Scope of Practice and Titles
Domain 2 tests who may call themselves what and which services each credential authorizes.
Titles and scope
An LCPC may practice independently, diagnose and treat mental and emotional disorders, provide psychotherapy, and supervise LGPCs. An LGPC provides counseling under required supervision and may not hold out as an independent practitioner. The titles 'licensed clinical professional counselor' and 'LCPC' are protected; using them without a license is unlicensed practice and exposes the person to administrative and criminal penalties. A master's degree alone does not authorize practice.
What is inside the scope
- Counseling, assessment, treatment planning, and psychotherapy within the counselor's training and competence.
- Telehealth, if the counselor complies with the same standards of care, consent, privacy, and emergency planning as in person.
- Supervision of graduate counselors only when the supervisor is Board-approved.
Worked example
An LGPC rents an office, lists 'LCPC' on a website, sees clients without a supervisor, and bills insurance as an independent provider. This is not a paperwork problem: it is unlicensed practice and misrepresentation. The LGPC and the supervisor may both face Board action, and insurance billing may be fraudulent.
Traps
- Thinking 'counselor' in a business name automatically violates the law; the protected issue is holding out a credential the person does not hold.
- Assuming an LGPC can diagnose independently because the client's insurer accepts the claim.
- Forgetting that scope is limited by competence as well as by license; a licensed counselor still must refer when a case is outside training.