Members of the PCSCA continue to achieve the status of Licensed Professional Counselors. Many of those who have this license have done so under the grand parenting clause provided in the licensing law. After February 1999, however, it became necessary for anyone seeking licensure to have:

• A. At least 3 years full-time, supervised experience in a setting acceptable to the committee;
   
• B. 60 graduate credits, which includes a Master's degree in counseling, of which 45 graduate semester hours are distributed in at least 8 of specific areas, such as Counseling theory and practice;
   
• C. Has passed the National Board of Certified Counselors exam

Please let your district supervisors know that you are licensed as some of our colleagues are seeking mentors to meet with once a week as a requirement for certain courses.

For further information you can call Leslie Aaronson at the Division of Consumer Affairs at 973.504.6495

From the NJ Division of Consumer Affairs

Details regarding Continuing Education requirements to maintain your LPC license

The New Jersey Professional Counselors Examiners Committee has adopted regulations that will require the completion of 40 contact hours of continuing education for the biennial renewal period December 1, 2006 through November 30, 2008. Credits for the renewal period must be earned between December 1, 2004 and November 30, 2006. [N.J.A.C 3:34-5.] through N.J.A.C 13:34-15.7 provides the following details regarding continuing education.

• The continuing education requirement for licence renewal.(15.1)
• Contact-hour requirements for licensed professional counselors (15.2)
  • a minimum of 5 of the 40 contact hours must be earned in the subjects areas of ethical and legal standards related to professional counselors.
  • a maximum of 10 contact hours earned in addition to the 40 required credits may be carried to the succeeding renewal period.
• Contact-hours requirements for licensed professional counselors with specialty designations (15.3)
  • shall satisfy the specialty permit continuing education requirements of the National Board of Certified Counselors (N.B.C.C)
• Approval of continuing education programs and courses (15.4)
• Contact-hour calculations (15.5)
• Documentation of continuing education creadits (15.6)
• Waiver of continuing education requirements (15.7).

Please be advised that the 2006 to 2008 (and all future) renewal applications will require a confirmation on the renewal application that the licensee has completed the continuing education requirements. Licensees are required to maintain original certificates of completion for a period of six years. Falsification of any information submitted with the renewal application and/or the failure to complete continuing education requirements may result in disciplinary action by the Board. A copy of the regulation is enclosed for your reference and is also available on the Board's Web page:

 http://www.njconsumeraffairs.com