Certificate in Professional Counseling Studies

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I was lucky to find a program that supports people who already have their master’s degrees but don’t have enough credits to sit for the National Counselor Examination. It’s not easy to work and go to school at the same time, but UB’s classes were offered in the evenings, so we could attend them after work. Interacting with other students, who were trying to achieve the same goals, to encourage and support each other contributed to this enriching experience.

—Akiko Kobayashi, CERT ’06

Become a licensed clinical professional counselor to diagnose and treat clients with any psychological issues.

You can operate independently in your own practice and bill insurance companies as a private practitioner. As a student in this post-master's certificate program, housed in the Division of Applied Behavioral Sciences, you will work closely with an adviser to tailor your studies to best prepare you to sit for the National Counselor Examination and meet other criteria established by the Maryland Board of Professional Counselors and Therapists, all required to become a licensed clinical professional counselor (LCPC) in Maryland and throughout the nation.

This program is an ideal progression for you if you have earned or are in the process of earning your master's degree in counseling or a related field; it can easily be paired with UB's M.S. in Applied Psychology.

This program will allow you to complete the 60 graduate credits and the 125 hours of field experience—through practicum opportunities offered in both the fall the spring semesters—that are required to sit for the National Counselor Exam. And once you have passed the exam, you can practice for two years as a licensed graduate professional counselor while you complete the 3,000 total hours of professional experience required to become a fully licensed clinical professional counselor (LCPC) in Maryland and throughout the country.

You will benefit from the program's personal approach to study, the relatively small class size and your exposure to our highly qualified faculty, who have extensive experience practicing professionally, working with graduate students, teaching and researching. They have trained and worked in a variety of settings, including university and college counseling centers, inpatient and outpatient mental-health facilities, substance-abuse treatment institutes and private practices.

UB annually offers all courses necessary for licensure; courses are offered evenings and occasionally during the day.