Post Graduate Credentialing

Colorado State Licensure

In 1989, Colorado made licensure available on a voluntary basis to masters' level professional counselors by instituting a licensure board and creating standards and testing to determine qualification for such licensure. Many other states also require licensure. Each state often has its own regulations.

Insurance companies vary in their policies regarding recognizing master's-level licensure for reimbursement. As of July 1, 1998, Licensed Professional Counselors in Colorado are qualified to receive third-party payment from insurance companies.

To be licensed, counselors must turn in course descriptions and syllabi of the courses that fulfill the eight LPC content areas; pass the LPC examination; complete 2,000 hours of post-graduate supervised clinical practice; and receive 100 hours of supervision over a minimum of twenty-four months. Students may sit for the LPC exam as early as their last semester of graduate studies or anytime thereafter. There is a time limit of four years to complete all requirements from the date of application for licensure. Full details on licensure are available from:

State of Colorado
Department of Regulatory Agencies
1560 Broadway #134
Denver, Colorado 80202
http://www.dora.state.co.us/registrations
(303) 894-7766

NOTE: It is absolutely necessary that you save the syllabi from all of the courses you take and that you keep course catalogs from each year that you are a student in the Somatic Counseling Psychology Department at Naropa University. Many licensing boards require detailed course descriptions which show what specific material and skills have been covered. By saving your own syllabi you will have the appropriate sections and classes that correspond to your transcript.

At this time, licensure is not required to practice in the state of Colorado. However, any person practicing psychotherapy in Colorado is required to register with the Colorado state database of psychotherapists as an unlicensed psychotherapist. Failure to do so makes one subject to criminal and/or regulatory sanctions.

The Eight LPC Cognate Areas

It is of crucial importance to the Somatic Counseling Psychology program that graduates from this program be fluent in the foundational skills and theories of the traditional and current methods of psychology and psychotherapy. Although the Somatic Counseling Psychology program is not currently approved by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and related Educational Programs (CACREP), both the Body Psychotherapy and Dance/Movement Therapy three-year curricula are designed to be CACREP equivalent and are in line with current requirements for Colorado state licensure toward the Licensed Professional Counselor credential.

NOTE: Although the Somatic Counseling Psychology Program has attempted to design curricula consistent with recognized professional and national standards, the license requirements of state boards and licensing agencies vary from state to state and change over time. Consequently, successful completion of all degree requirements does not guarantee that a state board or licensing agency will accept a graduate’s application for licensure. At the earliest opportunity, learners are strongly encouraged to carefully research the educational requirements for their intended license or certificate in the state(s) where they intend to seek licensure or certification. This will enable students to make the best academic choices while they are in graduate school.

Additional Organizations that Offer Credentialing and Certification

There are several organizations that are affiliated with the field of somatic psychology that the Somatic Counseling Psychology program prepares students for. These include:

ADTA

The Dance/Movement Therapy concentration of the Somatic Counseling Psychology program is designed in accordance with the training guidelines of the American Dance Therapy Association (ADTA) and has been an ADTA-approved program since 1987. The Dance/Movement Therapy concentration fulfills the requirements for the ADTA’s certification as a Dance Therapist Registered (DTR). See http://www.adta.org.

ISMETA

It is possible for a student graduating from the Somatic Counseling Psychology Department to use core and elective classes to fulfill the requirements for the International Somatic Movement Education and Therapy Association’s (ISMETA) certification as a Registered Somatic Movement Therapist (RSMT) and/or Registered Somatic Movement Educator (RSME). Their website is http://www.ismeta.org.

USABP

As students of the Body Psychotherapy program you are highly encouraged to become affiliated with the United States Association for Body Psychotherapy (USABP). More information is available at www.usabp.org.

SBGI

The Santa Barbara Graduate Institute (SBGI) offers Advanced Placement in their Clinical Psychology, Somatic Psychology and Pre and Peri-Natal Psychology Doctoral Programs upon completion of an MA Degree from the Somatic Counseling Psychology Department at Naropa University. This advanced placement would eliminate one year of course work from a three year PhD program. Please contact SBGI for more information and details at http://www.sbgi.edu.