Are you looking to become a licensed school counselor in Illinois? Navigating the pathways can be challenging, but understanding the requirements can make the process smoother. Here’s a breakdown of the two primary pathways for obtaining and renewing your school counselor license in Illinois.
Pathway A: For Those Without LPC/LCPC
If you do not hold the Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) or Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) designation, you will need to enter your continuing professional development units (PDs, formerly CPDUs) into the Educator License Information System (ELIS). Here’s what you need to know:
- College coursework will earn you 15 clock hours for each semester hour. For instance, a three-semester-hour course earns 45 clock hours of professional development under the new License Renewal System.
- The license renewal cycle is every five years, and you must earn 120 clock hours of continuing professional development units (PDs) during this period.
- Beginning on July 1, 2014, licensees must begin entering credit for clock hours earned and other information within 60 days of completing the activity.
Pathway B: For LPC/LCPC Holders
If you hold a Professional Educator License endorsed for School Support Personnel, including school counselors, and a current and active professional license issued by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) related to the endorsement area (LPC/LCPC), you do not need to complete additional professional development for renewal of the Professional Educator License. Here’s how it works:
- If you are a Licensed Professional Counselor or Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, you do not need to submit PDs. The 30 Continuing Education (CE) hours you earn every two years fulfill the requirements to maintain your School Support Personnel Endorsement.
- ISCA recommends school counselors pursue licensing through IDFPR as part of their ongoing professional development.
- To complete ELIS, follow these instructions:
- Enter your IDFPR as a line item on your Professional Development page.
- Under 'Name', put IDFPR license.
- Under 'Description', put your License #.
- Provider is IDFPR.
- Hours would be 120 or however many hours you have left to meet your requirements.
- 'Beginning and End dates' MUST be between the START and END dates of the PEL cycle you are CURRENTLY in. For example, if your PEL is currently in 7/1/2019 and 6/30/2024, your dates MUST be BETWEEN these dates, regardless of the beginning and ending dates of the actual IDFPR license. Otherwise, they will not show up in your account.
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