Accreditation and Licensure
All three counseling sequences—school counseling, clinical mental health counseling, and marriage and family counseling—are accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Counselor Education and Related Programs (CACREP).
The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) has approved the School Counseling sequence as leading to the School Service Personnel Certificate with an endorsement in School Counseling. Applicants for this certificate must hold, or be eligible for, a standard Illinois teaching certificate or have completed the GSU or equivalent teaching competency courses.
Students applying for certification must pass the Illinois certification tests in basic skills and in school counseling. In addition, the School Counseling program is one of several programs which together comprise the GSU professional education unit, which is fully accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) as one of its constituent programs.
Certification, Licensure, and Endorsement
Students graduating from a CACREP approved program are eligible to take the National Counselor Certification examination during internship or upon graduation. In addition, The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) has approved the School Counseling sequence as leading to the School Service Personnel Certificate with an endorsement in School Counseling. GSU counseling degree seeking students who wish to be recommended for school personnel certificate endorsed for school counseling shall either
- hold or be qualified to hold a teaching certificate or
- have completed the GSU or equivalent teaching competence courses.
National Counselor Certification & State Licensure
PRINT OFF AN NCE FAQ SHEET
Students graduating from a CACREP approved program are eligible to take the National Counselor Certification (N.C.C.) examination during internship or upon graduation. See your advisor for information and application.
A graduate of a CACREP program in Illinois who passes the National Counselor Certification examination may apply for licensure in the state of Illinois as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC).
You may sit for the National Counseling exam during your internship. Contact Donna Rutledge in the Academic Resource Center for information concerning this exam and an application to sit for the exam. After successfully completing the exam, you may apply to the state department of professional Regulations. For more information and an application for licensure, contact the department of Professional Regulation by calling 217/782-8556 or by writing to: Department of Financial and Professional Regulation Forms Unit, 320 West Washington Street, 3rd Floor, Springfield, IL 62786.
Illinois has a two-tiered licensing system so after two years of full-time supervised practice, you can apply to become a Licensed Clinical professional Counselor (LCPC). You will need to take another exam for the license.
BASIC LICENSING REQUIREMENTS: CLICK HERE!
School Counselor Certification
The test frameworks are available on-line at www.icts.nesinc.com. Certification candidates can review and print the test frameworks directly from this web site. In addition, study guides for the current ICTS tests are available via this site and as study guides for these new school service personnel content-area tests are developed, they will also be posted on this web site. Look for links to these sites in the near future at www.ilschoolcounselor.org.
Resources
