Professional Identity and Credentialing
Professional Identity and Credential
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Professional Identity and Credentialing
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Abstract
The Counseling profession has endured many changes through history to solidify its identity as it
stands today. Much work is still needed to address some elements that would further strengthen
what it means to be a counselor to the professional community and the public. One specific area
that would help advance this effort is interstate licensure portability. A recent analysis of the
logistics involved in becoming licensed in multiple states uncovered a few of the main barriers to
current portability. It offered some easy-to-implement practical solutions such as better
document retention by counselors, precise licensure expectation setting by educators, and
streamlined information on the state websites. Acquiring funding to make these changes a
reality was one topic discussed in a podcast that described the importance of advocating for the
profession in multiple mediums. The author of this paper, as a new counselor to the profession,
has outlined a professional identity plan which will take into consideration the following core
elements: participation in professional associations, the requirements of licensure and
certification for the state of Florida, the standards of practice and code of ethics and proper
training standards.
Keywords: portability, credentialing, professional associations
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Professional Identity and Credentialing
Summary
The Importance of Professional Identity
Every profession has its own unique identity. It is essential to understand and personally connect
with the selected professional identity; in this case, that would be counseling. By personally
making that connection, it provides a sense of belonging to the individual, creates allegiances,
fosters competence, and provides a framework for everyone within the profession to operate
within it as a unified group (Simmons, 2019).
The counseling profession has been evolving and has been making great strides towards
strengthening its professional identity. The recent revision to the counseling definition by the
American Counseling Association (ACA) 20/20 Task Force is evidence of such advancements.
The new definition states that counseling "empowers diverse individuals, families, and groups to
accomplish mental health, wellness, education, and career goals" (Simmons, 2019). This new
definition provided the professional community and the public with a clearer picture by
highlighting the differentiators between counseling and other professions within the Mental
Health Community. Having such clarity and connection allows for advocacy surrounding the
needs of the profession. An example of someone who has been an advocate is Dr. Carl Sheperis,
Program Dean of the College of Social Sciences at the University of Phoenix, who recently
shared on the What Makes a Counselor a Counselor? Podcast his perspective on professional
counselor identity (Shook, 2017).
The Necessary Components for Professional Identity
The professional associations define the counseling profession, the requirements for
credentialing, the standards of practice, and the code of ethics the profession follows and the
Professional Identity and Credentialing
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educational training provided based on those standards (Simmons, 2019). Dr. Sheperis, for
instance, is the Vice-Chair of the National Board of Certified Counselors as he feels that it is
helpful to be a member. Still, it is even more important to be part of the leadership team to
impact advocacy (Shook, 2017) significantly. By recognizing The Council for Accreditation of
Counseling & Related Educational Programs (CACREP) as the gold standard, establishing the
hourly requirements for training and field experience has brought much-needed legitimacy to the
counseling profession.
Through Dr. Sheperis' advocacy, he has been able to lobby for federal grants that provide the
necessary funds to provide additional training. One such grant allowed him to provide
Behavioral Workforce Training.
The Challenges to Professional Identity
Although many positive milestones have been reached in recent years, there are still areas of
opportunity. The Interstate Licensure Portability is one of the initiatives that came out of the
20/20 Vision Summit, formally named Building Blocks to Portability Project (Elliot, 2019).
Even though all states now have a formalized licensing program across the United States, the
requirements are not standardized enough for easy portability. This presents a severe problem for
any licensed counselor who decides to move to another state whose requirements don't align with
their home state. A recent analysis performed across several states of the Rocky Mountain
Region of the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision sought to understand the
particulars of the process of a singular counselor to become licensed in multiple states. In this
study, the experiences of 12 counselors were captured and organized to outline the specific areas
that must be addressed to facilitate an interstate licensure portability program.
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At the conclusion of the study, the required level of education was the same but did not always
meet the minimum of hours required. Counselors who moved from a state that required 48 hours
for instance would then need to complete additional coursework to meet the new requirement of
60 hours. A similar situation would occur with clinical hours, where counselors could not locate
their documentation or contact previous supervisors to validate the total of supervised hours
completed.
Another challenge was based on the licensure exam completed by the counselor. All states
required an exam; however, the requirement for which exam was completed differed across
states. Some required the NCE or the NCMHCE, where some states required both (Elliot, 2019).
These challenges would require the counselor to interact with the different state board licensing
organizations that were often not organized and added a significant amount of time to the
process. Sadly, many of the counselors were unable to practice during this time resulting in a loss
of income and the cost involved in following the process.
Finally, the disparity in professional titles was huge hurdle for counselors switching practice
states. Some states had two tiers where the bottom tier could be the same as the top tier of
another state. Dr. Sheperis performed a study with his wife to determine if the public had clarity
on which Mental Health professionals they should reach for a particular service. In that specific
study, the results indicated that the public was familiar with the medical credentialing paradigm
and would likely choose an individual whose professional title included the term board certified.
This is due to this credential being widely accepted across medical doctors as the highest level of
licensure in that profession (Shook, 2017). As the counseling profession continues to address
these issues, it will benefit not only the counselors who practice but also the clients who depend
on their services.
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Professional Identity Development Plan
What are your motivators to become a professional counselor?
My bipolar and my son's ADHD diagnosis have exposed me to positive and negative experiences
with society, education, and the mental health field. These experiences have made me aware of
some areas of opportunity within both systems, which have motivated me to become part of the
profession where I hope to be part of the solution.
What will you do to establish your identity as a counselor?
I plan on joining local professional associations such as the National Alliance on Mental Illness
Greater Orlando (NAMIGO) to create awareness about available services for mental health and
remove the stigma behind asking for help.
Identify potential challenges that may present barriers to your success (academically,
personally, professionally) and name at least two strategies for how you will manage those
barriers.
My bipolar at times affects my energy level, making it hard to accomplish tasks. As a full-time
mother, executive, and graduate student, this can present challenges. I will be working closely
with my doctor to identify symptoms early on that may require changes in treatment to ensure
that they are addressed timely. On a professional level I have spent my whole career working
within the corporate space which means I have not exposure to the counseling professional. To
address this gap I have joined the Facebook group for Mental Health Counselors of Central
Florida (MHCCF) and the Counseling Professionals of Florida on LinkedIn to expand my
learning and network.
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State Credential Plan
State and website:
https://floridasmentalhealthprofessions.gov/licensing/licensed-mentalhealth-counselor/
What are the academic
training requirements:
(include the number of
hours in the program;
specific course
content/titles, and
number of hours in
practicum/internship)
A minimum of an earned master's degree from a regionally accredited
program in mental health counseling or a closely related field that
consists of at least 60 semester hours or 80 quarter hours. Beginning
July 1, 2025, an applicant must have a master's degree from a program
that is accredited by (CACREP) which consists of at least 60 semester
hours or 80 quarter hours to apply for licensure under this paragraph. 8hour Florida laws and rules course from a board-approved provider. 3hour HIV/AIDS course from a board-approved provider. 2-hour
domestic violence course from a board-approved provider. Minimum of
3 semester hours or 4 quarter hours of graduate-level coursework in
Human Sexuality and Substance Abuse
What are the
Two (2) years of post-master's supervised experience under the
requirements for post supervision of a Board-approved qualified supervisor. These hours must
master's supervised
be documented on the Verification of Clinical Experience Form by the
clinical experience:
supervisor or they will not count towards licensure. The supervision
(i.e., number of client
contact hours, or MFT, experience must have consisted of:
number of relational
hours); the number of
 At least 100 hours of supervision in no less than 100 weeks;
total hours; the number
 1,500 hours of face-to-face psychotherapy with clients; and,
of supervision hours;
 1 hour of supervision every two weeks
specific requirements of
supervisor)
What examination(s) are National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination (NCMHCE)
required:
What is licensure title: Licensed Mental Health Counselor - LMHC
(e.g., LPC, LCPC, LMHC,
LMFT, etc. – please
write out the full title as
well as initials):
Is license tiered, and if Registered Mental Health Counselor Intern (RMHCI)
so, what are titles and Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC)
requirements (e.g., LPC,
Provisional License
LPC-S):
What is the scope of
The practice of mental health counseling includes, but is not limited to,
practice (i.e., what can psychotherapy, hypnotherapy, and sex therapy. The practice of mental
and cannot be done by
health counseling also includes counseling, behavior modification,
a licensed
consultation, client-centered advocacy, crisis intervention, and the
professional):
provision of needed information and education to clients, when using
methods of a psychological nature to evaluate, assess, diagnose, treat,
and prevent emotional and mental disorders and dysfunctions (whether
cognitive, affective, or behavioral), behavioral disorders, sexual
dysfunction, alcoholism, or substance abuse.
Identify two counseling NAMI – National Alliance of Mental Illness
organizations you wish NAAADAC – National Association for Alcoholism and Drug Abuse
to join.
Counselors
Professional Identity and Credentialing
Summary and Reactions to Turnitin Report
The Turnitin Report did not generate.
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Professional Identity and Credentialing
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References
Elliott, A., Bohecker, L., Elliott, G. M., Townsend, B. J., Johnson, V., Lopez, A., Horn, E. D., &
Roach, K. (2019). Interstate Licensure Portability: Logistics and Barriers for Professional
Counselors. The Professional Counselor, 9(3), 252-266.
http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.liberty.edu/10.15241/ae.9.3.252
Simmons, R. T. (2019). INTRODUCTION TO COUNSELING: integration of faith professional
identity and clinical practice.
Shook, M. (Producer). (2017, February 8). What Makes a Counselor a Counselor? Professional
Identity and Other Musings with Carl Sheperis [Audio Podcast]. The Thoughtful
Counselor. Retrieved from http://wp.me/p7R6fn-8u
Licensing and Registration. Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage & Therapy and
Mental Health Counseling. (n.d.). https://floridasmentalhealthprofessions.gov/licensing/.