Concentration in Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling and Clinical Mental Health Leading to the Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC)
NOTE: This licensure and concentration is not available to distance (CDER) students in the Master of Rehabilitation Counseling program.
Purpose | Academic Requirements | How to Apply | Advisement | Portfolio Requirement | Fieldwork Requirement
In 2010, a law was passed in California that allows counselors from a variety of counseling disciplines to become licensed. The new credential is named the Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) and is monitored by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS). The Concentration in Clinical Rehabilitation and Clinical Mental Health (LPCC), hereafter referred to as the Clinical Concentration, was added to the MS in Rehabilitation Counseling Program in 2015. This option meets the requirements of the BBS for the LPCC as well as those of the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), the body that accredits Master’s and doctoral degree programs in counseling and its specialties. Specifically, CACREP accredits the program as a Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling/Clinical Mental Health Counseling (CLRC/CMHC) specialization. The Clinical Concentration prepares students to take both LPCC exams (the National Clinical Mental Health Counselor Examination (NCMHCE) and the California Law and Ethics Exam), commence the 3,000-hour post-graduate internship required for the LPCC, and also sit for the national Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) exam. The concentration is tailored for students who would like to work in the mental health arena as recovery and rehabilitation experts.
The Clinical Concentration meets the education requirements for the California mental health counselor license (LPCC) as well as the Certificate in Co-Occurring Disorders. It is the responsibility of the student/graduate to register as an APCC and complete the required supervision hours and exams for the LPCC after graduation. LPCC requirements are available on the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) website.
The Co-Occurring Disorders or Psychiatric Rehabilitation Certificates may be a better option for some applicants.
Purpose
The purpose of the Clinical Concentration is to fully prepare future recovery-oriented counselors for the LPCC by providing all required LPCC coursework within a 60-unit program.
Academic Requirements
To meet the requirements for both the LPCC and the CRC, students must successfully complete the 60 units of coursework described. Following is a list of Clinical Concentration courses by catalog number, title and units, as well as the total number of units in each category:
Required rehabilitation counseling courses (39 units):
ARP 601 - Best Practices in Psychiatric Rehabilitation (3 units)
ARP 608 - Principles of Psychiatric Rehabilitation (3 units)
ARP 615 - Seminar in Multicultural Dimensions in Rehabilitation Counseling (3 units)
ARP 685A/685B - Medical and Psychological Aspects of Disability (3/3 units)
ARP 648 - Group Dynamics in Rehabilitation (3 units)
ARP 660 - Theory and Process of Counseling in Rehabilitation (3 units)
ARP 684 - Rehabilitation Foundations (3 units)
ARP 708 - Human Development (3 units)
CSP 650 - Crisis/Trauma Counseling (3 units)
CSP 687 - Family Treatment of Substance Abuse (3 units)
CSP 694 - Psychopharmacology for Marriage and Family Therapists (3 units)
ED 690 - Methods of Inquiry (3 units)
Advanced Coursework (15 units):
ARP 645 - Assessment in Rehabilitation (3 units)
ARP 646 - Career Assessment (3 units)
ARP 687 - Job Placement Practices with Individuals with Disabilities (3 units)
ARP 744 - Beginning Practicum in Rehabilitation
ARP 755 - Governance and Policy Development (3 units)
Internship (6 units):
ARP 744 - Intermediate Practicum (3 units)
ARP 745 - Internship for LPCC (3 units)
A minimum of 100 hours of Practicum and 600 hours of Internship are required.
How to Apply
Applicants must apply online through the CSU Mentor system when initiating an application to the Clinical Concentration. In order to be considered for the Clinical Concentration, please follow these steps.
- Apply to the university, the Clinical Concentration and the Rehabilitation Counseling Program
- Arrange to take the GRE
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Provide Dr. Peterson with:
- A two-to-three-page essay describing why you would like to be included in the specialization i.e., your prior experiences, what you hope to gain through completing the program, and how you will use your new knowledge and skills
- Unofficial transcripts
- Your current resume. Students must be interviewed individually by the program advisor.
Advisement
Dr. Sonia Peterson is the program advisor for both the Clinical Concentration and the Advanced Certificate in Co-occurring Disorders. She meets with each clinical and certificate student to design an individualized program of study based on the student’s educational background and professional experience. Clinical Concentration students must complete all requirements for the Advanced Certificate in Co-occurring Disorders. However, students may complete the Advanced Certificate in Co-occurring Disorders without completing LPCC requirements. Students may enroll in the Certificate program and the master’s degree in Rehabilitation Counseling concurrently. Contact Dr. Peterson at 619-594-6883, or slpeterson@sdsu.edu for further information.
Fieldwork Requirement
All students complete fieldwork as part of their program. Students in the concentration will be mentored with a faculty to student ratio of no more than 1:12.
NOTICE TO STUDENTS re: PROFESSIONAL LICENSURE AND CERTIFICATION
California State University programs for professions that require licensure or certification are intended to prepare the student to meet California licensure and certification requirements. Admission into programs for professions that require licensure and certification does not guarantee that students will obtain a license or certificate. Licensure and certification requirements are set by agencies that are not controlled by or affiliated with the California State University and licensure and certification requirements can change at any time.
The California State University has not determined whether its programs meet other states’ educational or professional requirements for licensure and certification. Students enrolled in a California State University program who are planning to pursue licensure or certification in other states are responsible for determining whether they will meet their state’s requirements for licensure or certification. This disclosure is made pursuant to 34 CFR §668.43(a)(5)(v)(C).
