Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor Licensure Paths -
Understand the Options

Background

In October 2009, the Governor approved Senate Bill 788 (Wyland), which establishes a new mental health license in California – Licensed Professional Clinical Counselors (LPCC). Because this is a new license and the bill contains opportunities for “grandparented” licenses, an individual could have a couple of potential paths to licensure. This information is provided to assist individuals interested in understanding the different options for earning the LPCC license. At the conclusion of each explanation, you will find references to the appropriate sections of the California Business and Professions Code (BPC) in case you would like to refer to language contained in statute.

You can access the final regulatory language on the BBS Web site under "Approved Regulations - 2011 ". To stay up-to-date on the most current information relating to the LPCC license, the BBS also suggests you sign up for the BBS Subscriber List to receive free email notifications when LPCC-related content is updated on the BBS Web site. The BBS also encourages you to review the Statutes and Regulations Relating to the Practice of Professional Clinical Counselors, Marriage and Family Therapists, Clinical Social Workers and Educational Psychologists.

Paths to licensure

Depending on education and experiential background, an individual may have a couple of potential paths to LPCC licensure. For example, a person licensed as a professional counselor outside of the State of California could potentially qualify using the “grandparenting” path or the “traditional” path. However, different paths have different requirements. The BBS hopes the information you find on these Web pages will assist you in choosing a path.

• Grandparenting Path
• Traditional License Path
• Out-of-State Applicants

 

Updated: July 26, 2011