As soon as you receive your LPC certificate, it’s time to put it to use. Find a job that stimulates you mentally and lets you fulfill the dreams that led you to choose your degree. A Licensed Professional Counselor must have a master’s degree or a doctorate, so career options are wide open for a new certificate-holder.

LPC

The Licensed professional counselor certification allows a person to offer counseling services. You can call yourself a professional counselor on any advertisements or other business-related materials, which people without the certification cannot do. One of the benefits of an LPC is that you don’t need a supervising counselor to work with you; many people in social work must be mentored for a long period of time before they can counsel. With an LPC, you can counsel free and clear.

Background

To obtain an LPC, you must have an advanced degree from an accredited university. Most people get degrees in social work, psychology or sociology. Every state sets its own licensing requirements, which include supervised hours of work. The National Counselor Exam is used in every state to test the skills of a person seeking an LPC. Once you’ve completed all the licensing requirements, submit your application to the state regulatory agency that handles licensing and pay the required fee.

Career Options

Licensed professional counselors work in a variety of settings. They can be school counselors, business counselors or private practitioners. Many LPC certificate-holders obtain licensing so they can work for themselves or in a professional setting without other counselors around. For example, a school counselor usually works alone without other counselors in the room, or even in the school. LPCs can also be case workers, consultants or may work with other counselors in a group practice.

Insurance

LPC holders can bill insurance companies for the services they provide clients. It widens the client pool, since many people who seek counseling have private insurance or are using Medicare or Medicaid. Whether you work for yourself or with a company, billing insurance is a large asset that will help you make more money.