How to Become a School Counselor in Massachusetts

2. Get your master's degree in a regionally accredited program.

Your program has to have been approved by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), and meet the state's Subject Matter Knowledge Requirements.

• School Counselor

  Your master's degree program must be in counseling.

  If you are not planning to also get your Licensed Mental Health Counseling (LMHC) License in addition to your Initial School Counselor License, you can choose a 48-credit master's degree program. In Massachusetts, your program has to include a 450-hour practicum in an educational setting.

  If you are planning to get your LMHC License, you'll need to choose a 60-credit graduate program that requires additional practicum and internship hours.

• School Adjustment Counselor

  Your master's degree program must be 60 credits in counseling or social work.

  Massachusetts requires your graduate program to include 900 practicum hours for this field, with 450 of the hours in an educational setting working with children, adolescents, or families.

5. Move your Initial License to a Professional License.

After working full-time in a school setting for 3 years, you'll be eligible to move your Initial License in school counseling or school adjustment counseling to a Professional License.

You'll do this through the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).

• School Counselor

  You'll need to demonstrate your readiness to advance to a Professional License in 1 of these 2 ways:

  a. Accumulate a total of 60 semester hours of graduate courses in a discipline related to the license you seek, such as school counseling, mental health counseling, school psychology, or clinical psychology, to name but a few. These 60 credits may include credits you've already earned in your master's degree program for your Initial School Counselor License.

  -OR-

  b. Be certified by either the National Board of Certified Counselors or the National Board for School Counseling.

• School Adjustment Counselor

  According to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) regulations, you'll need to demonstrate your readiness to advance to a Professional License in 1 of these 2 ways:

  a. Accumulate a total of 60 semester hours of graduate courses in a discipline related to the license you seek, such as mental health counseling, psychological counseling, school counseling, school social work, or social work. These 60 credits may include credits you've already earned in your master's degree program for your Initial School Counselor License.

  -OR-

  b. Achieve and maintain certification or licensure for one of the following:

  • Licensed Mental Health Counseling (LMHC)
  • Licensed Certified Social Worker (LCSW)
  • Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW)
  • Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT)
  • Licensed Rehabilitation Counselor (LRC)

  Given that you had to have completed a 60-credit program to earn your Initial License, you're automatically qualified for your Professional License under option a, as described.

  Many school adjustment counselors decide to get their LMHC License. While you're working as a school adjustment counselor, you can be counting those work hours toward the work requirements for becoming a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC). You can do this so long as you are performing the duties of a mental health counselor in your role, and you are being supervised by a clinician who meets the state's definition of an approved supervisor.

  Some school adjustment counselors choose to work one night a week in a mental health setting as a faster way to accumulate their hours for their LMHC.