Professional Counselor Training License (PCTL)

Applicants who have not completed the supervised hours prior to their Professional Counselor Training License expiration date can request a 2 year renewal. All training license renewals require Section approval which can take additional time for review. Please note the Professional Counselor Training License renewal is not currently available in LicensE. We highly recommend starting your renewal process a few months prior to the expiration date to allow enough time for processing to prevent a lapse in licensure.

Important: If you have completed the 3,000 total hours of supervised Professional Counseling practice that includes 1,000 hours of face-to-face client contact but have not passed the National Exam, you can submit the full Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) application and apply for a temporary license at the same time instead of renewing the Professional Counselor Training License.  The temporary LPC license is issued for 9 months and can be renewed one time.  Your supervisor(s) would need to complete form 2464 and submit it directly to DSPS through the third party document upload.

Go to form 2921LPC to begin the renewal process.  Within the form there are specific fields to upload the following required supporting documents:

• Form 3071 for the $62 application fee

• Form 2456

• A statement to the Professional Counseling Section which includes the reason(s) why you are requesting a renewal of your training license, how many direct and non-direct hours you have obtained and when you plan to take the national exam.

Please note: If you graduated in 2018 or earlier, we will also need an official transcript from your school to review your education. All applicants applying for a renewal are required to meet the current education requirement or have a plan in place to take additional courses. Applicants with older education cannot be ‘grandfathered in’ with the previous education requirement.

Per Wisconsin Statute Chapter MPSW 19.04, a credential holder with an active or expired credential is eligible to place his or her credential in Non-Practicing status if:

• He or she is retired and no longer engages in the practice for which the credential was issued or uses the title “marriage and family therapist,” “professional counselor,” “social worker,” “advanced practice social worker,” “independent social worker,” or “clinical social worker.”

If you do not intend to practice and want your license in Non-Practicing status, renew online in LicensE. Follow instructions given during the renewal process.

• If during the biennium, the credential holder needs to change from Non-Practicing to Active status, they must apply for Active status, by submitting CE completion documents for each biennia during which the credential holder was granted an exemption, before returning to the practice authorized under his or her credential by submitting a support ticket to request the change in status.

There is no continuing education requirement for this credential.

• You can pay all fees associated with your credential by going to LicensE. 

• You will be asked to pay automatically at the end of your application. 

• You can pay with a credit or debit card, or via an automated clearing house or (ACH) payment.  

Please note, using an ACH payment can increase credential processing times by 3-5 business days.

You can view a list of fees for initial credentials and renewing your credential here: 

Credential Fees

The education requirement changed in 2018 for a Professional Counselor Training License to a master’s or doctorate degree in professional counseling or its equivalent from a program approved by the professional counselor section. The master’s degree must total at least 60 semester hours (or 90 quarter hours) of academic credit with up to 18 semester credits completed outside the degree.

Please note that all applicants applying for a renewal are required to meet the current education requirement or have a plan in place to take additional courses. Applicants with older education cannot be ‘grandfathered in’ with the previous education requirement.

Applicants can meet the education requirement in one of the following ways:

• A degree from a CACREP accredited program in one of the following majors/specialties (form 1960 required from school):

  • Addiction Counseling

  • Clinical Mental Health Counseling

  • Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling

  • Marriage, Couple, and Family Counseling

  • Doctoral Program in Counselor Education and Supervision

• A master’s degree specifically in “Professional Counseling” (official transcript required)

• A department approved master’s degree listed in the ‘Pre-approved Education Programs’ section below (official transcript required)

• If your degree does not fit into any of the categories above, then you must submit form 2239 with syllabi and course descriptions as indicated in the instructions on the form. Your degree will require Section approval (official transcript and form 2239 required).

Applicants can meet the education requirement by completing a Doctoral Program in Counselor Education and Supervision from a CACREP accredited school or meet the requirements below for a doctorate equivalency:

• Coursework was completed at an accredited institution at the time the applicant graduated from the program, and was part of a program of studies leading to a doctoral degree in a field closely related to professional counseling.

• Doctoral program of a minimum of 4 academic years (8 semesters or 12 quarters) with a minimum of 96 semester credits or 144 quarter credits of graduate-level credits.

• Doctoral students are required to participate in a supervised doctoral-level practicum of a minimum of 100 hours in counseling, of which 40 hours must be in direct service with clients.

  • The nature of the doctoral-level practicum experience is to be determined in consultation with program faculty or a doctoral committee, or both. During the doctoral student’s practicum, supervision by student supervisors is not permissible.

• Doctoral students are required to complete doctoral-level counseling internships that total a minimum of 600 hours. The 600 hours may include supervised experiences in clinical practice, research, and teaching.

  • The internship includes most of the activities of a regularly employed professional in the setting. The 600 hours may be allocated at the discretion of the doctoral advisor and the student on the basis of experience and training.

• During the practicum and internship, the student receives weekly individual or triadic supervision, performed by a supervisor with a doctorate in professional counseling or a related profession. Group supervision is provided on a regular schedule with other students throughout the internship and is usually performed by a program faculty member.

Passing the National examination is not required to obtain the training license. Please note that the department does not authorize applicants to take the national exam. For assistance scheduling or questions about the exam, please contact the National board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) or the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification (CRCC).

Supervision of the supervised practice of professional counseling may be exercised by any of the following:

• A licensed professional counselor who has engaged in the equivalent of 5 years of full-time professional counseling.

• A licensed professional counselor who has received a doctorate degree in professional counseling.

• A licensed psychiatrist.

• A licensed psychologist.

• A person employed by the division of vocational rehabilitation as a vocational rehabilitation supervisor, who is licensed as a professional counselor or who has engaged in the equivalent of 5 years of full-time professional counseling.

• Another licensed individual who is approved in advance by the professional counselor section based upon evidence of 5 years of experience in counseling practice.

Supervisor approval requests can now be submitted through your LicensE account. Please note applicants cannot submit this amendment on behalf of their supervisor. Additionally, approval is per profession and not applicant specific unless otherwise indicated.

• After logging in, click on the Supervisors tab in the top blue bar, then select ‘Request Approval to Supervise’. 

• Enter the required information. You will need to select at least one profession you would like permission to supervise and may select multiple. Please note it is recommended to submit separate amendments for each profession request as the supervisor requirements vary by profession.

• Once the information has been entered, select Save & Next.

• Upload a narrative statement explaining how you are knowledgeable in the field you are requesting to Supervise and a copy of your resume and/or other evidence showing your qualifications.

• Once the documents have been uploaded, select Save & Next.

• Finally, enter your name attesting to the statement listed and select Submit.

Amendments are typically reviewed by credentialing staff within 10 days. Your information will be sent to the Board Liaison or Legal for review (if applicable). Processing times for Board Liaison and Legal reviews vary. You will be notified once a decision has been made.

After you fully submit the supervisor approval request, you will be able to view its status by clicking ‘My Supervision Requests’ under the Supervisors tab. If additional information is requested, you will also be able to upload documentation there.

The term credential is used universally to mean license, certification, permit, registration, enrollment and authorization.

• Applicants with convictions, who do not already have a credential, may apply for a predetermination. Predetermination is an optional, first step that happens before you would submit an initial credential application while meeting all credentialing requirements (e.g., education, training, examination, etc.)

  • To apply for a predetermination, log into LicensE.

  • If you have not created an account, you will first need to register.

  • After creating your account, log in, and select “Apply for a Pre-Determination.”

  •   Select the type of credential you would like to apply for.

  •   Follow all application instructions and upload all required documents.

• If the Department decides your record would not disqualify you, you can then apply for the actual credential and meet all the typical requirements like education, training, and exams.

• You may skip the predetermination process and submit your initial application for your credential. You must complete all steps to meet the credentialing requirements such as education, training, exams, and disclose your conviction record on your application.  Convictions and pending charges will be reviewed as part of the application process.

• Some applications require review by Department Legal staff.   

• This can be for a number of reasons, including but not limited to disclosure of convictions or pending charges, professional discipline, malpractice, termination, medical condition, supervised experience and application via reciprocity/endorsement.   

• Applications that require legal review will require additional processing time.  

• An application in the status “Legal File Preparation” is with DSPS and under review. 

Support Ticket
Submit a support ticket on LicensE and click "request support." Please provide as much detail as possible regarding your concern so we can work to answer your question with a one touch resolution. 

Call
608-266-2112

Email
dsps@wisconsin.gov

Office Hours
7:45am-4:30pm
Department of Safety and Professional Services
4822 Madison Yards Way
Madison, WI, 53705

Note: The in-person office does not process same day.

• LicensE at (license.wi.gov) is a self-guided online system where you can manage your professional credential from start to finish. 

• You will still need to review the requirements for the credential you are applying to. These can be found on the A-Z profession page. 

• With LicensE you can: 

  • Apply for a credential for the first time, with steps guiding you to upload your application documents, and pay all required fees.  

  • Renew an existing credential when it is time, to keep your credential active.  

  • View or download your credential for your records or verification.  

  • Update your personal information, including your phone number, email, and mailing address 

  • Submit support tickets and receive responses to your email from our staff experts.  

  • Allow third parties to review and upload required documents on your behalf 

  • Check the status of someone's credential using the public LicensE look up. 

• If you have never held a credential, you will need to create an account the first time you are on LicensE. 

  • To create an account, visit LicensE. You will then select “register for an individual” if you are applying for a license held by an individual, or “register for an organization” if you are applying for a license held by an organization.  

  • If you are not sure if the license you are applying for is an individual or organization license, please visit our A-Z professions page and review the profession page for more information.  

• When you create an account, please be sure to use an email you will always have access to.  

• For more information on LicensE, please see link to LicensE "How To" Page.