2014 Mississippi Code
Title 73 - PROFESSIONS AND VOCATIONS
Chapter 30 - LICENSED PROFESSIONAL COUNSELORS
§ 73-30-9 - Issuance of licenses

The board shall issue a license as a licensed professional counselor, without regard to race, religion, sex or national origin, to each applicant who furnishes satisfactory evidence of the following:

(a) The applicant has completed an application on a form prescribed by the board accompanied by a nonrefundable initial licensing fee of One Hundred Dollars ($ 100.00).

(b) The applicant is at least twenty-one (21) years of age.

(c) The applicant is of good moral character.

(d) The applicant is a resident of or pays income tax in the State of Mississippi, or has an immigration document to verify legal alien work status in the United States. The immigration document must be current and issued by the United States Immigration Bureau.

(e) The applicant is not in violation of any of the provisions of this chapter and the rules and regulations adopted hereunder.

(f) The applicant shall have an earned doctoral degree primarily in counseling, guidance or related counseling field, or have a master's degree or educational specialist's degree from a regionally or nationally accredited college or university program in counselor education or a related counseling program subject to board approval. The master's degree or educational specialist's degree shall consist of a program of not less than sixty (60) acceptable semester hours or ninety (90) acceptable quarter hours. Persons applying for licensure with a master's degree of less than sixty (60) semester hours or ninety (90) quarter hours may complete the additional coursework required without earning an additional degree, provided the coursework is in a regionally or nationally accredited college or university program in counseling or a related field. Proof of same must be submitted in the form of an updated transcript to the board when reapplying for licensure. All applicants shall provide official transcripts of all graduate work.

(g) The applicant must pass the examination approved by the board, as set forth in Section 73-30-7(5).

(h) The applicant has had two (2) years of supervised experience in professional counseling, or its equivalent, acceptable to the board, one (1) year of which may be concurrent with the pursuit of the master's degree program. Applicant shall submit verification of previous employment.

Each application or filing made under this section shall include the social security number(s) of the applicant in accordance with Section 93-11-64, Mississippi Code of 1972.

(i) After January 1, 2008, the board shall require each first-time applicant for licensure and may require applicants for license renewal to apply to the Department of Public Safety for a state and national background check which will include consulting sex offender registries.