Steps to becoming a Licensed Professional Counselor
David Akers, M.Ed., is the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion program coordinator for the Illinois Behavioral Health Workforce Center at SIU School of Medicine. They are a counselor by training and are completing their Master’s in Public Health. David’s passions lie in promoting health equity, improving health outcomes for minoritized communities, and ensuring our health care workforce is trained to provide culturally proficient care and is reflective of the communities it serves.
As a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), my journey in mental health care began during undergrad. I was working on my bachelor’s degree in psychology while also on my own counseling journey. I realized the impact my LGBTQ+ counselor had on my life and the importance of having people from our community as counselors with the lived experience to know how to truly relate to and help others. That’s when I decided to become a counselor.
Following graduation in 2017, I worked in community mental health care where I learned how impactful my work could be. In 2022, I graduated from DePaul University with a Master’s in Education in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and began working in outpatient therapy. Throughout my journey, I found myself becoming a support and safe space for many LGBTQ+ youth, and that left me feeling fulfilled in my work.
As you wonder whether becoming a Licensed Professional Counselor is the right path for you, consider the following:
- The role and responsibilities of an LPC.
- The benefits of becoming an LPC.
- The places and settings where LPCs work.
- The counseling methods and techniques used by LPCs.
- The process and requirements to achieve LPC licensure.
What is an LPC?
For a Licensed Professional Counselor, working in a helping profession differs from their counterparts in a few significant ways. One main difference is that counselors use a “biopsychosocial model,” caring for their clients with a more wholistic approach. They focus on all aspects of the client’s life – such as, lifestyle, beliefs, culture, etc. – and how it affects their mental and behavioral health. On the other hand, other behavioral health professions may use a more medical model that focuses on the specific pathologies, or conditions, and their treatments.
Counselors work with clients to co-create treatment plans, complete mental health assessments and provide counseling services, including talk therapy and other interventions. They work with clients directly and complete documentation in a timely manner, such as session notes, assessments and other required paperwork for clients to receive services. Counselors may also collaborate with medical professionals to co-treat patients, providing complementary care.
The following skills are necessary to be an effective and successful counselor:
- Strong communication skills
- The ability to convey empathy effectively
- Punctuality and consistency
- Attention to detail
- Openness to feedback and willingness to examine personal beliefs and perceptions
- A strong foundation of self-care to avoid burnout and compassion fatigue
The ability to combat compassion fatigue and burnout is an especially crucial skill for behavioral health professionals. Burnout is extremely prevalent in health care, so understanding the signs of compassion fatigue and burnout and adopting self-care techniques to prevent it will benefit those in helping professions.
Where do LPCs work?
Counselors are part of multi-disciplinary workplace teams that may include social workers, nurses, physician assistants or doctors, to ensure client care is addressed from multiple angles. These roles are found in a variety of settings including hospitals, community mental health centers, schools and in private practices.
Counselors can work with many different populations and groups including children and adolescents, adults, couples and families. Some behavioral health professionals specialize in specific populations, and counselors may seek out further education to enhance their skillsets and specialize in these groups as well.
Types of counseling methods
Each counselor has their own approach to the counseling relationship and the interventions they use. These different methods, or orientations, inform the counselor’s chosen therapeutic approach. Examples of these orientations include:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Narrative Therapy
- Feminist Theory
- Humanistic Theory
- Person-Centered Counseling
Counselors will identify with one or multiple theories as they develop their identity. I am drawn to Feminist Theory, Narrative Therapy and DBT as they provide a wide array of tools for me to utilize in a session. Also, as someone whose worldview is centered around equity and justice, I believe a client’s treatment plan should always consider their individual identities.
For example, Narrative Therapy is oriented towards making meaning from experiences, being able to tell our stories in an empowering way and rewriting our stories to emphasize agency and growth. Whereas DBT is a much more structured approach and provides interventions in four distinct modules that allow clients to learn skills to navigate personal relationships, build communication skills and develop mindfulness skills. Counselors provide defined interventions and tools to clients in both approaches, but the approaches differ in the structure and personalization of the tools we use. I find a balanced implementation of both methods helps my clients in a more personal and wholistic way.
How to become an LPC
Once you’ve received your bachelor’s degree, the steps to becoming a Licensed Professional Counselor can feel daunting, but the community surrounding counselor education is empowering – those entering the field often find a mentor or helping hand. The process of completing a graduate program can take roughly 2-3 years depending on the institution, and once you have successfully passed the necessary examination, you are able to apply for your LPC license.
Step 1: Find a CACREP-accredited graduate program that fits you best
If you're looking for counselor education programs, the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) website can help you find accredited options that meet the educational requirements for LPC licensure defined by state laws.
Step 2: Pass the National Counselor Examination (NCE)
Once you complete/are nearing completion of a CACREP certified program you can register to take the National Counselor Examination (NCE).
Step 3: Apply for your LPC
Once you pass the NCE, you can apply for your LPC through the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulations. Include proof of education, supervised experience and exam results as well as additional documentation, such as background checks or verification of supervised hours.
Step 4: Maintain your license
Meet ongoing continuing education requirements to renew your license and stay informed of any changes to laws or requirements affecting your practice.
Step 5: Fulfill your supervised postgraduate experience
After finishing your master’s program, you must complete a specific number of supervised clinical hours to gain hands-on experience. You’ll work under the supervision of a clinically licensed professional such as an LCPC, LCSW, LMFT, or PsyD.
Optional Step 6: Obtain your LCPC for independent practice
When you’ve obtained your LPC, you are on your way to becoming a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC).
To reach this level of licensure, you must:
- Complete 2000 hours of direct service hours under the supervision of a clinical supervisor (LCSW, LCPC, LMFT, PsyD).
- Take courses for continuing education credits.
- Pass the National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination (NCMHCE).
After obtaining your LCPC you are able to practice independently and provide clinical supervision to those seeking their clinical license.
The need for behavioral health professionals is critical. With a bright outlook for growth and the need to close the gap in behavioral health providers in Illinois, becoming an LPC has many benefits including:
- Diverse and flexible career paths.
- Opportunities for advancement and continuing education.
- Financial benefits such as student loan repayment and loan forgiveness opportunities.
- The chance to do meaningful and fulfilling work.
For more information on becoming a Licensed Professional Counselor, visit: