Two elements of being a qualified provider of rehabilitation counseling services are holding national certification (i.e., the Certified Rehabilitation Counseling (CRC) designation) and corresponding licensure (Leahy, 2012). Each student should be aware of eligibility and educational requirements for certification and how certification relates to licensure.
Certification
Certification is a national level professional attainment and is a completely voluntary process. Certification demonstrates to the public that the professional has minimum standards of education and supervised clinical experience necessary for their profession. Most states require certification exams for licensure. The two main counseling licensure boards are the Commission on Rehabilitation Counseling Certification (https://crccertification.com/) and the National Board for Certified Counselors (https://www.nbcc.org/). As part of your program of study with the USU MRC program, you will be required to sit for a national counseling exam (preferably the Certified Rehabilitation Counselor [CRC] exam). You should plan to take this exam in your final semester of internship (typically your final semester of enrollment prior to graduation). Your faculty advisor and internship faculty will help provide you with reminders and are there to assist in answering questions you may have.
Eligibility requirements for the CRC exam can be found here: https://crccertification.com/get-certified/
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Program Pass Rates for the CRC Exam |
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|
Year |
Program Pass Rate |
National Pass Rate |
|
2021 |
88% |
58 |
|
2020 |
Not available* |
Not available* |
|
2019 |
Not available* |
Not available* |
|
2018 |
58% |
62% |
|
2017 |
72% |
97% |
|
2016 |
69% |
100% |
|
2015 |
72% |
95% |
|
2014 |
73% |
96% |
|
2013 |
74% |
100% |
Eligibility requirements for the National Counselor Exam (National Certified Counselor credential) and National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Exam (NCMHC credential) can be found here: https://www.nbcc.org/resources/applicants
Licensure
Licensure is a governmentally sanctioned credential and is based on the regulatory power of the state in which the professional resides. States have the authority to pass laws and rules governing the practice of certain professions with a state. Professionals from the respective fields serve on the licensing boards for states to provide expertise and perspectives from the field. In Utah, the Department of Occupational and Professional Licensing regulates and administers the licensure process. Educational requirements (including certification requirements), practice setting requirements for practicum/internship, and hour requirements for supervision, direct client contact, and overall service provision are outlined by DOPL.
The Utah DOPL website for the Licensed Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor (LVRC) credential is: https://dopl.utah.gov/voc/index.html
The Utah DOPL website for the Clinical Mental Health Counseling (CMHC) credential is: https://dopl.utah.gov/cmhc/
The American Counseling Association (ACA) has built a web-based resource that can help clarify licensure expectations from state to state (https://www.counseling.org/knowledge-center/licensure-requirements). It should be noted that while the faculty within the USU MRC program are knowledgeable about licensure, licensure laws do vary from state to state and familiarizing yourself with the nuances of your state licensing laws will be your responsibility. Faculty and staff can offer advice, but ultimate decisions are based on your local state’s licensing laws and licensure board.
The CRC designation is eligible for licensure in some states. The CRCC has built a list aimed at helping certificants understand where the CRC assists with state level licensing:
https://crccertification.com/advocacy-and-legislation/state-licensure-boards/
Additional information on licensure and accreditation can be found here: