The Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Education Programs - Essay Example

Part of the mission is to make sure that counselors have professional competence in what they do and that they want to advance the profession.

The National Board for Certified Counselors is the body that certifies individual counselors according to certain standards. This is an additional certification that an individual counselor can add to their state licensure requirement.  Some people think that this is all they need to do for state certification but this is not the same as state licensure requirements although many may be similar. Counselors can elect to be certified by the NBCC and it can be added once they have state licensure. CACREP does not certify individual counselors but it does certify the programs that counseling students need to take when going through their training. CACREP is not required of every counseling program though many states have these programs. Both programs have specific standards and codes of ethics that their members must abide by to continue to be a part of their programs.

State Licensure Requirements for Florida
The credentialing body for Florida is the Board of Clinical Social Work Marriage and Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling. An individual can receive two credentials from this body: the Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) and Registered Mental Health Intern (RMHI). Both have handbooks that explain the requirements. The LMHC gives licensure in several categories: Certified Master Social Work, Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy, Mental Health Counseling, Licensure by Endorsement for CSW/MFT/MHC, and Dual Licensure as a Marriage and Family Therapist. For this assignment, the concentration will be on the LMHC.

The Requirements for A LMHC in the State Of Florida

1. A minimum of a master's degree from a mental health counseling program that is accredited by CACREP. 1. Two years of post-master supervision are required and the supervision must be by a licensed mental health counselor or equivalent (Rule 64B4-31.007, F.A.C.)who is qualified according to the board standards.
2. The individual must pass the national clinical mental health counseling examination (NCMHCE) that is provided by the NBCC.

3. The individual must three courses for this certification in addition:
1. An 8-hour "laws and rules" course
2. A 2-hour "prevention of medical errors" course
3. A 3-hour course in AIDS Education
All three courses are mandatory and must be provided by someone on the "approved" list that the board provides (Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage & Family Therapy & Mental Health Counseling Website).