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Program: M.S., Counseling

LPCC Sub-Option

Program Description

Current advanced Classified Master of Science in Counseling (College Counseling/Student Services; Career Counseling, and School Counseling options) students may apply to add the additional courses required pre-master’s for the California Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) license. The California Board for Behavioral Sciences (BBS) is the licensing agency for professional clinical counselors. Based on state law, the LPCC requires 280 hours of clinical, pre-master’s experience within the master’s degree program in addition to prescribed courses. Completion of this degree option in addition to the first specialization (i.e., career, college, or school counseling) will allow graduates to apply to become Professional Clinical Counselor (PCC) interns. Upon successful completion of the required 3,000 post-master’s internship hours and examinations, application to the BBS for state licensure as an LPCC will be possible. [Marriage and Family Therapy master’s students are also eligible for concurrently applying for the LPCC as well as the license for Marriage and Family Therapists.]

Current Career, College, and School Counseling students may apply for this clinical add-on program during the second fall semester of their graduate program. This program will be limited to only those admitted. Note that additional LPCC preparatory units (save for six units) must be completed pre-awarding of the masters degree to be eligible for consideration as a PCC intern.

The additional courses required are listed below; an additional two semesters of fieldwork and coursework completed as a cohort will be required in addition to the two semesters of fieldwork within the first option.

Admission into programs leading to licensure and credentialing does not guarantee that students will obtain a license or credential. Licensure and credentialing requirements are set by agencies that are not controlled by or affiliated with the CSU, and requirements can change at any time. For example, licensure or credentialing requirements can include evidence of the right to work in the United States (e.g., Social Security number or tax payer identification number) or successfully passing a criminal background check. Students are responsible for determining whether they can meet licensure or credentialing requirements. The CSU will not refund tuition, fees or any associated costs to students who determine subsequent to admission that they cannot meet licensure or credentialing requirements. Information concerning licensure and credentialing requirements is available from the department.

Program Requirements

For Career, College, and School Counseling students, all of the following are required:

EPC 659CC Fieldwork in Counseling Services (3)
EPC 659DC Fieldwork in Counseling Services (3)
EPC 670A Systemic Family Theories and Their Evidence Base (3)
EPC 672 Mental Health Assessment and Diagnosis (3)
EPC 673 Community Mental Health (3)
EPC 675 Substance Abuse and Addictions Treatment (3)
EPC 678 Psychopharmacology and Neurobiological Foundations (3)

One of the above courses may be applied toward the elective units within the Career Counseling or College Counseling/Student Services program. For these programs, an additional 18 units above the master’s degree is required.

In addition to the above, School Counseling students currently also need to complete:

EPC 609 Human Development: A Life-Span Perspective (3)
and EPC 671 Law, Ethics and Professional Issues in Counseling (3)

For an additional 27 units beyond the established master’s degree in School Counseling as there are no elective courses within this program.

The courses will be offered in a cohort with students from School, College, and Career Counseling in the same courses:

Summer Semester (for School Counseling students only): EPC 609, EPC 671
Fall Semester: EPC 659CC, EPC 672, EPC 673 and EPC 675
Spring Semester: EPC 659DC, EPC 670A and EPC 678

All of the courses above have been approved by the BBS as meeting the requirements for licensure for a specific content area. The three programs are currently in review for approval for the Professional Clinical Counselor licensure process. The pre-2012 entry program has already been approved for each of these programs.

The culminating experience requirements for these three degree program options would be unchanged from those who complete the original M.S. Counseling programs.

Contact

Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling
Chair: Alberto Restori
Education (ED) 1218
(818) 677-2599
(818) 677-2601
epcdept@csun.edu