(A) The counselors professional standards committee of the counselor, social worker, and marriage and family therapist board shall issue a license as a licensed professional counselor to each applicant who submits a properly completed application, pays the fee established under section 4757.31 of the Revised Code, and meets the requirements established under division (B) of this section.

(B)

(1) To be eligible for a license as a licensed professional counselor, an individual must meet the following requirements:

(a) The individual must be of good moral character.

(b) The individual must hold a graduate degree in counseling as described in division (B)(2) of this section.

(c) The individual must complete a minimum of ninety quarter hours or sixty semester hours of graduate credit in counselor training acceptable to the committee, which the individual may complete while working toward receiving a graduate degree in counseling, or subsequent to receiving the degree, and which shall include training in the following areas:

(i) Clinical psychopathology, personality, and abnormal behavior;

(ii) Evaluation of mental and emotional disorders;

(iii) Diagnosis of mental and emotional disorders;

(iv) Methods of prevention, intervention, and treatment of mental and emotional disorders.

(d) The individual must pass an examination administered by the board for the purpose of determining ability to practice as a licensed professional counselor.

(2) To meet the requirement of division (B)(1)(b) of this section, a graduate degree in counseling obtained from a counseling program in this state after January 1, 2018, must be from one of the following:

(a) A counseling program accredited by the council for accreditation of counseling and related educational programs;

(b) A counseling education program approved by the board in accordance with rules adopted by the board under division (G) of this section.

(3) All of the following meet the educational requirements of division (B)(1)(c) of this section:

(a) A clinical mental health counseling program accredited by the council for accreditation of counseling and related educational programs;

(b) Until January 1, 2018, a mental health counseling program accredited by the council for accreditation of counseling and related educational programs;

(c) A graduate degree in counseling issued by an institution in another state from a clinical mental health counseling program, a clinical rehabilitation counseling program, or an addiction counseling program that is accredited by the council for accreditation of counseling and related educational programs;

(d) A counseling education program approved by the board in accordance with rules adopted under division (G) of this section.

(C) To be accepted by the committee for purposes of division (B) of this section, counselor training must include at least the following:

(1) Instruction in human growth and development; counseling theory; counseling techniques; group dynamics, processing, and counseling; appraisal of individuals; research and evaluation; professional, legal, and ethical responsibilities; social and cultural foundations; and lifestyle and career development;

(2) Participation in a supervised practicum and clinical internship in counseling.

(D) The committee may issue a temporary license to practice as a licensed professional counselor to an applicant who meets all of the requirements to be licensed under this section as follows:

(1) Pending the receipt of transcripts or action by the committee to issue a license as a licensed professional counselor;

(2) For a period not to exceed ninety days, to an applicant who provides the board with a statement from the applicant's academic institution indicating that the applicant has met the academic requirements for the applicant's degree and the projected date the applicant will receive the applicant's transcript showing a conferred degree.

On application to the committee, a temporary license issued under division (D)(2) of this section may be renewed for good cause shown.

(E) An individual may not sit for the licensing examination unless the individual meets the educational requirements to be licensed under this section. An individual who is denied admission to the licensing examination may appeal the denial in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code.

(F) The board shall adopt any rules necessary for the committee to implement this section. The rules shall do both of the following:

(1) Establish criteria for the committee to use in determining whether an applicant's training should be accepted and supervised experience approved;

(2) Establish course content requirements for qualifying counseling degrees issued by institutions in other states from clinical mental health counseling programs, clinical rehabilitation counseling programs, and addiction counseling programs that are not accredited by the council for accreditation of counseling and related educational programs.

Rules adopted under this division shall be adopted in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code.

(G)

(1) The board may adopt rules to temporarily approve a counseling education program created after January 1, 2018, that has not been accredited by the council for accreditation of counseling and related educational programs. If the board adopts rules under this division, the board shall do all of the following in the rules:

(a) Create an application process under which a program administrator may apply to the board for approval of the program;

(b) Identify the educational requirements that an individual must satisfy to receive a graduate degree in counseling from the approved program;

(c) Establish a time period during which an individual may use an unaccredited degree granted under the program to satisfy the requirements of divisions (B)(1)(b) and (c) of this section;

(d) Specify that, if the program is denied accreditation, a student enrolled in the program before the accreditation is denied may apply for licensure before completing the program and, on receiving a degree from the program, is considered to satisfy divisions (B)(1)(b) and (c) of this section.

(2) A degree from a counseling education program approved by the board pursuant to the rules adopted under division (G)(1) of this section satisfies the requirements of divisions (B)(1)(b) and (c) of this section for the time period approved by the board.

Amended by 133rd General Assembly File No. TBD, HB 166, §101.01, eff. 10/17/2019.

Amended by 132nd General Assembly File No. TBD, HB 491, §1, eff. 3/20/2019.

Amended by 130th General Assembly File No. TBD, HB 232, §1, eff. 7/10/2014.

Effective Date: 2002 HB374 04-07-2003