Licensed Professional Clinical Counselors in California

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Licensed Professional
Clinical Counselors
in
California
LPCCs
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Presented by
The California Association for
Licensed Professional Clinical Counselors
2015
Website: <calpcc.org>
Email: <info@calpcc.org>
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Each state now licenses four mental
health professions:
• Licensed Professional Counselors (LPCs)
(also named LPCCs, LCPCs, LCMHCs)
– Over 126,000 nationwide (Over 1,200 in CA)
• Licensed Marriage & Family Therapists (LMFTs)
– Almost 58,000 nationwide (Over 37,000 in CA)
• Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSWs)
– Over 225,000 nationwide (Almost 22,000 in CA)
• Licensed Psychologists
– Over 154,000 nationwide (Almost 18,000 in CA)
American Counseling Association: 2013 Statistics on Mental Health Professions

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It has taken many years for these mental health
professions to be licensed in every state:
– LPCs: 34 years (1976 - 2009)
– LMFTs: 46 years (1963 - 2009)
– LCSWs: 47 years (1945 – 1992)
– Psychologists: 32 years (1945 – 1977)

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Why was California the last state to license
Professional Counselors?
• LPC was unknown in California
• Californians were satisfied with the situation:
– Licensed Psychologists, LMFTs and LCSWs
– Credentialed School Counselors
– Unregulated Career & Rehab Counselors, Art
Therapists & Dance/Movement Therapists and others

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What got the effort going in California?
• LPCs from other states could not get
licensed in California
– Only those who focused their degrees on marriage
and family could become LMFTs
• Restraint of trade for experienced LPCs from other
states

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Why does California need another mental
health license?
• To augment California’s mental health workforce with
qualified professionals
• To protect California consumers of mental health services by regulating
professional counselors
• To allow California to benefit from federal initiatives such as:
– The Veterans Benefits and Health Care Act
– The DoD’s TRICARE program
– Medicare When this federal legislation is finally passed, California will be ready
with licensed practitioners
• To allow qualified counselors to volunteer for Disaster Mental Health
teams needed by the Red Cross during and following disasters in California
• To provide access to clinically trained counselors for Californians
experiencing job loss

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How long did it take to get the LPCC in
California?
• Preparation:
– 2002 - 2004: Twelve California professional associations
incorporated as the California Coalition for Counselor Licensure,
raised funds, drafted bill language, worked with stakeholders,
regulators, engaged lobbyists
• Three bills over five years in the state legislature:
– 2005: AB 894
– 2007: AB 1486
– 2009: SB 788 was signed by Governor
• The bill became law January 2010

9. LPCC Milestones
• February 2012: The first LPCC licenses were issued
• February 2014: DHCS announced that LPCCs are
qualified providers of Medi-Cal specialty mental
health services
2015:
• 1,215 LPCCs are licensed; 948 PCCIs are registered
• 58 CA universities have BBS-approved programs for the
LPCC
• About half of CA’s 63 counties have updated their job
descriptions to include PCCIs and LPCCs
• Most private insurance companies are reimbursing
LPCCs 9

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What do LPCCs do?
• Make up a large percentage of the mental health
workforce in the U.S.
• Are employed in mental health centers, agencies, and
organizations across the country
• Work with individuals, families, and groups
• Treat mental, behavioral and emotional problems and
disorders
• Are covered by managed care organizations and health
plans
• Work with active duty military personnel and their
families, as well as veterans (DoD’s TRICARE, VA)

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Scope of Practice
for CA LPCCs includes:
Application of counseling interventions and
psychotherapeutic techniques to improve mental health
Identification and remediation of cognitive, mental, and
emotional issues, including personal growth, adjustment
to disability, and crisis intervention
Empowering individuals to deal adequately with life
situations, reduce stress, experience growth, change
behavior, and make well-informed decisions
B & P Code 4999.20

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What does the Scope not include?
for CA LPCCs
The assessment or treatment of couples or families, or the
supervision of MFT interns, unless the LPCC has:
– 6 semester-units (or 9 quarter-units) focused on MFT
or
– A named specialization in MFT
and
– 500 hours supervised experience working with couples, families or
children
and
– 6 hours of CEUs in MFT in each renewal cycle
There is no restriction for LPCCs or PCCIs to treat
children
B & P Code 4999.20

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What does the Scope not include?
for CA LPCCs
• Projective techniques in the assessment of personality
• Individually administered IQ tests
• Neuropsychological testing
• Utilization of a battery of 3 or more tests to determine presence of
psychosis, dementia, amnesia, cognitive impairment or criminal
behavior
B & P Code 4999.20

14. Equivalency to mental health licenses at
the master’s level
•California LPCCs are considered to be on par
with LMFTs and LCSWs by the Board of
Behavioral Sciences.
•The requirements for the California LPCC are on
par or exceed the requirements for LPCs in
other states.
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Comparison of Scopes
LPCC from B & P Code 4999
Empowers individuals to
deal adequately with life
situations, reduce stress,
experience growth, change
behavior and make well-
informed, rational decisions
LMFT from B & P Code 4980
Enables individuals to
mature and grow within
marriage and family.
Examines interpersonal
relationships to achieve
more adequate, satisfying
and productive marrriage
and family adjustments
LCSW from B & P Code 4996
Directed at helping people
achieve more adequate,
satisfying and productive
social adjustments.
Provides or arranges for
social services, helps
communities to organize,
improves social or health
services.
Applies a variety of
counseling interventions
and psychotherapeutic
techniques to identify and
remediate cognitive, mental
and emotional issues, for
the purposes of improving
mental health
Applies marriage and family
therapy principles and
methods, including
psychotherapeutic
techniques, to serve
individuals, couples and
groups
Includes counseling and
applied psychotherapy of a
non-medical nature with
individuals, families and
groups

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LPCC Requirements
for those who began their degrees prior to 2012
• A qualifying master’s or doctoral degree that includes:
– 48 semester-units (or 72 quarter-units) in counseling or
psychotherapy from an accredited or approved university that
includes 9 core areas, 12 units of advanced coursework and 6
semester-units of supervised practicum.
• 3,000 hours of post-degree supervised experience
• Passage of a CA Law & Ethics Exam and the National Clinical
Mental Health Counselor Exam
B & P Code 4999.32

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LPCC Core Content Areas
for those who began their degrees prior to 2012
Counseling &
psychotherapy
Human Growth &
Development
Career
Development
Group Counseling Assessment
Multicultural
Counseling
Diagnostic Process
Research &
Evaluation
Professional
Orientation
(Law & Ethics)

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Additional requirements
for those who began their degrees prior to 2012
• In addition, or as part of the degree:
• Psychopharmacology (2-semester or 3-quarter unit graduate or
undergraduate college course)
• The following topics may be taken as college courses or as
continuing education courses offered by Approved Providers:
– Chemical substance abuse (15 hours)
– Human sexuality (10 hours)
– Spousal/partner abuse (15 hours)
– Child abuse (7 hours)
– Aging & long-term care (10 hours)
– Crisis/trauma counseling (15 hours)
– California law and ethics (18 hours)
For those beginning degrees in 2012 and after: Addictions, Crisis/Trauma and
Psychopharmacology become required core areas in the degree.

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LPCC 2012 Education requirements
for those beginning graduate study in 2012
• A qualifying degree with 60 semester-units
• Instruction must:
– Include methods of service delivery in recovery-
oriented practice environments
– Integrate an understanding of various cultures and the
social and psychological implications of
socioeconomic position
– Cover 13 Core Areas, including 3 semester-units (4.5
quarter-units) of advanced counseling and
psychotherapeutic theories & techniques

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2012 LPCC Core Content Areas
Counseling &
psychotherapy
Human Growth
& Development
Career
Development
Group
Counseling
Assessment Multicultural
Counseling
Diagnostic
Process
Research and
Evaluation
Professional
Orientation
(Law & Ethics)
Psychopharma
-cology
Addictions
Counseling
Crisis or
Trauma
Counseling

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Requirements for LPCs licensed in
another state
• A valid counseling license, held for at least two years
preceding application, to practice independently in
another jurisdiction
– Those, who have not been licensed for two years in another
jurisdiction, will be required to earn 250 supervised hours, as a
registered PCC intern in CA.
• Substantially equivalent education & supervision
– Out-of-state applicants must take additional coursework in CA-specific
content, including: methods of service delivery in recovery-oriented
practice environments and an understanding of various cultures and the
social and psychological implications of socioeconomic position
• Passage of exams required by the Board

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Regulating Agency
• The California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS),
which currently regulates MFTs, LCSWs and LEPs
<www.bbs.ca.gov>
• Board currently includes 13 members: 2 MFTs, 2 LCSWs,
1 LPCC, 1 LEP and 7 public members

23. Disaster Mental Health
• January 29, 2015: CALPCC becomes an Associate
Organization of the CA Disaster Mental Health Coalition
• March 6 & 7, 2015: CALPCC Conference in San Diego
– 56 students, interns and professionals enrolled in Red Cross
Training, Psychological First Aid: Helping Others in Time of
Stress
– 30 LPCCs enrolled in Disaster Mental Health Fundamentals
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For Additional Information
Visit the CALPCC website
Website: <calpcc.org>
Email: <info@calpcc.org>
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