Counselors Licensure and Certification

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State Laws and Regulations

Internship Requirements

The key requirements for New Jersey applicants include two major educational steps. On the way to the counselor’s profession, the individuals will have to earn a Bachelor’s degree in Counseling (the best available option) or any other specialty that is close to Counseling (Counseling licensure in New Jersey, n.d.). These other specialties may include Social Science, Behavioral Science, or Psychology. Future counselors may also be interested in Social Work education or a degree in Human Services. The second step is to get admitted to the Master of Counseling program. The individuals will be required to obtain the certification from the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). These two steps frame the internship requirements and are in full compliance with the legal statutes of the State of New Jersey.

Supervision

If the counselor is keen on working as a supervisor, several requirements should be fulfilled. First, future supervisors should work under supervision themselves. This is needed to attain sufficient hours for the professional license. In this case, the educational level is the key factor that impacts the state of affairs.

The applicants are required to have 4.500 hours if they received a Master’s degree in the area. In case if the applicant has at least thirty extra hours in addition to the master’s, 3.000 hours will be enough. The future supervisors may be credited for at least a year of work before they receive the degree. All the applicant’s internship experience also counts if all the educational requirements are met. The individual has to be aware of the fact that supervision may be seen as a type of employer-employee relationship and cause various conflicts. The supervisor may either observe or co-counsel the applicant (this may include videotaped or audiotaped conferences). This will help the future supervisor understand the limitations of their practice and incorporate the supervisor’s feedback into their counseling services. On a bigger scale, future supervisors have to receive at least three specific credits. These credits are also called graduate credits and are needed to fulfill the supervision requirements. The future supervisor has to sustain the certifications of the supervised practice, but he or she also has no right to participate in self-governing practice.

Licensing and Application

The application for the counselor’s position will require the future counselor to fill in several forms. After that, the applicant will receive the authorization and gain access to the licensing exam. The NJSA 45:8B-34 and NJAC 13:34-10.1 contain important data concerning the process of data gathering and the final application (Counselor licensure requirements in New Jersey, n.d.). In other words, these regulations are the guidelines for the applicants. The rules enlisted in NJSA 45:8B-34 and NJAC 13:34-10.1 are the virtual boundaries of the future counselor. The application form includes a variety of questions concerning health conditions, child support status, and student loans (McKillip, Rawls, & Barry, 2012). The future counselor has to present a worksheet to prove that the application meets the high standards of the counseling practice. The applicant has to attach the transcript of the application separately. The confirmation will be then certified by a notary. The application requires a $75 non-refundable fee and a $250 licensing fee. The fee will be cut in half if the applicant is in the second year of the two-year cycle.

Continuing Education Requirements

The key requirement for the continuing counselor education in New Jersey is the obligation to renew the license biennially. Another requirement is to obtain a satisfactory amount of credits during these two years (Steps for New Jersey counseling licensure, n.d.). The State of New Jersey obliges the school counselors to complete at least 40 hours of continuing education. In perspective, it is needed to maintain the counselor’s license. All the changes that are made to the continuing education requirements can be found at the official website of the Examiners’ Committee.

Information about License Suspension

First, the counselor is in charge of any errors and imprecisions that may lead to the concealment of information. This is a sufficient reason to deny or revoke the counselor’s license. Second, the counselor should allow a thorough investigation of employment history. This is necessary to validate the certifications and confirm that no issues are connected to the existing qualifications. Third, the unwillingness of the counselor to authorize the governmental agencies to evaluate the professional eligibility may also be a reason for the Board of Committee to revoke the license.

Specific Strategies

It is a well-known fact that the skills of the majority of the employees tend to decline over time. This is why a strategy should be developed to keep the counselors updated and help them navigate through their practice successfully. First, it is necessary to evaluate the counselor’s skills using specific interviews (Martin & Carey, 2012). Second, the counselor should keep an eye on the possibilities of career development. There is also an opportunity to enroll in special education programs. The most up-to-date information concerning the counseling practice can be found on the official website of the New Jersey Counseling Committee (Martin & Carey, 2012). The strategy requires the counselors to keep a career journal and track all the changes that occur throughout the practice to prepare the specialists for the upcoming challenges.

References

Counseling licensure in New Jersey. (n.d.). Web.

Counselor licensure requirements in New Jersey. (n.d.). Web.

Martin, I., & Carey, J. (2012). Evaluation capacity within state-level school counseling programs: A cross-case analysis. Professional School Counseling, 15(3), 132-143.

McKillip, M., Rawls, A., & Barry, C. (2012). Improving college access: A review of research on the role of high school counselors. Professional School Counseling, 16(1), 49-58.

Steps for New Jersey counseling licensure. (n.d.). Web.

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