Texas State Board of Examiners of Professional Counselors

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Welcome to the home page of the board that licenses and regulates Licensed Professional Counselors in Texas. This website contains information about Licensed Professional Counselors including license requirements, how to file a complaint, how to contact our office, and more.

Attention: LPC Interns and LPC Supervisors:

If the status of your supervisor license shows Null and Void please search your regular license for your supervisor status. It will show your supervisor status as current along with your interns that you are supervising.

Several rule changes will become effective on September 1, 2009 that impact interns and supervisors. Please be aware of the following important information.

LPC Interns
The LPC Intern license (also known as the temporary license) will no longer be eligible for renewal or extension. The license will now be issued for a 5-year time frame with no provision for renewal or extension beyond the 5 years. If you were issued a license in the last 3 years and have not had an extension, we will automatically add 2 years to the length of your license and send you a new wallet card that reflects your new expiration date. This will occur at the time you become eligible for extension.

If you have not completed your 3,000 hours of post graduate supervised experience within the 5-year time frame, you must reapply for a new LPC-Intern license and you must meet the current rules that are in effect at the time you reapply, including retaking the NCE exam. The NCE exam score is valid for 5 years.

Supervisors
LPC supervisors will no longer receive a separate license for the supervisor status. Additionally, the supervisor status will appear only on the regular LPC license certificate and will not appear on the wallet card. Until you receive a new license certificate reflecting your supervisor status, your existing supervisor license remains valid (unless expired). It will be your responsibility and your intern’s responsibility to verify that you are current with your supervisor status at all times. If your regular license expires, your supervisor status will also expire on the same date. IMPORTANT: If a supervisor’s license is expired, the hours completed by a LPC Intern will not count as part of the required 3,000 supervised hours required for regular licensure, unless approved by the board.

When submitting a supervisor agreement form to be approved, the LPC-Intern must include a copy of the proposed supervisor’s wallet card as proof that the intern is knowledgeable of the supervisor’s license expiration date. Failure to submit the copy of the card will delay the approval of that supervisor and/or site.

Supervisors are strongly encouraged to visit the website and verify the interns associated with your name. To do this, go to www.dshs.state.tx.us/counselor and select the link titled “Find A Licensee”, select “Live Search”, select “Public Search” and proceed with the search options presented. If the information is incorrect, please fax or e-mail any corrections or updates. All interns and supervisors are encouraged to review the rule changes that become effective September 1, 2009. These changes may be reviewed, downloaded, or printed at our website by selecting the link titled “Rules/Regulations”. If you have questions regarding this notice or the rule changes, please contact our office.

Sincerely,

Bobbe Alexander
Executive Director

Last Updated October 2, 2009