Mississippi Code 1972 (2023) › Title 73 - PROFESSIONS AND VOCATIONS (§§ 73-1-1 — 73-79-1) › Chapter 30 - LICENSED PROFESSIONAL COUNSELORS (§§ 73-30-1 — 73-30-51) › Article 1 - LICENSED PROFESSIONAL COUNSELORS (§§ 73-30-1 — 73-30-29) › Section 73-30-9 - Issuance of license as Provisional Licensed Professional Counselor; issuance of license as licensed professional counselor

(1)
The board shall issue a license as a provisional licensed professional counselor, without regard to race, religion, sex or national origin, to each applicant who furnishes satisfactory evidence of the following:
(a)
The applicant has completed an application on a form prescribed by the board accompanied by a nonrefundable application fee of Fifty Dollars ($50.00).
(b)
The applicant is at least twenty-one (21) years of age.
(c)
The applicant is of good moral character.
(d)
The applicant is a citizen of the United States, or has an immigration document to verify legal alien work status in the United States. The immigration document must be current and issued by the United States Immigration Bureau.
(e)
The applicant is not in violation of any of the provisions of this article and the rules and regulations adopted hereunder.
(f)
The applicant shall have a minimum acceptable graduate semester hour or acceptable quarter-hour master's degree as determined by the board primarily in counseling or a related counseling field from a regionally or nationally accredited college or university program in counselor education or a related counseling program subject to board approval. All applicants shall provide official transcripts of all graduate work.
(g)
The applicant must pass the examination approved by the board, as set forth in Section
73-30-7(5)
.
(h)
A provisional license issued under this section shall require that the individual confine one's practice to a board-approved site and accrue counseling experience under the supervision of a board-qualified supervisor.
(i)
The limited license shall be renewable for not more than four (4) years, with a nonrefundable license fee in the amount provided in Section
73-30-29
. Licensees may appeal to the board for an extension of the renewal period.
(j)
Each applicant for licensure shall apply to undergo a fingerprint-based criminal history records check of the Mississippi central criminal database and the Federal Bureau of Investigation criminal history database. Each applicant shall submit a full set of the applicant's fingerprints in a form and manner prescribed by the board, which shall be forwarded to the Mississippi Department of Public Safety and the Federal Bureau of Investigation Identification Division for this purpose.
(2)
The board shall issue a license or the privilege to practice as a licensed professional counselor, without regard to race, religion, sex or national origin, to each applicant who furnishes satisfactory evidence of the following:
(a)
The applicant has completed an application on a form prescribed by the board accompanied by a nonrefundable full application fee of Fifty Dollars ($50.00).
(b)
The applicant is at least twenty-one (21) years of age.
(c)
The applicant is of good moral character.
(d)
The applicant is a citizen of the United States, or has an immigration document to verify legal alien work status in the United States. The immigration document must be current and issued by the United States Immigration Bureau.
(e)
The applicant is not in violation of any of the provisions of this article and the rules and regulations adopted hereunder.
(f)
The applicant shall have a minimum acceptable graduate semester hour or acceptable quarter-hour master's degree as determined by the board primarily in counseling or a related counseling field from a regionally or nationally accredited college or university program in counselor education or a related counseling program subject to board approval. All applicants shall provide official transcripts of all graduate work.
(g)
The applicant for licensure must pass the examination approved by the board, as set forth in Section
73-30-7(5)
.
(h)
The applicant has had post graduate supervised experience in professional counseling acceptable to the board. Applicant shall submit verification of supervised experience.
Each application or filing made under this section shall include the social security number(s) of the applicant in accordance with Section
93-11-64
.
(i)
The board shall require each first-time applicant for licensure or the initial privilege to practice and may require applicants for license renewal to undergo a fingerprint-based criminal history records check of the Mississippi central criminal database and the Federal Bureau of Investigation criminal history database. Each applicant for licensure and each renewal applicant as required by the board shall apply to undergo a fingerprint-based criminal history records check of the Mississippi central criminal database and the Federal Bureau of Investigation criminal history database. Each applicant shall submit a full set of the applicant's fingerprints in a form and manner prescribed by the board, which shall be forwarded to the Mississippi Department of Public Safety and the Federal Bureau of Investigation Identification Division for this purpose.
(3)
The board shall administer the privilege to practice in accordance with the Professional Counseling Compact.
Laws, 1985, ch. 354, § 5; Laws, 1997, ch. 588, § 55; Laws, 2008, ch. 494, § 3, eff. 7/1/2008.
Amended by Laws, 2022, ch. 320, HB 1056,§ 5, eff. 7/1/2022.
Amended by Laws, 2020, ch. 371, HB 777,§ 1, eff. 6/25/2020.
Amended by Laws, 2018, ch. 390, HB 708,§ 4, eff. 7/1/2018.