Missouri Counselor Licensure Requirements

The professional counseling licensure law was passed in 1985 and controls both the title and practice of counseling. An individual is designated Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC). A 48 credit hour master’s degree in counseling or closely related field is required. A Provisional Licensed Professional Counselor has registered for supervision with the state and begins accruing post-master’s counseling work experience.

Post-master’s counseling experience must be full or part-time and consists of 3,000 hours over a minimum of two years. Of the hours required, 1,200 must be direct contact. A minimum of 15 hours of counseling experience must be obtained each week and must include one hour of face-to-face supervision. With 30 or more academic hours past the master’s degree or an additional degree in the field, fewer counseling and supervision hours are required. Contact the Missouri State Licensure Board at: http://pr.mo.gov/counselors.asp for additional information. The National Counselor Examination (NCE) is used by Missouri for licensure and is administered via computer.

As is true in other states, some universities in Missouri provide an opportunity for their master’s students to complete the NCE before graduation. This allows those students to become National Certified Counselors upon graduation if their master’s program is accredited by Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). Such students can then later use the exam results for state licensure. Many universities also use the Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Exam (CPCE) as an exit requirement. Universities allowing students to take the NCE are:

Central Methodist University
Evangel University
Missouri State University
Southeast Missouri State University
University of Central Missouri