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CERTIFICATION

School Counseling: Upon completion of the requirements for the school counseling area of study with a permanent valid teaching certificate and two years of documented teaching experience, students are eligible to apply for the Illinois Type 73 School Service Personnel Certificate required for K-12 guidance counselors. School counselors must pass the standard Illinois examination for teachers in addition to the guidance examination. It is recommended that the guidance examination be taken during the last semester of coursework. Students seeking school guidance certification can obtain a complete packet of information from the HDC office.

Counselor Licensure: In 1992 the Illinois Legislature passed the Professional Counselor Licensing Act (See Appendix B). For a period of five years after the Act takes effect, a temporary license will be issued to anyone who has a minimum of a master's degree in counseling, psychology, or a similar degree. All candidates for permanent licenses must pass a specified exam within five years. In many states with licensure, the National Board of Certified Counselor Examination is used. The act creates the Professional Counselor Licensing and Disciplinary Board which will be responsible for determining specific requirements and procedures (See Appendix C).

Illinois utilizes the National Counselor Examination (NCE), an NBCC exam as a requirement for obtaining the status of Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC). LPCs with a minimum of two additional years of approved supervised professional practice are eligible to sit for another NBCC exam; the National Clinical Mental Health Counselors Examination (NCMHCE), to qualify for the status of Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC). HDC graduates are eligible to take the NBCC examination which is administered at UIS in both Fall and Spring terms each year.

The National Board For Certified Counselors

The National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) is an independent, not-for-profit organization whose primary purposes are to establish and monitor a national certification system, to identify to professionals and the public those counselors who have voluntarily sought and obtained generic counselor certification, and to maintain a registry of these counselors. This process grants recognition to counselors who have met predetermined NBCC standards in their training, experience, and performance on the National Counselor Examination. A counselor who is certified by the NBCC uses the designation NCC, National Certified Counselor.

Criteria for Certification as a NCC:

• Graduate degree in counseling or a closely related field from a regionally accredited university.
• At least two years post-masters professional counseling experience (This requirement is waived for graduates of a CACREP-Approved Program).
  A documented supervised counseling experience.
• Assessment of counseling experiences by two professionals in the field.
  Pass the counselor certification examination administered by NBCC, or provide evidence of current state counselor licensure in one of the following states: AR, GA, ID, MD, MO, MS, MT, NE, NC, OH, OK, SC, or VA. These states administer the National Counselor Examination as a component within their respective licensure processes.
• NCC's are certified for a period of five years. In order to be re-certified at the conclusion of the five-year cycle the counselor must:
• Demonstrate completion of 100 contact clock hours of approved continuing education or re-examination.
  Adhere to the NBCC Code of Ethics in professional practice.

American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy

The American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy is the professional association for the field of marriage and family therapy. Established in 1942, AAMFT has actively promoted research, education, and training initiatives utilizing a systems approach in the assessment and treatment of individuals, couples, and families. AAMFT offers three levels of membership/certification: 1) Student; 2) Associate; and 3) Clinical.

Criteria for Student membership

• Current enrollment in an MFT graduate program or equivalent course of study.
• Planned or current work toward 1 year/300 hours in face-to-face client contact (can be completed within 700 clock hours required for HDC masters degree).
• Endorsements from two professionals in the field attesting to personal maturity and integrity

Criteria for Associate membership

• Masters or Ph.D. in MFT or equivalent course of study.
• Completion of at least 8 of the 11 courses for Clinical membership.
• Completion of 1 year/300 hours in face-to-face client contact.
• Endorsements from two professionals in the field attesting to personal maturity and integrity.

Criteria for Clinical membership

• Masters or Ph.D. in MFT or equivalent course of study.
• Completion of the following coursework:
  Marital and family studies (3 courses/9 semester credits).
  Marital and family therapy (3 courses/9 semester credits).
  Human development (3 courses/9 semester credits).
  Professional studies (1 course/3 semester credits).
  Research (1 course/3 semester credits).
• Completion of 1 year/300 hours in face-to-face client contact.
  Endorsements from 2 professionals in the field attesting to personal maturity and integrity.
• Minimum of 2 years professional work experience in MFT and supervision following receipt of the first qualifying graduate degree and practicum, including: a) 1000 hours of face-to-face contact with individuals, couples and families utilizing a systems perspective; and b) 200 hours (100 individual and 100 group) of supervision of the 1000 hours face-to-face contact.

NOTE: Since The University of Illinois at Springfield does not have an AAMFT accredited MFT program, coursework beyond the HDC Program's 50 credit hour master's degree must be taken to meet AAMFT Associate and Clinical membership requirements.

All elements of the student's program must be approved on an individual basis by an AAMFT Membership Evaluator-- 202-467-5122 (if last name begins with A-L) or 202-467-5143 (if last name begins with M-Z). Consultation is free and strongly recommended (regarding course pre-approval, membership policies, and ongoing evaluation).

Requirements for licensure as a Marriage and Family Therapist in the State of Illinois are based upon AAMFT membership requirements.

The National Academy of Certified Clinical Mental Health Counselors

The National Academy of Certified Clinical Mental Health Counselors is an independent nonprofit corporation. Its purpose is to maintain a credentialing program for counselors who are specialists in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of mental and emotional disorders and in the promotion of optimal mental health. The National Academy was incorporated in 1979 as an independent certifying body. It was established through the efforts of the American Mental Health Association and AACD.

Criteria for certification as a Certified Clinical Mental Health Counselor (CCMHC)

• Doctorate or masters degree in an allied mental health field from a regionally accredited institution with at least two academic years and 45 semester hours of graduate work, or a doctorate or masters degree from a program approved by CACREP.
• A minimum of two years post-masters experience in which there has been a minimum of 3000 hours of supervised clinical experience and 100 hours of face-to-face supervision from a qualified clinical supervisor.
• Demonstration of minimal clinical competence through Board approval of an audio or video tape work sample and the applicant's critique of this sample.
  A qualifying score on the National Academy's certification examination, which is designed to assess knowledge of clinical mental health counseling.

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