Frequently Asked Questions

Questions

1. What is a "professional counselor?"
2. How is a professional counselor different than a psychologist, social worker, psychiatrist, and psychiatric nurse?
3. I know that professional counseling is the profession for me.  Where can I get trained?
4. I have a master's degree in professional counseling, but I'd like to go on for a doctorate. What are my options?
5. How can I obtain a mental health referral?
6. Now that Pennsylvania issues the LPC license, why is board certification (NBCC, CRCC, or NACFT) still necessary?
7. I'm currently job-searching, and all I see are ads for social workers and psychologists. What do I do?
8. Do I really need malpractice insurance, and if so, where do I obtain it?
9. Where can I get some advice on an ethics-related matter?
10. I'm a school counselor, and because of Act 48, I now need to earn CEUs each year in order to keep my Educational Specialist license active.  How can I do this?
11. How do I get onto a managed care organization's panel?
12. How do you submit an article (or) advertisement to the PCA newsletter, PCA, Inc.?
13. I don't live or practice in Pennsylvania, but I'd still like to join the PCA.  Is that possible?
14. I'm a PCA official, and I'd like to submit material for the PCA Web site.  What's the process for this?
15. I heard something about being able to volunteer my services to the American Red Cross. What is this about?
16. What is "creative arts therapy?"
17. Where can I learn about HIPAA?
18. Where can I purchase mental health resources such as books, videos, home-studies, and so forth?
19. How do I research mental health-related legislation?
20. Does the PCA advocate on behalf of its members?
21. How can I find clinical supervision to fulfill that requirement for state licensure and board certification?

If your question was not answered adequately, or if you have one you'd like to add, please send an e-mail message to the PCA Public Relations & Advocacy Committee.  You're guaranteed to receive a reply, if necessary, within five business days.

Responses

What is a "professional counselor?"

It should first be pointed out that the term "professional counselor" is NOT a generic term that applies to all mental health practitioners.  Professional counseling is a distinct mental health profession.

More specifically, a professional counselor is a mental health professional who has obtained at least a master's degree in one of the seven professional counseling specialties:  mental health (a.k.a. "community"), marriage & family, substance abuse, geriatric, rehab, school, or career counseling.  If he or she completed a program with either the Council for Accreditation of Counseling & Related Educational Programs (CACREP) or Council on Rehabilitation Education (CORE) accreditation (see FAQ #4 below), it was a 48-60-credit (usually 60), graduate-level program that also consisted of a 700-1,000-hour (usually 1,000) internship.  This is comparable to the clinical training that psychologists and social workers undergo in their accredited programs.  CACREP also accredits doctoral-level programs that provide the professional counselor additional skills in clinical supervision and teaching/research.

A professional counselor applies "mental health, psychological, [and] human development principles through cognitive, affective, behavioral, or systemic intervention strategies that address wellness, personal growth, [and/or] career development, as well as pathology" (adapted from the American Counseling Association's formal definition of "professional counseling," 1997).

A professional counselor is NOT the same as a residential "counselor," admissions "counselor," financial aid "counselor," credit "counselor," camp "counselor," sales "counselor," and so forth ....  Typically, these people only have a high school diploma or bachelor's degree and are not trained in the mental health field, or if they are, not at the same level as a professional counselor.

Two other groups of professionals should be addressed, as well:  counseling psychologists and members of the clergy.  Counseling psychologists are not professional counselors.  Instead, counseling psychology is 1 of 12 applied specialties of psychology, the other 11 being clinical, family, behavioral, psychoanalytical, rehab, group, health, forensic, industrial/organizational, school, and neurological psychology.  This applies to both master's- and doctoral-level practitioners.  One significant indication of this is their training accreditation, that is, counseling psychology programs are accredited by the APA Accreditation Committee, not CACREP or CORE (see FAQ #4 below).  Also, counseling psychologists are board-certified by the American Board of Counseling Psychology, not the National Board for Certified Counselors, the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification, or the National Academy of Certified Family Therapists.  For additional guidance on this, please visit the Web site of the Pennsylvania Psychological Association, the state professional association that represents Pennsylvania master's- and doctoral-level psychologists of all specialties.

Members of the clergy who advise their congregation members are sometimes called "pastoral 'counselors,'" but they are not professional counselors.  They typically do not have a degree in professional counseling or any other mental health profession, but rather, in an area such as religious studies or theology.  (And actually, according to the U.S. Dept. of Labor, 25% do not hold any college degree.)  This is not to say that they do not have a valuable service to offer to the public; they do.  But the distinction between professional mental health services and other similar services must be made.  For more information, consult the Web site of the relevant religious denomination.

A source of confusion for many is the fact that the LPC state license, Pennsylvania's license for professional counselors who practice outside the school setting, may be available to some counseling psychologists and some members of the clergy, depending on how closely their training resembled a CACREP- or CORE-type curriculum.  But keep in mind that so much more goes into how a profession is defined than simply a state-issued credential.  Ethically, and perhaps legally, it's important to make it clear to the client what type of graduate program you completed, regardless of the state license you hold.

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How is a professional counselor different than a psychologist, social worker, psychiatrist, and psychiatric nurse?

Psychiatrists are physicians who undergo the same generalized medical training that other physicians do, then receive specialized training in psychiatry during a post-graduate residency.   They are allowed by Pennsylvania state law to prescribe medication and to provide psychotherapy (although, contrary to what you see in the popular media, most do not do psychotherapy today by choice or due to managed care constraints).  Psychiatric nurses are nurses who have first obtained a broader training in nursing at the bachelor's level, then have gone on to obtain a master's in psychiatric nursing.  Although they are not permitted to prescribe medication in Pennsylvania, the mental health work that they do tends to focus on the medical aspects of treatment.  Professional counselors, psychologists, and social workers are all non-medical mental health professionals, so prescribing medicine and addressing conditions of a more biological nature are outside their area of expertise.  Also, these five groups, as a whole, have different philosophical foundations, that is, psychiatrists, psychiatric nurses, and psychologists tend to view human behavior from a more clinical perspective, whereas social workers and professional counselors are more apt to see it in a developmental and psychosocial context.  Of course, on an individual level, you'll find cases where the opposite is true.

As for similarities, practitioners of the three non-medical mental health professions of professional counseling, psychology, and social work who have completed accredited graduate programs have essentially been trained to do the same thing when it comes to assessment (including psychological testing and diagnosing), counseling/psychotherapy, consultation, and administrative work.  They are the ones doing most of the psychotherapy today.  (Mental health practitioners who have doctoral degrees have additional training in clinical supervision and teaching/research.)  Furthermore, in Pennsylvania, they all can be state-licensed, and each profession has its own board certifications with comparable standards.  And they all practice in the same settings, settings such as hospitals, schools and universities, mental health agencies, private practice, etc.

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I know that professional counseling is the profession for me.  Where can I get trained?

After clicking here, scroll down to the Accreditation section.

I have a master's degree in professional counseling, but I'd like to go on for a doctorate.  What are my options?

A master's degree is the highest degree you need in any state and the District of Columbia to practice as a professional counselor.  But it's not enough if academic or clinical supervisory work is your goal.  In order to join the professional counseling faculty of most institutions of higher education, or to effectively and ethically be a clinical supervisor, you need a doctoral degree (Ph.D., Ed.D.).

If you earned your master's degree from a Council for Accreditation of Counseling & Related Educational Programs (CACREP)- or Council on Rehabilitation Education (CORE)-accredited program (which are professional counseling's counterparts to social work's Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) and psychology's APA Accreditation Committee), you're more than halfway toward a doctorate in professional counseling.  If your program was not accredited, however, you'll need to contact the program's coordinator to find out how the credits you earned previously will fit into the doctoral curriculum.  (For a more detailed explanation of professional counseling's credentials, including links to the CACREP and CORE on-line directories of programs, please visit our Professional Counseling Credentials page.)

A cautionary note:  Keep in mind that if you obtained a master's in professional counseling, but you're thinking about getting a doctorate in social work (D.S.W., Ph.D.) or psychology (Psy.D., Ph.D., Ed.D.) and that doctoral program is CSWE- or APA-accredited, you'll most likely receive minimal credit for your master's work.  This is primarily due to strict accreditation standards.  (The accreditation boards of all three mental health professions are similar in this respect.)

An excellent resource to help you with this very important life decision is Keith-Spiegel and Wiederman's The Complete Guide to Graduate School Admission:  Psychology, Counseling, & Related Professions (LEA, Hillsdale, NJ, ©2000, ISBN #0805831215).

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How can I obtain a mental health referral?

Click here to get all the information you need on obtaining a mental health referral.

Now that Pennsylvania issues the LPC license, why is board certification (NBCC, CRCC, or NACFT) still necessary?

Now that Pennsylvania has joined the ranks of 47 other states, plus the District of Columbia¹, that regulate professional counselors who practice outside the school setting, many professional counselors are questioning the value of board certification.  Rehab counselors may think that the LPC state license substitutes for the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification's CRC board certification, for example.  But this is not the case.  Please visit our Professional Counseling Credentials page for a thorough explanation of professional counseling's academic degrees, state licensure, board certification, and accreditation.

¹as of the revision date located at the bottom of this Web page, the 2 remaining states that do not yet regulate professional counseling that takes place outside the school setting are CA and NV (in contrast to school-based professional counseling, which is regulated by all 50 states and DC)

I'm currently job-searching, and all I see are ads for social workers and psychologists.  What do I do?

For some reason, most employment classified advertisements still omit professional counselors, or they're implied as a "related field."  When job-searching, the best thing to do is to look for the keywords "social worker," "psychologist," and "therapist," then apply for those jobs.  You can make a strong and valid argument in your cover letter that professional counselors have the same qualifications that practitioners of the other two professions have.  The PCA Public Relations & Advocacy Committee has as one of its top agenda items the task of advocating with these employers.

By the way, be sure to check out the ACA Career Center for the latest opportunities for professional counseling employment!

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Do I really need malpractice insurance, and if so, where do I obtain it?

Professional counselors often mistakenly think that their employer covers them.  This may be a wrong assumption altogether, or if there is coverage, it's most likely very limited and has the best interests of the employer in mind, not you.  School-based professional counselors may assume that the coverage offered by their school district's teacher's union is adequate, but this is usually not the case, either.  The bottom line is this:  Ask your employer for a copy of the certificate-of-coverage for your files, then examine it closely to see the extent of coverage.  Anything below $2,000,000 per claim per year in today's litigious world is insufficient!

One competitive malpractice insurance provider is the American Counseling Association-affiliated ACA Insurance Trust.  You can e-mail them at staff@acait.com , or call them at 1-800-347-6647, X284 (outside the U.S.:  +1 (703) 823-9800, X284).

There are other insurance companies out there that are not affiliated with any particular professional associations, but bear in mind that your own profession's association knows about the unique liabilities of that profession better than anyone else.  Also, they typically have the best rates!  Nevertheless, if you'd like to compare--and you should--do a Google search using the keyword "malpractice insurance."

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Where can I get some advice on an ethics-related matter?

The PCA Ethics/By-Laws Committee is available to PCA members for confidential ethics-related consultation.  This is yet another benefit of PCA membership.  Click here for details.

Furthermore, if you're a member of the PCA's parent association, the American Counseling Association (ACA), you can obtain a free and confidential ethics-related consultation by e-mailing the ACA's Professional Learning & Resources Unit at plr@counseling.org , or by calling them at 1-800-347-6647, X314 (outside the U.S.:  +1 (703) 823-9800, X314).  If you are not an ACA member, you can still obtain a consultation, but there's a nominal fee involved.

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I'm a school counselor, and because of Act 48, I now need to earn CEUs each year in order to keep my Educational Specialist license active.  How can I do this?

With the 1999 passage of Act 48 (the state law that mandates continuing education for school-based professionals), now all professional counselors licensed by the State of Pennsylvania are required to obtain so many continuing education units, or CEUs, to keep their license active, not just those who practice outside the school setting.  There are a number of places that a Pennsylvania school counselor can turn to for continuing education opportunities, the first being our school counseling division, the Pennsylvania School Counseling Association (PSCA).  The PSCA offers a variety of professional development opportunities, many of them at its annual conference.  To find out about them, e-mail PSCA executive director Judith Bookhamer, Ph.D., at jbookhamer@comcast.net , or call her at (412) 672-4376 (outside the U.S.:  country code is "+1").

At the national level, professional counselors of all specialties have many choices, from the American Counseling Association and its 18 divisions/organizational affiliates, to our profession's 3 specialty certification boards (the National Board for Certified Counselors, the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification, and the National Academy of Certified Family Therapists), to other professions' associations such as the National Association of Social Workers, to specialty associations like the Association of Play Therapy, the Albert Ellis Institute, and so forth.

Finally, university courses taken for credit typically earn substantial CEUs, so don't forget to check with your alma mater or other universities to see what courses are available that could enhance your skills.

Please log on to our Professional Development page for more information.  Also, feel free to contact PCA Professional Development Committee chair Joan Kaylor, M.S.Ed., with any questions you might have regarding professional development and CEUs.  Her e-mail address is ceu@pacounseling.org , and her phone number is (412) 854-9120, X15 (outside the U.S.:  country code is "+1").

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How do I get onto a managed care organization's panel?

Managed care is everywhere, and it's here to stay.  AmeriChoice of Pennsylvania, HealthAmerica, Gateway Health Plan, Health Partners, and UPMC Health Plan are just some of the managed care organizations, or MCOs, that operate here in the Keystone State.  If you're a professional counselor or a practitioner of another mental health profession and would like to be empaneled by an MCO, first, identify the ones that operate in your area.  This can easily be done by doing a Google search using the keywords "[your city] insurance companies," e.g., "Philadelphia insurance companies" (without quotes).  (In today's business world of consolidations, you'll most likely find two or three only.)  Then contact their provider relations departments and ask for their paperwork.  This paperwork will spell out for you their empanelment criteria and other important information.

A managed care plan is different than a traditional indemnity plan, that is, the latter is one in which the client receives the service, then submits paperwork for reimbursement.  There is no panel of providers for the mental health practitioner to join.  About two-thirds of Americans who have any kind of health insurance--46 million still cannot afford any type whatsoever!--still use this type of insurance, but that number is rapidly dwindling as managed care grows.  Unfortunately, at this time, state law prohibits Pennsylvania-based insurance companies from reimbursing clients who see professional counselors and social workers through their indemnity plans (but not managed care); only the services of psychologists, nurses (psychiatric nurses), and physicians (psychiatrists) are reimbursable.  But this is on the PCA's legislative "radar," so hopefully this will change in the near future.  For more details on this law, or if interested in assisting the PCA in its efforts to change the law, contact the PCA Government Relations Committee at gov@pacounseling.org or at (570) 346-1392 (outside the U.S.:  country code is "+1").

Two more points to keep in mind:  Pennsylvania's Medicaid program is almost open to mental healthcare consumers in the low-income bracket who see professional counselors (and presumably social workers and psychologists).  The PCA is working with the PA Dept. of Public Welfare as they modify the state regulations for this program.  Keep checking our Government Relations page for updates on this.  On the other hand, mental healthcare consumers over 65 or with a disability who see professional counselors are still unable to be reimbursed through Medicare, unfortunately.  And that's regardless of how their Medicare is administered--managed care or indemnity plan.  Medicare is a fully federal program, not a state-federal hybrid program like Medicaid is; therefore, PCA parent association American Counseling Association (ACA) is leading the way on this issue.  To stay on top of this, visit the ACA's Public Policy & Legislation and ACA Legislative Action Center Web pages.

A superb resource for MCO information, and anything else related to the financial side of the mental health field, for that matter, is a monthly publication called Psychotherapy Finances.  It's especially invaluable if you're just starting or are currently running a private practice.  They can be e-mailed at hklein@psyfin.com , or called at 1-800-869-8450 (outside the U.S.:  only FAX is available -- +1 (561) 743-3504).

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How do you submit an article (or) advertisement to the PCA newsletter, PCA, Inc.?

For articles, click here, and for advertisements, click here.

I don't live or practice in Pennsylvania, but I'd still like to join the PCA.  Is that possible?

Professional counselors from other states are welcome to join the Pennsylvania Counseling Association as an Associate member.  Delaware professional counselors, in particular, are invited to join due to the fact that their own Delaware Counseling Association state branch is currently in inactive status.  For details on that, log on to our DCA page, or for more on out-of-state membership, in general, our Membership page.

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I'm a PCA official, and I'd like to submit material for the PCA Web site.  What's the process for this?

The response to this question can be found at PCA Web Site Central.

I heard something about being able to volunteer my services to the American Red Cross.  What is this about?

Click here to find out about the American Red Cross' Disaster Mental Health Services program.

What is "creative arts therapy?"

The term "creative arts therapy" is a broad term that actually encompasses five specific counseling/psychotherapy techniques:  art, biblio-, dance, drama, and music therapy.  According to the National Coalition of Creative Arts Therapies Associations (NCCATA), creative arts therapies are "… arts modalities and creative processes [used] for the purpose of ameliorating disability and illness and optimizing health and wellness" (source:  NCCATA Fact Sheet, 2004).

Creative arts therapy techniques are used by many practitioners of the three major non-medical mental health professions of professional counseling, social work, and psychology, and to a lesser extent, physicians (psychiatrists) and nurses (psychiatric nurses).  Pennsylvania's six state licenses available to non-medical and medical mental health professionals--LPC, LCSW, Psychologist, Educational Specialist, Medical Doctor, and RN--allow for creative arts therapies either explicitly or implicitly.  And though none of the major specialty certification boards issue a board certification specifically for creative arts therapies at this time, the NCCATA's member organizations issue their own certifications.  The member organizations also list colleges and universities throughout the U.S. that offer coursework in this area.

The ACA Governing Council, the policy-making body of PCA parent association American Counseling Association (ACA), chartered an organizational affiliate (the preliminary level prior to being granted full divisional status) called the Association of Creativity in Counseling (ACC) in April 2004.  This new ACA unit is intended for professional counselors who have an interest in the use of creative arts counseling techniques.  To learn more, log on to the ACA's Web site, or call 1-800-347-6647 (outside the U.S.:  +1 (703) 823-9800).

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Where can I learn about HIPAA?

The Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act, or "HIPAA," privacy law is a federal law and set of regulations.  Therefore, PCA parent association American Counseling Association would be the association for professional counselors to turn to.

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Where can I purchase mental health resources such as books, videos, home-studies, and so forth?

Many places.  A Google search will give you plenty of options.  But the first place you might want to turn to is the on-line resources catalogue published by PCA parent association American Counseling Association.  It's sure to meet all of your professional needs.

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How do I research mental health-related legislation?

Your first stop:  the PCA Web site's Government Relations page.  Check for any state-level legislative updates and information.  Then go to its national counterpart, the Public Policy & Legislation page posted by PCA parent association American Counseling Association (ACA), for federal legislative updates and information.  Once you've done that, ...

For information on a specific Pennsylvania state law, log on to the PA General Assembly's Web site, or for a U.S. federal law, the U.S. Congress' two sites (both the House of Representatives and Senate).  Regulations that enforce the law, on the other hand, are written and administered by the executive branch of government, so visit the PA Governor's Office and the White House for state and federal regulations, respectively.  All five of these sites have search engines where you can enter specific statute/regulation names or numbers.

Another invaluable resource is the ACA Legislative Action Center.  This is another ACA Web page, and it provides information on bills currently being debated on Capitol Hill, legislative alerts, a media guide, U.S. Library of Congress information, links to the offices of U.S. representatives and senators and the U.S. president, and other links.

Two legal databases that law students and practicing attorneys cannot live without are LexisNexis and Westlaw.  Together, they are the legal profession's version of the mental health field's PsycLIT/PsycINFO.  But as with PsycLIT/PsycINFO, a subscription is required for both, so visit your closest law library to see if CD-ROM versions are available (or subscribe if you like).  And of course, while you're there, you can browse the hard-copy legal journals and books.

If all else fails, contact PCA Government Relations Committee chairperson Lauren Sonnenberg, M.A., at gov@pacounseling.org or at (570) 346-1392 (outside the U.S.:  country code is "+1").  She'll try to point you in the right direction.

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Does the PCA advocate on behalf of its members?

Click here to find out about PCA advocacy services.

How can I find clinical supervision to fulfill that requirement for state licensure and board certification?

To find a doctoral-level clinical supervisor--and doctoral level is what you want since it's only at this level that clinical supervision skills are taught in graduate school--there are a number of strategies that you can do.  If you're a member of a professional association such as the PCA, you've already begun one strategy!  (If you're not a member of the PCA, click here.)

One of the biggest benefits of belonging to a professional association is the networking opportunities.  The PCA holds its annual conference each fall, and this is when you can make connections with many other professional counselors from all parts of Pennsylvania.  You might find a colleague who would be willing to provide clinical supervision.

Similarly, most state professional associations have smaller regional chapters through which you can network with colleagues in your metro area or region.  As of the revision date located at the bottom of this page, the PCA has an active regional chapter for the Pittsburgh metro area.  This is an effective strategy because you're automatically factoring out those who are outside your region.

Another way to locate a clinical supervisor is to contact the board that issues the credential that you're working toward.  You can do this by visiting our Referrals page and clicking on the relevant link:  NBCC if you're a mental health, substance abuse, or school counselor, CRCC if you're a rehab counselor, and NACFT if you're a marriage & family counselor.  (That page also has links to the boards that serve the psychology, social work, and medical [psychiatry] professions.)  Once you receive a list of board-certified practitioners in your area from that board, it's simply a matter of "cold-calling" them.  A cautionary note:  If you're seeking clinical supervision for both board certification and state licensure, be sure that your clinical supervisor meets the criteria established by both boards.

Mental health professionals in academia often provide clinical supervision on the side, and sometimes pro bono, so you may want to contact your area professional counseling, psychology, and social work departments or schools and ask to speak to the program coordinator.  He or she may be able to give you the names of some professors on the faculty who clinically supervise.

And finally, placing a classified advertisement in a state professional association's newsletter could prove to be a successful strategy.  For professional counseling, that would be the PCA's PCA, Inc.; for social work, the Pennsylvania Association of Social Workers' Pennsylvania Social Worker; for psychology, the Pennsylvania Psychological Association's Pennsylvania Psychologist.  Click here for more information on advertising in PCA, Inc.

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