Licensed Professional Counselor

Licensed professional counselor (LPC) is a licensure for mental health professionals in some countries.

In the US, licensed professional counselors (or in some states, “licensed clinical professional counselors” or “licensed mental health counselors”) provide mental health and substance abuse care to millions of Americans. Licensed professional counselors (LPCs) are master’s-degreed mental health service providers, trained to work with individuals, families, and groups in treating mental, behavioral, and emotional problems and disorders. LPCs make up a large percentage of the workforce employed in community mental health centers, agencies, and organizations, and are employed within and covered by managed care organizations and health plans. LPCs also work with active duty military personnel and their families, as well as veterans.

Licenses are awarded for professional counselors (LPC) and professional counselor supervisors (LPC-S); Interns are identified with the corresponding suffix "I" (LPC-I), and Licensed Professional Counselor Associates, with the suffix "-A"; this also applies to licensed therapists, as in the case of Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFT) who are designated as: LMFTA.

In U.S., the exact title varies by state, but the other most frequently used title is licensed mental health counselor (LMHC). Several U.S. states, including Illinois, Maine, and Tennessee, have implemented a two-tier system whereby both the LPC and LCPC (or equivalent) are used. In those states higher tier professionals are granted the privilege to practice independently. However, in most states LPC's or LMHC's may practice independently. Licensed Professional Counselors are one of the six types of licensed mental health professionals who provide psychotherapy in the United States. See http://www.counseling.org/publicpolicy/whoarelpcs.pdf

In addition to their education, LPCs must obtain supervised clinical experience and must pass a state licensing exam. Different states require one of several different licensing examinations. Examples are the National Counselor Examination for Licensure and Certification (NCE) as well as the National Certified Mental Health Counselor Examination (NCMHCE). LPCs are regulated by federal and state laws, which either protect the title of LPC or LMHC or actually define the scope of practice of a professional counselor and stipulate certain client protections. If an LPC is also a member of a professional association or has received additional certifications, they must adhere to the codes of ethics of the professional association or certification body with which they have aligned.

...
Wikipedia