Do you have to be a licensed counselor to offer family and marriage serives?

I have a degree in Child and Family studies and would like to offer my services to people that need but can't afford the steep prices of licensed counselors for conflict resolution between parents and teens or husbands and wives or even employee conflict resolution. I was told that I could offer my services for free but charge for the ';space'; like a room rental. Does anyone know what the requirements would be to do thins and is it true that I could carge for just space and not have to go through all the red tape?Do you have to be a licensed counselor to offer family and marriage serives?
Depends on your state's law, but generally I don't think you will get around a licensing requirement this way. It's an obvious sham and may get you in worse trouble than just practicing without a license.Do you have to be a licensed counselor to offer family and marriage serives?
Search the LICENSING BODIES of professional counsellors in your jurisdiction. These are the outfits that set the code of conduct and standards of professional practice. Here's a sample of what you're looking for from Pennsylvania:





Professional Counseling Credentials








Academic Degrees


A graduate-level academic degree is required to be considered a professional counselor. A master’s or doctoral degree in Counseling or Counselor Education are the typical degrees leading to professional counseling; however, some other graduate degrees (e.g., counseling psychology) can be appropriate if the program meets the requirements for licensure. Those who deliver services with less than a master’s degree are considered paraprofessionals. See Accreditation below for information about appropriate accreditation for counselor training programs.





Some Points About the Academic Degree


The master's degree is the highest degree you need to practice professional counseling in Pennsylvania and any other state in the U.S. A doctorate is often required to do clinical supervision and is usually required to obtain a university faculty appointment.





Common degree abbreviations for professional counseling are M.A. (master of arts), M.S. (master of science), M.Ed. (master of education), Ph.D. (doctor of philosophy), and Ed.D. (doctor of education)








Most master’s level professional counseling programs do not specify a prerequisite undergraduate major, but, given the fact that professional counseling is a mental health profession, an undergraduate degree in fields such as psychology, human services, rehabilitation services, health and human development or some related field is usually preferable. For those interested in school counseling, a degree in teaching is usually acceptable and sometimes preferable. Doctoral programs tend to be more specific in their requirements and generally a master’s degree in counseling is the most direct route.











Prospective graduate students: An excellent resource for graduate programs in counseling is Counselor Preparation: Programs, Faculty, Trends, Eleventh Edition, edited by T. W. Clawson and D. A. Henderson and published by Routledge (2002). This resource is updated every few years, so check for more recent editions. In addition, the CACREP website has a directory of all accredited programs by state.











Accreditation


Two credentialing boards exist for the purpose of accrediting professional counseling programs throughout the United States. The Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) accredits master’s level programs with specialties in school counseling, community counseling, mental health counseling, college counseling, student affairs (college), marital, couple, and family counseling/therapy, career counseling, and gerontological counseling. CACREP also accredits doctoral programs in counselor education and supervision. (Visit the CACREP website here.) The Council on Rehabilitation Education (CORE) accredits master’s program in rehabilitation counseling. You can visit the CORE website here.





Accreditation is an important credential, especially for the mental healthcare consumer; just as it is reassuring to know that your physician graduated from an accredited medical school, seeing the ';CACREP'; or ';CORE'; designation on your professional counselor's curriculum vitae, marketing materials, or disclosure statement is reassuring, as well; it indicates that he or she completed a program with high standards and should have the requisite skills necessary for the delivery of mental health services.





Completion of a CACREP- or CORE-accredited professional counseling program can sometimes facilitate the process of applying for state licensure in some states and the Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC) credential through the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC).





Accreditation is also becoming more vital for employment; more and more employers are favoring job applicants who have graduated from CACREP- and CORE-accredited programs.








To locate accredited programs or to examine the criteria for becoming accredited, visit the CACREP or CORE websites.





CACREP CORE








State Licensure and Certification


The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania regulates the practice of professional counseling that takes place both in and out of the school setting. School counselors in Pennsylvania are certified through the Pennsylvania Department of Education as Educational Specialists for either elementary (K-6) or secondary (7-12) school counseling. Information about the Educational Specialist – School Counselor certificate is available on the Pennsylvania Department of Education website here.





Counselors who practice in the community, with clients of any age, must be licensed through the Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors in order to call themselves “Licensed Professional Counselors (LPC)” Information about this process can be found in Chapter 49 of the Pennsylvania Code found on the Board’s website. There is no license or certification required for counselors who practice exclusively in colleges or universities (unless requested/required by a particular employer); however, many counselors practicing in these settings do choose to become LPCs.





Board Certification


There are three national credentialing boards that issue board certification for professional counselors. The National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) is based in Greensboro, NC, and offers the Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC) credential. This is a general counseling credential appropriate for most counselors practicing outside of the school setting. Certificates of specialization are also available for mental health counselors (Certified Clinical Mental Health Counselor – CCMHC), addictions counselor (Master Addictions Counselor – MAC), and school counselors (National Certified School Counselor – NCSC). The Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification (CRCC) is based in Schaumburg, IL, and offers the Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) credential, which is specific to rehabilitation counselors. The National Credentialing Academy (NCA) is based in Corpus Christi, TX, and offers the Certified Family Therapist (CFT) credential, which is specific to marriage and family therapists. All of these credentials are recognized nationwide; however, in most cases all of them serve as a supplement to, not a replacement for, state licensure.





For more information about NBCC, CRCC, NCA or their respective credentials, please visit their websites, provided in the paragraph above or below in the following section.





Credentialing Links for Professional Counseling


Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification (CRCC) - board-certifies U.S. professional counselors in the specialty of rehabilitation counseling


Council for Accreditation of Counseling %26amp; Related Educational Programs (CACREP) - accredits master’s level programs with specialties in school counseling, community counseling, mental health counseling, college counseling, student affairs (college), marital, couple, and family counseling/therapy, career counseling, and gerontological counseling. CACREP also accredits doctoral programs in counselor education and supervision; has an online directory of accredited programs


Council on Rehabilitation Education (CORE) - accredits rehab counseling programs in the U.S.; has an on-line directory of accredited programs


National Credentialing Academy (NCA)- board-certifies U.S. professional counselors in the specialty of marriage %26amp; family counseling


National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) - board certifies U.S. professional counselors, also offers specialization certificates in clinical mental health counseling, addiction counseling, and school counseling.


PA State Board of Education - certifies Pennsylvania professional counselors who practice in the states schools.


PA state board of social work/professional counseling - licenses Pennsylvania professional counselors who practice outside the state's schools; has an on-line feature that enables licensees and the general public to check on licensure status and pay renewal fees.





More at http://www.pacounseling.org/pcalic.htm.





Again, only the ACCREDITING organizations IN YOUR JURISDICTION are authorized at law to set these parameters.