP’s if they follow specific steps. There will be no more LPP licensure at all after 2010. Website: www.psychologyboard.state.mn.us/

Licensed Psychological Practitioners

The Licensed Psychological Practitioner will no longer exist as of December 31. 2011. Applications for the LPP will stop being accepted after December 31, 2005 and the all requirements for LPP licensure must be met by December 31, 2006.

LPP’s will be allowed to convert their license to Licensed Psychologist but must apply to do so. It will not just happen automatically. To be eligible for this conversion LPP’s must document completion of two full years or the equivalent of supervised post-licensure employment and this supervised employment must be completed by December 31, 2010 or within four years from the date of licensure.

IMPORTANT! LPP’s are restricted in the types of places they can work. Please refer to the Board of Psychology Rules and Statutes book, section 148.925, subdivision 5.

The website for the Board of Psychology is http://www.psychologyboard.state.mn.us/

BOARD OF MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPY

Licensed as Licensed Marriage and Family Therapy (LMFT) which allows for independent practice.

Requires 300 hours of direct client contact supervised practice as part of pre-degree training. Also requires at least two years of supervised postgraduate experience in marriage and family therapy satisfactory to the board before you are allowed to practice independently (minimum 500 individual, 500 family, and 200 supervision hours of which at least 100 hours must be individual supervision). There is a proposal currently to require a certain number of hours on site rather than to count just client contact hours, but that is not in place as yet. Website: www.bmft.state.mn.us/

BOARD OF SOCIAL WORK

Licensed as Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) which allows for independent practice. Not usually a route pursued by those with degrees in psychology because of the specialized social work courses required. Website: www.socialwork.state.mn.us/

BOARD OF BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AND THERAPY

Licensed as Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC). Both allow for independent practice.

Licensed Professional Counselors

LPC requires 700 hour field experience and 48 credit MA program. After passing the counselor licensure exam, you must also complete 12 additional graduate credits and 2000 supervised hours of experience by your first license renewal (2 years). There are exceptions to these—check the Board’s website. Website: www.bbht.state.mn.us/

The Legislature passed SF 1204 Article 5 (http://www.senate.leg.state.mn.us) which addresses some issues that will facilitate your application for licensure with the Board of Behavioral Health and Therapy. These changes were effective July 1, 2005.

If you did not have a 700 hour practicum, you will be allowed to make up the needed practicum hours.

If you did not have a 48 credit MA program, you will be allowed to add more graduate credits. If you have 48 credits or less at the time of initial licensure, you will need to earn additional graduate credits to make 60 by your first license renewal. If you have 49-59 credits at licensure, by your first renewal you need to earn graduate credits to make 60, plus earn 40 Continuing Education Units. If you have 60 or more credits at the time of licensure, you need 40 Continuing Education Units at the time of first renewal.

This is confusing, however, in that there is also a provision (line 126.2 of SF1204, Article 5) that allows you to have four years rather than two years to make up the graduate credits. Talk to the Board directly about what the requirements are for your particular situation.

Any graduate credits you want to count for LPC licensure must be in one of the 10 content areas specified by the Board and must be earned at an accredited institution.

IMPORTANT! According to line 126.16, those who have graduated before 12/31/03 and have five years of post-degree professional work experience, can apply for the LPC without having to meet the 700 hour practicum requirement or the 48 credit requirement or the requirement of having coursework in all of the 10 specified content areas. This is a window of opportunity for licensure that is time limited and it expires July 1, 2007.

If you have the LPP or LP already, you can apply for the LPC without having to take another exam. Also, your educational curriculum will be accepted automatically. This is spelled out in line 123.35.

Note that your post-degree supervised experience need to have supervision at the level of 2 hours per 40 hours worked. Your supervisor must be approved by the BBHT. You can take the exam for licensure once you have graduated. Exams will be offered in July, October, and January.

The website for the Board of Behavioral Health and Therapy is http://www.bbht.state.mn.us/

Licensed Professional Clinical Counselors

The state of Minnesota's newest mental health license: LPCC (Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor).  On May 24, 2007, the Governor signed into law the legislation creating LPCC.  For a detailed explanation of the history and process to establish the new LPCC, click on the web site of the Minnesota Board of Behavioral Health and Therapy, http://www.bbht.state.mn.us/

The LPCC is described as a broad-based mental health license for practitioners interested in providing "direct counseling services to individuals, groups, and families" (new legislation, Section 37, Subpart 5, line 29.20).  It is intended to be a comprehensive license for practitioners working with multiple types of clientle.

The effective date of the LPCC is August 1, 2007.  Keep an eye on the Board of Behavioral Health and Therapy's web site for updates and forms.  Members of the Board of Behavioral Health and Therapy and the Department of Human Services (DHS) are working with the legislature to have the LPCC included as Mental Health Professional (MHP) status under the DHS statutes.  This will allow LPCCs to work more readily with medical assistance and managed care providers.

To earn the LPCC one has to move through the basic academic infrastructure of the LPC.  Students working toward the master's degree and the LPCC may choose to get their LPC along the way.  This path would allow graduates to move into agency, clinic, or private practice work as an LPC while completing the final licensing requirements for the LPCC.

LPCC Requirements:

1.  A master's degree in a mental health field, minimum of 48 semester credits, covering the Board of Behavioral Health and Therapy's 10 core content areas including 24 semester credits in 6 specified clinical subjects (psychopathology, clinical treatment planning, clinical interventions, intervention evaluation, ethics, and cultural diversity).  An additional 12 graduate credits will be needed by the time of the first license renewal.  Thereafter, 40 Continuing Education Units will be needed for each renewal cycle (two years).

2.  700 hour, pre-degree supervised field experience

3.  Successful completion of the National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination (NCMHCE) or the National Counseling Examination (NCE) and Examination of Clinical Counseling Practice (ECCP).  Only the NCE is required for LPC.

4.  4,000 hours of supervised professional practice after obtaining the master's degree, which can include hours under supervision as part of the LPC.

It will be vitally important for students wishing to pursue the LPCC to keep in close contact with the Board of Behavioral Health and Therapy to make sure you are in compliance with all the licensure requirements.  we in the MA Program in Counseling Psychology will be doing everything we can to insure that your degree program meets the academic requirements for licensure.