Health Counselor: Licensure and Certification

NB: We do not resell your papers. Upon ordering, we do an original paper exclusively for you.

NB: All your data is kept safe from the public.

Table of Contents

Abstract
Introduction
Florida’s Legal Requirements
Reference List

Abstract

The process of becoming a health counselor is a complex task that requires compliance with the Florida Statutes and consistent training. In order to become a professional, one must be supervised, undergo internship, obtain a degree and continue education. Thus, one will be able to provide patients with the services of the best quality possible.

Introduction

According to the state laws adopted in Florida, the difference between a licensure, a certification and a credential is rather basic. In order to identify the concepts in question, the 2014 Florida Statutes were considered. According to the latter, licensure can be defined as the strongest form of regulation, which allows for protecting people against unfair and unwarranted practices (The 2014 Florida statutes, 2014).

Certification, in its turn, is interpreted by the Florida Certification Board as the means of marking one’s level of proficiency (Certified Addiction Counselor, 2012). This stands in a rather sharp contrast to the definition of licensure provided above. Unlike licensure, certification in Florida does not presuppose granting the person receiving it with the permission to carry out the corresponding practices; instead, it only shows that the person in question is capable to provide the services of admissible quality.

Last, but definitely not least, a credential is referred to according to the Florida law as an earned certificate displaying one’s proficiency in counseling and the related services (Certified Addiction Counselor, 2012). The key difference between a credential and the two aforementioned concepts is that the former involves the process of attaining a specific degree, reward or recognition. For example, one may gain a certificate, which will be referred to as a credential, in the course of certification, i.e., the evaluation of one’s proficiency, and consider licensure in order to start a counseling business.

Florida’s Legal Requirements

Internship

To complete internship in Florida, one must:

Have at least a Master’s Degree in mental health counseling (a CACREP/regionally accredited one);
Complete a practicum on the subject matter;
Undergo a CACREP program concerning medical counseling (Licensed mental health counselor, 2015).

For example, a student, who has passed an exam in counseling, will have to undergo internship to be credited and licensed.

Supervision

Supervision is one of the basic steps towards getting a licensure. In order to pass the supervision test in Florida, one will have to:

Undergo at least 100 hours of supervision;
Be under supervision in the course of at least two years;
Have fifteen clients per each hour of supervision (FHMCA blog, 2014).

The analysis of an intern’s work by the supervisor can be viewed as a prime example of supervision.

Licensing

According to the Florida Statutes, in order to gain a license, one must:

Have at least a Master Degree granted by the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling;
Have at least two years of post-master experience;
Pass the national clinical mental health counseling examination;
Complete a course on laws and regulations in counseling;
Complete a course on medical errors prevention;
Complete a course on HIV/AIDS;
Complete a course on domestic violence (Licensed mental health counselor, 2015).

Obtaining a license for practicing Planned Parenthood counseling can be considered an example of licensing.

Continuing Education

In order to enjoy the options related to continuing education, a Florida student will need to:

Complete a three-hour coursework on the related state rules and regulations;
Carry out a one-hour activity designed by NetCE for the purposes of continuing education (71100: Florida laws and rules for mental health professionals, 2014).

A counselor, who has completed coursework in assisting patients undergoing occupational therapy, can be considered an example of continuing education.

Reference List

71100: Florida laws and rules for mental health professionals. (2014). Web.

Certified Addiction Counselor. (2012). Define yourself as a professional through certification. Web.

FHMCA blog. (2014). Web.

Licensed mental health counselor. (2015). Web.

The 2014 Florida statutes. (2014). Web.

Click Here To Order Now!