Rule 30-2201-4.3 - Requirements to Become a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)A. Hold a Mississippi P-LPC. Out of state applicants must meet the minimum requirements of Mississippi P-LPC (Rule 4.2.B., C., and D.B. Supervision Requirements: An Applicant for independent practice licensure must document the following supervised experience requirements prior to applying for licensure. The supervisor must be a Mississippi Board qualified supervisor (LPC-S). 1. A total of three thousand (3,000) supervised hours in not less than eighteen (18) months of counseling in a clinical setting post master's degree (as referenced in Rule 1.4) comprised of the following: a. A maximum of forty (40) supervised hours may be obtained per workweek.b. A maximum of twenty-five (25) hours of direct service may be obtained per 40-hour workweek.c. A minimum of one thousand two hundred (1,200) supervised hours must be in Direct Services with clients and/or psychotherapy service to clients. Direct Services are only face-to-face or synchronous methods of counseling including individual counseling, couples/family counseling, group counseling, and testing and assessment.d. One hundred (100) hours of individual face-to-face supervision are required. The Board will accept supervision hours meeting the following maximum ratios: one (1) supervision hour to forty (40) hours of services provided OR one (1) hour of supervision to twenty-five (25) hours of Direct Services. For persons working parttime, supervision should occur no less frequently than every other week.e. Group supervision will be acceptable for not more than fifty (50) hours of the required one hundred (100) hours of individual supervision. Two (2) hours of group supervision is equivalent to one (1) hour of individual supervision. Total hours of group supervision should be reported in full and will then be divided by two (2) by the Board at review time.f. Individual supervision provided by multiple supervisors regarding the same direct client service hours at the same site during the same time frame will not be accepted.2. Individual and Group Supervision provided by way of Distance Professional Services by an LPC-S is subject to the following criteria: a. LPC-S must be qualified to provide Distance Professional Services according to Rule 7.5.b. Distance supervision sessions must be provided by secure means of synchronous video conferencing only. Supervision by telephone, email, chat, or other forms of communication must be reserved to only emergency communications.c. The Supervision Contract submitted to the Board must include information explaining the use and limits of distance supervision, specify the qualifications of the LPC-S to provide distance supervision, and establish procedures for managing the failure of the video communication system.3. Supervised experience must be within the past seven (7) years of the application date.4. Supervision Verification forms must be submitted through the Board's online portal.5. Supervision hours must be submitted via the Board's online Supervision Reporting Log. Supervisees are responsible for keeping a backup copy of logs. Supervision content notes shall be kept by Supervisor.6. Every LPC-S must submit an online evaluation of the P-LPC as part of the P-LPC's Annual Renewal.7. The P-LPC must remain under supervision until the Licensed Professional Counselor license is issued. Once application for an LPC is submitted to the Board, supervision must continue to be reported in the online Supervision Reporting Log at a minimum of one (1) hour of individual supervision per month.C.Examination requirements:The Applicant must pass either the National Counseling Exam (NCE) or the National Clinical Mental Health Counselor Examination (NCMHCE) published by the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC), Inc.
1. The NCE or NCMHCE may be taken at any time.2. Individuals may take the NCE or NCMHCE without Board approval.3. The examination will be administered by the NBCC. The applicant is responsible for all fees associated with the examination.D. Out of state applicants must meet the requirements of MS PLPC. The Board may accept out of state supervision hours which were supervised by an LPC-S or equivalent.30 Miss. Code. R. 2201-4.3
Miss Code Ann. § 73-30-7(6) & 73-30-9 (Rev. 2018)