Counseling Degrees & Licenses in Virginia

Mental health counselors in Vermont are licensed as Licensed Professional Counselors (LPCs) or Licensed Professional Counselor – Residents (LPC Residents).

LPC Resident license candidates must:

• Graduate from a CACREP or CORE accredited master’s in counseling program. If the program has neither accreditation, it must be regionally accredited and contain 13 core content areas. All programs must contain a minimum of 60 semester credits (or 90 quarter credits) and include a 600-hour internship with 240 face-to-face client contact hours.
• Find a supervisor for supervised work experience and complete a Supervisory Contract agreement
• Complete an application
• Pay $65 application fee
• Complete a National Practitioners Data Bank (NPDB) self-query

To qualify for as an LPC candidates must already hold an LPC Resident license and must:

• Complete 3,400 of supervised work experience. 2,000 hours must be face to face client contact. Hours completed as part of the master’s internship in excess of the 600 required hours may be counted, up to 300 hours. There must be 200 hours of supervision at a rate no less than one hour of supervision for every 40 hours of work experience. These hours must be completed in no less than 21 months and no more than four years.
• Pass the NCMHCE
• Submit a completed application
• Complete another National Practitioners Data Bank (NPDB) query
• Pay $175 application fee

LPC Resident licenses expire annually and cost $30 to renew. As part of the renewal, LPC Residents must attest the supervised work experience is still in effect and that they have completed three continuing education hours in ethics.

LPCs must renew their licenses annually online by completing the application and paying the $130 fee.

LPCs are required to complete 20 hours in continuing education, two of which must be in ethics. LPCs are not required to submit this information to the board; however, random audits are performed so counselors must keep careful records.

The Virginia Department of Education issues educator licenses with a school counseling endorsement.

The requirements for the provisional license and endorsement are:

• Complete training in the recognition of mental health disorder and behavioral distress, including depression, trauma, violence, youth suicide, and substance abuse
• Have a master’s from an approved school counselor program or have a master’s in school counseling from a regionally accredited program (with a 100-hour internship) and complete an approved school counselor preparation program
• Submit a completed application
• Pay $100 in-state or $150 out-of-state application fee
• Complete Dyslexia Awareness Training
• Complete Child Abuse and Neglect Recognition and Intervention Training
• Have current CPR certification

After two years of full-time work experience, school counselors may apply for a professional license.

Provisional educator licenses with a school counselor endorsement may not be renewed. Professional licenses are valid for five years.

To renew, school counselors must:

• Submit a completed renewal application
• Pay $50 application fee
• Complete Dyslexia Awareness Training
• Complete Child Abuse and Neglect Recognition and Intervention Training
• Have current CPR certification
• Complete training in the recognition of mental health disorder and behavioral distress, including depression, trauma, violence, youth suicide, and substance abuse
• Earn 180 Professional Development Points

Virginia Department of Health Professions Board of Counseling

The Virginia Department of Health Professions Board of Counseling issues Certified Substance Abuse Counselor (CSAC) and Certified Substance Abuse Counselor Assistant (CSAC-A) credentials to substance abuse counselors.

CSAC-A credential candidates must:

• Graduate from high school or a have a GED
• Complete 120 hours of education in substance abuse counseling in 13 specific areas
• Have 180 hours of supervised work experience with clients who have a substance use disorder
• Submit a completed application
• Pay $115 application fee
• Pass the Virginia State Constructed CSAC-A exam

CSAC credential candidates must:

• Complete a bachelor’s degree
• Submit a completed application
• Pay $115 application fee and $150 exam fee
• Pass the Virginia State NCAC Level I exam
• Have the Verification of Supervision form submitted by each supervisor, which verifies a total of 100 hours of supervision, 2,000 hours of work experience in substance abuse, and 160 hours of experimental tasks
• Complete 240 hours of education in substance abuse counseling in 13 specific areas

Substance abuse counselor licenses in Virginia expire annually on June 30th. CSAC renewal fees are $65 and CSAC-A fees are $50.

CSACs are required to complete 10 hours of continuing education each year and CSAC-As are required to complete only five.

Virginia Board of Counseling

Rehabilitation counselors in Virginia are credentialed as Licensed Professional Counselors (LPCs) or Licensed Professional Counselor – Residents (LPC Residents).

LPC Resident license candidates must:

• Graduate from a CACREP or CORE accredited master’s in counseling program. If the program has neither accreditation, it must be regionally accredited and contain 13 core content areas. All programs must contain a minimum of 60 semester credits (or 90 quarter credits) and include a 600-hour internship with 240 face-to-face client contact hours.
• Find a supervisor for supervised work experience and complete a Supervisory Contract agreement
• Complete an application
• Pay $65 application fee
• Complete a National Practitioners Data Bank (NPDB) self-query

To qualify for as an LPC candidates must already hold an LPC Resident license and must:

• Complete 3,400 of supervised work experience. 2,000 hours must be face to face client contact. Hours completed as part of the master’s internship in excess of the 600 required hours may be counted, up to 300 hours. There must be 200 hours of supervision at a rate no less than one hour of supervision for every 40 hours of work experience. These hours must be completed in no less than 21 months and no more than four years.
• Pass the NCMHCE
• Submit a completed application
• Complete another National Practitioners Data Bank (NPDB) query
• Pay $175 application fee

LPC Resident licenses expire annually and cost $30 to renew. As part of the renewal, LPC Residents must attest the supervised work experience is still in effect and that they have completed three continuing education hours in ethics.

LPCs must renew their licenses annually online by completing the application and paying the $130 fee.

LPCs are required to complete 20 hours in continuing education, two of which must be in ethics. LPCs are not required to submit this information to the board; however, random audits are performed so counselors must keep careful records.

The Virginia Board of Medicine licenses Board Certified Behavior Analysts and Assistant Behavior Analysts.

Requirements for licensure are:

• Submit an online application
• Hold either a BCBA or BCaBA national certification
• Pay a $130 application fee for a behavior analyst license or a $70 fee for the assistant behavior analyst license
• Submit a completed Employment Activity Questionnaire

Behavior analyst licenses issued in Virginia must be renewed biennially on odd-numbered years during the license holder’s birth month. Behavior analyst license renewal fees are $135, and assistant behavior analyst license renewal fees are $70.

To renew, applicants must also complete continuing education hours. Thirty-two hours of continuing education are required for behavior analysts and assistant behavior must complete 20. Four of those hours must be in ethics.

The Virginia Board of Counseling crdentials Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFT) and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Residents (LMFT Resident)

LMFT Resident candidates must:

• Graduate from a regionally accredited marriage and family therapy master’s program of at least 60 semester (or 90 quarter credits), including a 600-hour internship
• Find a supervisor for supervised work experience and complete a Supervisory Contract agreement
• Complete an application
• Pay $65 application fee
• Complete a National Practitioners Data Bank (NPDB) self-query

Full LMFT candidates must already hold an LMFT Resident license and must:

• Complete 3,400 of supervised work experience, including no less than one hour of supervision for every 40 hours of work experience (2,000 hours must be face-to-face client contact and 1,000 of those hours must be with couples or families; hours completed as part of the master’s internship in excess of the 600 required hours may be counted, up to 300 hours)
• Pass the AMFTRB
• Submit a completed application
• Complete another National Practitioners Data Bank (NPDB) query
• Pay $175 application fee

LMFT Resident licenses expire annually and cost $30 to renew.

As part of the renewal, LMFT Residents must attest that their supervised work experience is still in effect and that they have completed three continuing education hours in ethics.

LMFTs must renew their licenses online annually by completing the application and paying the $130 fee.

LMFTs are required to complete 20 hours in continuing education, two of which must be in ethics. LMFTs are not required to submit this information to the board; however, random audits are performed, so counselors must keep careful records.

Virginia Board of Counseling

Child therapists in Virginia are credentialed as Licensed Professional Counselors (LPCs) or Licensed Professional Counselor – Residents (LPC Residents).

LPC Resident license candidates must:

• Graduate from a CACREP or CORE accredited master’s in counseling program. If the program has neither accreditation, it must be regionally accredited and contain 13 core content areas. All programs must contain a minimum of 60 semester credits (or 90 quarter credits) and include a 600-hour internship with 240 face-to-face client contact hours.
• Find a supervisor for supervised work experience and complete a Supervisory Contract agreement
• Complete an application
• Pay $65 application fee
• Complete a National Practitioners Data Bank (NPDB) self-query

To qualify for as an LPC candidates must already hold an LPC Resident license and must:

• Complete 3,400 of supervised work experience. 2,000 hours must be face to face client contact. Hours completed as part of the master’s internship in excess of the 600 required hours may be counted, up to 300 hours. There must be 200 hours of supervision at a rate no less than one hour of supervision for every 40 hours of work experience. These hours must be completed in no less than 21 months and no more than four years.
• Pass the NCMHCE
• Submit a completed application
• Complete another National Practitioners Data Bank (NPDB) query
• Pay $175 application fee

LPC Resident licenses expire annually and cost $30 to renew. As part of the renewal, LPC Residents must attest the supervised work experience is still in effect and that they have completed three continuing education hours in ethics.

LPCs must renew their licenses annually online by completing the application and paying the $130 fee.

LPCs are required to complete 20 hours in continuing education, two of which must be in ethics. LPCs are not required to submit this information to the board; however, random audits are performed so counselors must keep careful records.