Post-Masters Clinical Mental Health Licensure Eligibility

This certificate program is designed to assist individuals in meeting the educational requirements for licensure as a Licensed Professional Counselor-Mental Health Service Provider (LPC-MHSP) in Tennessee by allowing them to complete the necessary coursework and clinical experiences required for licensure eligibility. This program is specifically for individuals who have already completed a program in mental health counseling or a related field (e.g. school counseling) that need a limited amount of coursework to be eligible for licensure. Students in this certificate program will complete coursework that aligns with the core areas required for licensure eligbility and assiss students with meeting the educational requirement of 60 graduate semester hours in counseling. Students who need more than 27 hours to be eligible for licensure must enroll in the M.S. in Counseling program. Note: successful completion of this certificate program does not guarantee licensure eligibility.

Admissions Requirements

The prerequisite for pursuing this certificate is a completed Master’s program in mental health counseling, school counseling, or a closely related field.

Admission to the certificate program is competitive and informed by number of available openings in the program of interest in addition to the criteria listed below. 

• Application for admission
• Application Fee: $45
• Official transcripts from all colleges attended
• Verification of lawful presence in the United States (i.e. submit a license or other approved document)
• Military documents (if applicable)
• Master’s degree in mental health counseling, school counseling, or a related field with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher
• Three letters of recommendation
• Personal statement: 2-3 page essay that responds to the prompt: “Please describe what is drawing you to the counseling field and prompting you to seek this certificate specifically. What strengths do you bring with you to the program and the profession? Finally, address your experience related to diverse populations and how that will inform your work as a counselor.”
• Individual and/or group interviews with Counseling program faculty (interviews will be scheduled by program faculty after the initial application review)
• Admission decision by department

Retention Policies

Students in the Counseling program certificate program must meet certain academic and professional standards to qualify for retention in and graduation from the program. These specific standards are outlined in the Counseling Program Handbook and include: 

• Students must earn a grade of “B” or higher in all required Program of Study courses. 
• Students must maintain ethical and professional behavior both in their academic work and their clinical work.
• In the event that a student is placed on a remediation plan, the student must demonstrate the required progress on the remediation plan to remain in the Counseling program.

For more information about the application process, please visit apsu.edu/grad-studies.