4 CCR 737-1.14 - LICENSURE BY EXAMINATION (C.R.S. section 12-245-604)
A.
Criteria for
application.
1. The applicant
must submit to the Board a completed application for licensure, all fees,
official transcript(s), and all supporting documentation required by the Board
in order for the Board to review the application for licensure.
2. Applications for licensure remain active
for one (1) year. If the applicant fails to become licensed within this time
period, s/he must submit a new application and fee and must meet the
educational, experience, and examination requirements in effect at the time of
the date of the new application. The Board, in its sole discretion, may extend
an application upon written request accompanied by a showing of good
cause.
3. An applicant for
licensure must pass the required examination no more than five (5) years prior
to the date of the application for licensure. Experience and supervision
requirements that predate the application by more than five (5) years will not
be accepted by the Board absent a showing of good cause, as determined by the
Board. However, this may not apply in those exceptions allowable under statutes
concerning professional counselor candidates.
4. All applicants for licensure have a
continuing obligation to update their application with information changes from
the original application at any time prior to licensure.
B. Education and Training Requirements. Many
graduate programs in professional counseling go under other names. Some
programs labeled as counseling programs are not primarily focused on
professional counseling. The Board has therefore established the following
factors to determine whether or not a particular program from which an
applicant for licensure received the master's or doctoral degree qualifies as a
master's or doctoral program with a major in professional counseling or its
equivalent in compliance with sections
12-245-604(1)(c)
and 12-245-601(3),
C.R.S. To meet the statutory requirements, the master's or doctoral program
must meet either (1) or (2), below:
1.
Accredited program. The applicant obtained a master's or doctoral degree from a
program that was approved by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and
Related Educational Programs (CACREP). If enrolled after August 31, 2014, the
applicant must be enrolled in an approved program comprised of not less than 60
semester credit hours; or
2.
Equivalent program. Applicants who graduated from a non-CACREP approved program
must establish educational equivalency through one of the following pathways:
a. Graduation from a program deemed by the
Board, on an annual, to meet CACREP educational equivalency; OR
b. Candidates who graduated from a non-CACREP
approved program or a program that has not been deemed educationally equivalent
by the Board must submit their educational credentials to a Board approved
credentialing agency for evaluation and determination of whether the program
satisfies the requirements of this Rule.
(1)
All of the following requirements shall be considered in order to establish
equivalency:
(a.) The required master's or
doctoral level study and masters or doctoral degree were obtained from a
regionally-accredited institution of higher learning;
(b.) The program stood as a coherent and
recognizable entity within the institution, offering an integrated and
organized sequence of study planned to provide appropriate training for the
practice of professional counseling;
(c.) There was an identifiable full-time
faculty, with an individual responsible for the program who was a full-time
faculty member and who met the requirements for approval as a supervisor or a
person who presents proof satisfactory to the Board, that at the time of
serving as the faculty member, s/he possessed essentially the same education,
experience, and training as that necessary to qualify for licensure under the
Act.
(d.) The program had an
identifiable body of students who were matriculated in that program for a
degree;
(e.) The master's or
doctoral program included examination and grading procedures designed to
evaluate the degree of mastery of the subject matter by the students:
(i) Except as provided in Subsection (2)
below, for a master's or doctoral degree, the curriculum must include a minimum
of forty-eight semester hours or seventy-two quarter hours of graduate study
(for the master's degree) or a minimum of ninety-six semester hours or 144
quarter hours of graduate study (for the doctoral degree) and supervised field
experience of not fewer than 700 hours that was counseling in nature, if
enrolled prior to August 31, 2014.
(ii) If enrolled prior to August 31, 2014, an
individual whose qualifying master degree upon which licensure is to be based
included less than forty-eight semester hours or seventy-two quarter hours for
a master's degree or ninety-six semester hours or 144 quarter hours for a
doctoral degree, who did not complete 700 hours of supervised professional
practice as a part of the degree program, or who did not complete course work
in all of the content areas required by Rule 1.14 may complete these
requirements post-degree in order to obtain licensure, if:
(aa) All course work, field, and post-degree
coursework for licensure experiences are completed through an institution of
higher education that is accredited by a regional accrediting organization
accepted by the Board through Rule 1.14 or through a counseling program
recognized by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Education
Programs (CACREP);
(bb) All course
work and field experiences are taken and passed for credit; and
(cc) All individuals who did not complete 700
hours of supervised professional practice as part of the original degree
program may submit evidence of post-degree work experience for consideration
and credit at the discretion of the Board.
(2) If enrolled after August 31,
2014, an individual whose qualifying master degree upon which licensure is to
be based included less than sixty semester hours for a master's degree, who did
not complete 700 hours of supervised professional practice as a part of the
degree program, or who did not complete course work in all of the content areas
required by Rule 1.14 may complete these requirements post-degree in order to
obtain licensure, if:
(a) All course work,
field experiences and post-degree coursework for licensure are completed
through an institution of higher education that is accredited by a regional
accrediting organization accepted by the Board through Rule 1.14 or through a
counseling program recognized by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling
and Related Education Programs (CACREP);
(b) All course work and field experiences are
taken and passed for credit; and
(c) No more than six semester credits or nine
quarter credits are completed post-degree for purposes of licensure.
(3) The core program required each
student to demonstrate knowledge and skill competence in each of the following
substantive content areas. Competence is demonstrated by passing suitable
comprehensive examinations in each of the eight areas, successful completion of
two or more graduate semester hours (three or more graduate quarter hours) in
each of the eight areas, or by other suitable means as determined by the Board:
(a) Human growth and development- includes
studies that provide a broad understanding of the nature and needs of
individuals at any developmental level, normal and abnormal human behavior,
personality theory, and learning theory within cultural contexts.
(b) Social and cultural foundations- includes
studies that provide a broad understanding of societal changes and trends,
human roles, societal subgroups, social mores and interaction patterns, and
differing lifestyles.
(c) Helping
relationships- includes studies that provide a broad understanding of
philosophic bases of helping processes, counseling theories and their
applications, basic and advanced helping skills, consultation theories and
their applications, client and helper self-understanding and self-development,
and facilitation of client or consultee change.
(4) Groups- includes studies that provide a
broad understanding of group development, dynamics, and counseling theories;
group leadership styles; basic and advanced group counseling methods and
skills; and other group approaches.
(5) Lifestyles and career development-
includes studies that provide a broad understanding of career development
theories; occupational and educational information sources and systems; career
and leisure counseling, guidance, and education; lifestyle and career
decision-making; career development program planning and resources; and
effectiveness evaluation.
(6)
Appraisal- includes studies that provide a broad understanding of group and
individual educational and psychometric theories and approaches to appraisal,
data and information-gathering methods, validity and reliability, psychometric
statistics, factors influencing appraisals, and use of appraisal results in
helping processes.
(7) Research and
evaluation- includes studies that provide a broad understanding of types of
research, basic statistics, research-report development, research
implementation, program evaluation, needs assessment, and ethical and legal
considerations.
(8) Professional
orientation- includes studies that provide a broad understanding of
professional roles and functions, professional goals and objectives,
professional organizations and associations, professional history and trends,
ethical and legal standards, professional preparation standards, and
professional credentialing.
(9) If
the course titles as stated on the transcript do not clearly reflect the
subject matters listed above, the applicant must document the course or
combination of courses in which the material was covered.
(a) If the master's or doctoral degree was
awarded prior to September 1, 1992, the Board will accept the degree
irrespective of the number of semester hours or quarter hours of graduate study
required to obtain the degree, provided the core program required each student
to demonstrate knowledge and skill competence in seven of the eight substantive
content areas listed above.
(b)
Only graduate level courses are acceptable as establishing equivalency. The
Board will not accept coursework counted or credited toward an undergraduate
degree.
3. Foreign-trained applicants.
Foreign-trained applicants must submit educational credentials to a
credentialing agency utilized by the Board for evaluation of equivalency. After
course equivalency is established, the Board will evaluate the educational
credentials to determine whether or not the program is equivalent to a program
approved by CACREP.
C.
Post-Graduate Experience Requirements.
The Board will approve post-master's or post-doctoral supervised practice as meeting the requirements for licensure set out in section 12-245-604(1)(d), C.R.S., when that practice satisfies the requirements of this subsection.
1.
Definitions. As used in section
12-245-604(1)(d),
C.R.S., and this Rule, unless the context indicates otherwise:
a. "Individual supervision" means supervision
rendered to one individual at a time.
b. "Group supervision" means supervision
rendered to not more than ten individuals at one time.
c. "Post-master's experience" or
"post-doctoral experience" means experience under approved supervision acquired
subsequent to the date certified by the degree-granting institution as that on
which all requirements for the master's or doctoral degree (whichever is
applicable) have been completed.
d.
"Practice in professional counseling" means all services included within the
definition of psychotherapy in section
12-245-202(14),
C.R.S., and particularly those services and practices included within the
definition of professional counseling in section
12-245-603, C.R.S.
e. "Supervision" means personal direction and
responsible direction provided by a supervisor approved by the Board, which may
be in-person or telesupervision.
(1)
"Personal direction" means direction actually rendered by the approved
supervisor.
(2) "Responsible
direction" or "direction" means the approved supervisor has sufficient
knowledge of all clients for whom supervision is provided, including
face-to-face contact with the client when necessary, to develop and to monitor
effective service delivery procedures and the supervisee's treatment plan.
Further, all decisions requiring the special skill, knowledge, and/or training
of a licensed professional counselor are made in collaboration with, and with
the approval of, the approved supervisor. Such decisions include, but are not
limited to: type, duration, effectiveness, and method of professional
counseling services provided; fees and billing procedures; approval of cases;
and personal observation, evaluation, oversight, review, and correction of
services provided by the supervisee.
f. "Consultation" describes a voluntary
relationship between professionals of relative equal expertise or status
wherein the consultant offers her/his best advice or information on an
individual case or problem for use by the consultee as s/he deems appropriate
in her/his professional judgment. Consultation is not supervision. Experience
under contract for consultation will not be credited toward fulfillment of
supervision requirements.
g.
"Telesupervision" means clinical supervision conducted through audio/video
technology such as videoconferencing or telephone.
2. Certification of Completion. Each
applicant shall file with the Board, upon forms supplied by the Board, a
verified statement signed under penalty of law by their approved supervisor(s)
attesting to the applicant's satisfactory completion of the required
postmaster's or post-doctoral practice of professional counseling under
clinical supervision and attesting to the applicant's having met the generally
accepted standards of practice during the supervised practice.
3. Supervision.
a. The Board may accept any of the following
as a supervisor provided the proposed supervisor's experience is substantially
equivalent to those within the scope of a licensed professional counselor:
(1) A licensed professional counselor who, at
the time of the supervision, was licensed by the Board in the jurisdiction in
which the applicant's services were performed.
(2) A licensed clinical social worker who, at
the time of the supervision, was licensed by the Board in the jurisdiction in
which the applicant's services were performed.
(3) A marriage and family therapist who, at
the time of the supervision, was licensed by the Board in the jurisdiction in
which the applicant's services were performed.
(4) A psychologist who, at the time of the
supervision, was licensed by the Board in the jurisdiction in which the
applicant's services were performed.
b. The approved supervisor must keep records
that document they have effectively trained, evaluated and credited the
applicant for licensure. The records must reflect the exact number of hours of
applicable post-master's or post-doctoral practice of professional counseling
and the exact number of hours of supervision completed in compliance with this
Rule.
4.
Supervised Post-Graduate Practice in Professional
Counseling.
a. Applicants engaged
in supervised, post-graduate practice, before September 25, 2020, are required
to complete the following to qualify for licensure as a professional counselor:
(1) At least 2,000 hours of post-masters
practice in professional counseling under supervision and cannot be completed
in fewer than twenty-four months and may involve supervision by more than one
supervisor as defined in these rules.
(2) At least 1,000 hours of post-doctorate
practice in professional counseling under supervision and cannot be completed
in fewer than twelve months and may involve supervision by more than one
supervisor as defined in these rules
(3) The teaching of the practice of
professional counseling may count up to 300 hours of post-doctoral practice in
professional counseling under supervision, provided this teaching experience
was supervised by a supervisor as defined in these Rules.
(4) For each 1,000 hours of supervised
practice in professional counseling, applicants must receive a minimum of fifty
hours of supervision. A minimum of thirty-five of the fifty hours must be
individual supervision, which may be in-person or telesupervision. The
remaining hours up to the fifty hours may be by group supervision. No other
modes of supervision will be accepted.
(5) The post-graduate supervision hours must
be reasonably distributed over each 1,000 hours of supervised practice in
professional counseling in a manner consistent with the accrual of the hours of
supervised postmaster's or post-doctoral practice.
(6) With respect to supervision of the
teaching of professional counseling, the supervision hours must be reasonably
distributed over the teaching experience in a manner consistent with the
accrual of the hours of teaching experience.
b. Applicants engaging in supervised
post-graduate practice on or after September 25, 2020, are required to complete
the following to qualify for licensure as a professional counselor:
(1) At least 2,000 hours of post-masters
practice in professional counseling under supervision and cannot be completed
in fewer than twenty-four months and may involve supervision by more than one
supervisor as defined in these rules.
(2) At least 2,000 hours of post-doctorate
practice in professional counseling under supervision and cannot be completed
in fewer than twelve months and may involve supervision by more than one
supervisor as defined in these rules
(3) Post-master and post-doctorate graduate
practice in professional counseling under supervision required by section
12-245-604(1)(d),
C.R.S., must include at least 2,000 hours of professional counseling, including
at least 1,500 hours of face-to-face direct client contact under clinical
supervision that is in-person or telesupervision, obtained in such a manner
that they are reasonably uniformly distributed over a minimum of twelve months
and must be documented as being completed not fewer than sixty days prior to
the administration of the examination.
(4) The teaching of the practice of
professional counseling may count up to 300 hours of post-doctoral practice in
professional counseling under supervision, provided this teaching experience
was supervised by a supervisor as defined in these Rules
D.
Examination. In accordance with sections
12-245-204(4)(b),
12-245-604(1)(e),
and 12 -245- 604(3),
C.R.S., the Board establishes these requirements for the licensing examination
to demonstrate professional competence in professional counseling, including
special knowledge and skill in psychotherapy.
1.
Jurisprudence
Examination. Applicants shall be required to pass a Board
developed jurisprudence examination.
2.
National
Examination. The examination in professional counseling shall be
the counselor certification examination administered under contract with the
National Board for Certified Counselors, Inc. (NBCC).
a.
Reexamination. In
the event an applicant fails to receive a passing grade on the examination,
s/he may apply to the NBCC for reexamination and is subject to the requirements
of NBCC.
3.
Application. An applicant for licensure shall apply
directly to the NBCC, or such other testing service the Board may contract with
at the time, to sit for the appropriate examination.
a. A student in their last semester or
quarter of either a CACREP approved or non- CACREP approved graduate degree
program may apply directly to the NBCC to sit for the professional counselor
examination.
4.
Exam Results. Examination results will be valid for up
to five years after the date of the examination.
Notes
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