Public Act 096-1139
 
HB4864 EnrolledLRB096 17763 ASK 33130 b


  
    AN ACT concerning regulation.
  
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
 
represented in the General Assembly:
  





 
    Section 5. The Professional Counselor and Clinical 
Professional Counselor
Licensing Act is amended  by changing 
Section 45 as follows:
 



    (225 ILCS 107/45)



    (Section scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2013)

    Sec. 45. Qualifications for a license. 

    (a) Professional counselor. A person is qualified to be 
licensed as a
licensed professional counselor, and the 
Department shall issue a license
authorizing the practice of 
professional counseling to an applicant who:


        (1) has applied in writing on the prescribed form and 
    has paid the
required fee;


        (2) is at least 21 years of age and has not engaged in 
    conduct or
activities which would constitute grounds for 
    discipline under this Act;


        (3) is a graduate of:

            (A) a master's or doctoral level program in the 
        field of counseling,
rehabilitation counseling, 
        psychology, or similar degree program approved by
the 
        Department; or


            (B) in the case of an applicant who applies for 
        licensure before the effective date of this amendatory 
        Act of the 96th General Assembly, an approved 
        baccalaureate program in human services or similar

        degree program approved by the Department and can 
        document the equivalent of 5
years of full-time 
        satisfactory supervised experience, as established by 
        rule,
under a qualified supervisor;


        (4) has passed an examination for the practice of 
    professional
counseling as authorized by the Department; 
    and


        (5) has paid the fees required by this Act.

    Any person who has received certification by any State or 
national
organization whose standards are accepted by the 
Department as being
substantially similar to the standards in 
this Act may apply for a
professional counselor license and 
need not be examined further.

    (b) Clinical professional counselor. A person is qualified 
to be
licensed as a clinical professional counselor, and the 
Department shall
issue a license authorizing the practice of 
clinical professional
counseling to an applicant who:


        (1) has applied in writing on the prescribed form and 
    has paid the
required fee;


        (2) is at least 21 years of age and has not engaged in 
    conduct or
activities which would constitute grounds for 
    discipline under this Act;


        (3) is a graduate of:


            (A) a master's level program in the field of 
        counseling, rehabilitation
counseling, psychology, or 
        similar degree program approved by the Department
and 
        has completed the equivalent of 2 years full-time 
        satisfactory supervised
employment or experience 
        working as a clinical counselor under
the
direction of 
        a qualified supervisor subsequent to the degree; or


            (B) a doctoral program in the field of counseling, 
        rehabilitation
counseling, psychology, or similar 
        program approved by the Department and has
completed 
        the equivalent of 2 years full-time satisfactory 
        supervised
employment or experience working as a 
        clinical counselor under
the
direction of a qualified 
        supervisor, at least one year of which is subsequent
to 
        the degree;


        (4) has passed the examination for the practice of 
    clinical
professional counseling as authorized by the 
    Department; and


        (5) has paid the fees required by this Act.

    Any person who has received certification by any State or 
national
organization whose standards are accepted by the 
Department as being
substantially similar to the standards in 
this Act may apply for a clinical
professional counselor 
license, and need not be examined further.

    (c) Examination for applicants under this Act shall be held 
at the
discretion of the Department from time to time but not 
less than once each
year. The examination used shall be 
authorized by the
Department.

    (d) Upon application and payment of the required fee, an 
applicant who has
an active license as a clinical psychologist 
or a clinical social worker
licensed under the laws of this 
State may, without examination, be granted
registration as a 
licensed clinical professional counselor by the Department.

(Source: P.A. 92-719, eff. 7-25-02.)

 

    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon 
becoming law.