Running head: STATE CREDENTIALITY
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State Credentialing Board Research Project
NyShelle Simmons
Grand Canyon University
STATE CREDENTIALITY
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State Credentialing Board Research Project
State licensure is important in the counseling profession, as it provides one with the
credentials needed to identify as a licensed professional counselor with permission from the state
board to practice. Board certification is important for those in the counseling profession, as it
helps everyone recognize counselors achievements and competence level. Counselor competency
is represented by education and credentials which is obtained through licensure. Licensure
requirements can vary from state to state but all states require individuals to have a master’s
degree, a certain amount of counseling experience hours and a certain amount of time under
supervision. In the counseling profession, counselors are required to meet the education
requirements of a Master's degree or higher and the expectations of their state's board to be
considered competent and are to be ethical according to the ACA Code of Ethics. Every state has
its own requirements that an individual must meet before receiving approval and the necessary
credentials to practice within the state. In this paper, I will compare the differences between the
state boards in South Carolina and Arizona.
To practice in the state of South Carolina as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)
one must be board certified. In Arizona, individuals can practice as a Licensed Associate
Counselor (LAC) until all requirements are met to practice as an LPC. The Arizona Board of
Behavioral Health Examiners issues all forms of licensure. The Arizona board is located in
Phoenix, Arizona. In the state of South Carolina, the Board of Examiners for Licensure of
Professional Counselors, Marriage and Family Therapists, Addiction Counselors and
Psycho-Educational Specialists is known as the South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing
STATE CREDENTIALITY
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and Regulation (LLR). The South Carolina Licensure Board is located in Columbia, South
Carolina and is contracted with the Center for Credentialing and Education
(CCE) for the
distribution of all applications and application materials for Licensure. The South Carolina
