Counseling Degrees & Licenses in South Carolina
Counseling Schools Search
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“Working as a counselor is immensely rewarding and gives you such an incredible perspective on the resilience and power of the human spirit. However, it is also very hard work and requires you to have a strong awareness of yourself, including your own biases, assumptions, triggers, and struggles.”
Genelle Sawyer, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Psychology at The Citadel
The South Carolina Board of Examiners licenses professional counselors, marriage and family therapists, addiction counselors, and psycho-educational specialists. According to state law, anyone who seeks a counseling degree and license in South Carolina must have a minimum of a 48-credit-hour master’s degree in counseling or a related discipline from a CACREP-approved school. Approved schools must provide students with core coursework, a 600-hour internship, and a 150-hour counseling practicum. There is an option for becoming a counselor in South Carolina if the student graduates from a school that is not approved by CACREP. In that case, the student must submit evidence of successful completion of a master’s degree, specialist’s degree, or doctoral degree with a minimum of 60 graduate semester hours primarily in counseling.
South Carolina recognizes the following professional licenses: professional counselor, professional counselor – associate, marriage and family therapist, marriage and family therapy – associate, professional addiction counselor, and associate addiction counselor.
Additionally, South Carolina also professionally licenses psycho-educational specialists. According to South Carolina law, a psycho-educational specialist is trained to assess and treat the educational, personal, and social needs of children and adolescents. To become a licensed psycho-educational specialist, the student must complete a minimum of three graduate semester-hours in a psychopathology and diagnostics course from an approved school.
The South Carolina government website lists in-demand careers. They include caseworkers and mental health fields among their most in-demand job categories. That matches predictions by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2023), which forecasts that careers in counseling fields will grow 18 percent nationally from 2022 to 2032, much faster than the average for all occupations.
The need for counselors, in general, will grow as a growing population seeks mental health counseling. Demand for rehabilitation counselors is expected to grow at a rate of 2 percent, which is considered as fast as average. On the other hand, the job outlook for marriage and family therapists is expected to grow at a rate of 15 percent, which is much faster than average. Overall, students who pursue counseling degrees and licenses in South Carolina can find rewarding and stable careers.
Read on for a few of the many schools offering programs for counseling degrees and licenses in South Carolina.
Ask an Expert: Genelle Sawyer, MA, PhD
Dr. Genelle Sawyer is an associate professor in the Department of Psychology at The Citadel. She is also the director of The Citadel’s master of arts in clinical counseling program. She joined the faculty of The Citadel in 2009 after completing a post-doctoral research fellowship at the Medical University of South Carolina. Her research and teaching interests include child maltreatment, trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder, and the development and dissemination of evidence-based treatments.
Dr. Sawyer teaches courses at both the undergraduate and graduate levels within the Department of Psychology and is a licensed clinical psychologist. She has a bachelor of arts from the University of Rochester (magna cum laude), an MA in psychology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and a PhD in clinical psychology, also from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
CounselingSchools.com: What is something you wish the public understood about the field of counseling?
Dr. Sawyer: Life rarely affords people the opportunity to sit down with a neutral, unbiased person who is solely focused on you and your growth. We are all surrounded by people who need something from us, want something for us, or expect something from us. These may be people who deeply love us but they are not generally neutral about our actions or life choices.
Counseling provides people the time and space to really focus on themselves and examine the things that have gotten in the way and made life more challenging. It is about empowering people to know who they are and developing the tools and skills to navigate the complexity of life.
CounselingSchools.com: What advice would you give to aspiring students in the field of counseling?
Dr. Sawyer: Working as a counselor is immensely rewarding and gives you such an incredible perspective on the resilience and power of the human spirit. However, it is also very hard work and requires you to have a strong awareness of yourself, including your own biases, assumptions, triggers, and struggles.
I would encourage aspiring counselors to do work to better understand themselves and others around them. This means stepping outside of yourself and your comfort zone to see the experiences of people through working, volunteering, mentoring, and engaging with the community and others. This will help you develop empathy, awareness and understanding of the world and people but also provide you opportunities to better understand yourself.
Ask an Expert: Amanda Rumsey, PhD, LPC, NCC
Dr. Amanda Rumsey is an associate professor of counselor education at Clemson University, where she has been training counselors for seven years. Her previous counseling experience includes ten years in residential programs and 14 years of K-12 school counseling experience.
Dr. Rumsey’s school counseling included working in rural, suburban, and urban schools. Her research centers around trauma, addressing the needs of underserved students, and training school counselors. She has several peer-reviewed publications, including articles in Professional School Counseling, Counselor Education and Supervision, and the Journal for Child and Adolescent Counseling. She also has contributed to eight book chapters in counseling texts. She has presented more than 50 times at national, regional, and state counseling conferences and has been a member of ACA for more than 20 years.
CounselingSchools.com: What drew you to a career in counseling?
Dr. Rumsey: What drew me to a career in counseling was simply recognizing the need. I actually knew that I wanted to work with children or adolescents from the time that I was pretty young. And from the time I was in high school and college, I recognized that there were a lot of youth who needed support, guidance, and advocacy in ways that they were not getting—and that was contributing to problems with our criminal justice system.
Children were going down a path of no return from an early age, and I was drawn to do something about that. Early on, I didn’t know whether that was going to be going to law school or working as a teacher, or working as a psychologist, but that led me to the counseling field.
CounselingSchools.com: What are some of the core values or philosophies that guide the curriculum there at Clemson?
Dr. Rumsey: One of the things that guides our curriculum is that we are all trained clinical mental health and school counselors. Different programs will set things up differently. Sometimes, they have those two specializations, or even other specializations, split up and sometimes together. We really focus on training counselors where they will work, where your specialization area is. You need special skills for that, but first is getting a strong foundation of counseling and that focuses primarily on building relationships.
Counseling also takes a lot of self-reflection. You have to be grounded and centered yourself before you can go out and help other people. We really emphasize self-care throughout everything we do. We also really focus on advocacy. A big part of our program is that we serve all people, not just one particular type of people or one particular background of individuals.
If you’re going to be a counselor, you have to know what your biases are. You’re certainly always going to have your own opinions and your preferences, but you have to be prepared to be able to competently serve all individuals and recognize differences and still be able to appreciate and work with individuals. Being very multiculturally aware and competent is important.
Another aspect I would say that we really focus on is recognizing the importance of using trauma-informed approaches. This represents newer terminology that has come to be used within the past ten years or so, but, but it’s not a new concept. There has always been a real need for the awareness of hardships and potentially traumatic experiences that individuals have been through. That understanding is pretty important for us so we make sure that’s interwoven throughout the curriculum.
Finally, we adhere to our CACREP accreditation and we ensure that all of those standards are taught throughout our curriculum. Our program is relationship-oriented, but very much also structured in a way that the standards are all set up so that the students learn to counsel and serve folks and also serve as advocates and be aware of social justice.
Accredited Counseling Degree Programs in South Carolina
Clemson University is a public research university founded in 1889. It is the second-largest university by student population in South Carolina. The school’s counselor education program offers a master of education degree that provides specializations in clinical mental health counseling or school counseling, or an educational specialist in counseling education (EdS) degree. The EdS degree in counselor education is designed for individuals who already possess a master’s degree in counselor education. These students typically want to add a different specialization to their existing degree, or enhance their general counseling knowledge and skills. The EdS students choose between school counseling or mental health counseling for their emphasis.
All students enrolled in the EdS degree must complete at least 30 credit-hours. Courses completed as part of a previous degree program may not count toward the 30 credits. Most students will complete the program part-time, taking one or two classes per semester, including summers. All students must complete the program in six years. Courses are taught in the afternoons and evenings, Monday through Thursday, at either the University Center in Greenville or on Clemson’s campus.
Courses are taught in the afternoons/evenings, Monday through Thursday. Throughout the program, around one-third of the classes take place on Clemson University’s main campus, while the remaining two-thirds are held at the University Center in Greenville. The program does not offer online classes. All students will need to travel back and forth to both locations (28 miles), and the school encourages student carpooling since most students live in Clemson or Greenville. The counselor education program requires completing 700 hours of direct experience in mental health settings or school settings between the practicum (100 hours) and internship (600 hours).
- Location: Clemson, South Carolina and Greenville, South Carolina
- Duration: Counselor education degree is 60 credits; educational specialist degree is 30 credits; part-time options are available
- Accreditation: CACREP
Columbia International University
Columbia International University is a private Christian university that offers online and on campus degree programs. Their addictions counseling program is online, and their master of arts in care and counseling degree is both on-campus and online.
The care and counseling degree is taught from a Christian perspective (non-licensure track) and offers two program tracks: one for students with no previous studies in Bible or theology, and one for students who have at least 30 semester hours of Bible, theology, or Church history. CIU is the only Christian university in South Carolina with a CACREP-accredited master’s degree program in clinical mental health counseling.
- Location: Columbia, South Carolina
- Duration: The addiction counseling program is 48 credit hours; the clinical mental health counseling degree is 60 credits; the care and counseling degree is 39 credits
- Accreditation: CACREP (master of arts in counseling and post-graduate certificate in marriage and family counseling only); the addiction counseling program is accredited by ABHE
South Carolina State University
South Carolina State University is a public, historically Black university. The school’s Department of Educational Leadership offers two degree programs in educational administration: the educational specialist (EdS) degree and the doctor of education (EdD) degree.
The EdS degree program has two options. Option I requires a minimum of 45 semester-hours of graduate study beyond the master’s degree to complete requirements for the principal and superintendent certification. Option II requires a minimum of 33 hours of graduate study beyond the master’s degree to complete requirements for the superintendent certification.
The MEd program in counselor education prepares students to serve as school counselors. Program graduates are eligible to apply for initial South Carolina state certification as school counselors. Additionally, the rehabilitation counseling program trains students to help individuals with disabilities achieve equality in all aspects of their life. Rehabilitation Counseling courses are offered in person, with two online courses available.
- Location: Orangeburg, South Carolina
- Duration: The rehabilitation counseling program is 60 credits; the MEd program in counselor education is 48 to 51 credits
- Accreditation: The MEd program in counselor education and the rehabilitation programs are accredited by CACREP
The Citadel – The Military College of South Carolina
The Military College of South Carolina is commonly known simply as The Citadel. Established in 1842, this public military college is one of six senior military colleges in the United States. Students in the Citadel Graduate College (CGC) do not wear uniforms nor are they a part of or participate in any of the military structure of the college that relate to cadets.
As of 2024, U.S. News & World Report had ranked The Citadel the #1 Top Public School in the South offering up to a master’s degree for 13 consecutive years. The school’s Graduate College Department of Psychology offers a master of arts in psychology – clinical counseling. Students have the flexibility of a part-time or full-time schedule. Coursework fulfills the requirements for licensure as a professional counselor in the state of South Carolina, and students can meet requirements for licensure as an addictions counselor.
The school also offers a specialist in education (EdS) program in school psychology. The school psychology program is approved by the South Carolina Department of Education for certification at the “School Psychologist II” level. Completion of 72 credits of coursework is required for the EdS degree, which includes 1,200 hours of internship across two semesters.
The master of education in counseling education is designed for adults who want to become school or guidance counselors, either on the elementary or secondary level. Students who successfully complete the program will obtain both a graduate degree and a recommendation for licensure through the state to become a guidance counselor.
- Location: Charleston, South Carolina
- Duration: The EdS degree requires 72 credits; the school counseling program is 51 credits; the MA in psychology – clinical counseling is 60 credits
- Accreditation: The master of arts in psychology – clinical counseling program is accredited by the Master’s in Psychology and Counseling Accreditation Council (MPCAC); the EdS degree is accredited by the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP); the MEd Counselor Education (school counseling) is accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) and CACREP
The University of South Carolina is a public research university with satellite campuses throughout the state. Its main campus is nearly 400 acres located close to the South Carolina State House. The School of Medicine Columbia offers a master of arts in counseling and rehabilitation, and the College of Education offers an Education Specialist (EdS) in counselor education. Students can choose from clinical mental health counseling; K-12 school counseling; or marriage, couples, and family counseling.
The EdS in school counseling track prepares students to work in K-12 settings. The EdS in counselor education – clinical mental health track fulfills licensure requirements as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in South Carolina and gives students the potential to transfer their licensure to other states. The EdS program also offers a marriage, couples, and family counseling degree. This curriculum meets the standards for the state of South Carolina’s licensing requirements for Licensed Professional Counselors and Licensed Marriage & Family Therapists.
The University of South Carolina School of Medicine offers a clinical rehabilitation counseling degree. This master’s of arts (MA) degree in counseling and rehabilitation, with a specialization in clinical rehabilitation counseling, is designed to help people who have a disability or because of societal barriers related to disability navigate daily life with greater success.
- Location: Columbia, South Carolina
- Duration: All programs are 66 credits except rehabilitation counseling, which is 60 credits
- Accreditation: CACREP; the new EdS degree in clinical mental health is preparing for accreditation review
Winthrop University
Winthrop University is a public university founded in 1886. The school offers two MEds with different concentrations: one in clinical mental health counseling and an MEd clinical mental health counseling – school counseling.
Successful students who complete the clinical mental health counseling concentration are eligible to take the examination to become a National Board Certified Counselor (NCC) and to apply for the Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) license in the state. Students who successfully complete the school counseling concentration requirements and receive a passing score on the PRAXIS exam will be eligible for licensure or certification as a school counselor and can work in South Carolina in PreK-12 settings.
- Location: Rock Hill, South Carolina
- Duration: Both programs are 60 credits
- Accreditation: CACREP
How Much Do Counselors Make in South Carolina?
These numbers represent data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics from May 2023—the latest data available as of April 2024.
Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors
| United States | South Carolina | |
|---|---|---|
| Number employed | 327,660 | 6,180 |
| Average annual salary (mean) | $66,990 | $56,940 |
| 10th percentile | $40,140 | $36,840 |
| 50th percentile (median) | $61,710 | $52,330 |
| 90th percentile | $100,050 | $79,560 |
Marriage and Family Therapists
| United States | South Carolina | |
|---|---|---|
| Number employed | 63,340 | 380 |
| Average annual salary (mean) | $68,730 | $41,570 |
| 10th percentile | $39,090 | $18,930 |
| 50th percentile (median) | $58,510 | $31,300 |
| 90th percentile | $104,710 | $65,020 |
Rehabilitation Counselors
| United States | South Carolina | |
|---|---|---|
| Number employed | 84,750 | 710 |
| Average annual salary (mean) | $48,430 | $39,450 |
| 10th percentile | $31,390 | $29,840 |
| 50th percentile (median) | $44,040 | $31,310 |
| 90th percentile | $73,710 | $64,210 |
Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors
| United States | South Carolina | |
|---|---|---|
| Number employed | 397,880 | 3,980 |
| Average annual salary (mean) | $60,080 | $49,310 |
| 10th percentile | $36,700 | $30,480 |
| 50th percentile (median) | $53,710 | $47,480 |
| 90th percentile | $89,920 | $75,670 |
All Other Counselors
| United States | South Carolina | |
|---|---|---|
| Number employed | 35,580 | 160 |
| Average annual salary (mean) | $52,360 | $63,680 |
| 10th percentile | $33,330 | $27,150 |
| 50th percentile (median) | $46,130 | $54,990 |
| 90th percentile | $79,880 | $107,270 |
Counseling Professional Associations & Resources in South Carolina
- South Carolina Association of Licensed Professional Counselors
- South Carolina Counseling Association
- South Carolina Clinical Mental Health Counselor Association
- Southern Region – American Counseling Association
- The South Carolina Board of Examiners for Licensure
- Palmetto State School Counselor Association
- Addiction Professionals of South Carolina
- South Carolina Association of School Psychologists
- South Carolina Department of Mental Health
- Addiction Professionals of South Carolina
Mental Health Counseling (LMHC) Licenses in South Carolina: Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)
| Licensing Authority | Eligibility & Details | Renewal Requirements |
|---|---|---|
| South Carolina Board of Examiners for Licensure of Professional Counselors, Marriage and Family Therapists, Addiction Counselors, and Psycho-Educational Specialists | South Carolina issues credentials for Professional Counselors (LPCs) Candidates for LPC Associate licensure must:
To be licensed as an LPC, applicants must meet the above requirements in addition to completing 1,500 hours of supervised clinical work experience over two years. The hours must be direct counseling with individuals, couples, families, or groups. Of those hours, 150 must include direct supervision. |
LPC and LPC Associate licenses in South Carolina are valid for two years. Renewals cost $150 and must be accompanied by an application and proof of 40 hours of continuing education credits, six of which must be in ethics |
School Counseling Licenses in South Carolina
| Licensing Authority | Eligibility & Details | Renewal Requirements |
|---|---|---|
| South Carolina Department of Education | The South Carolina Department of Education issues School Counselor/Guidance- Elementary and Secondary certificates. The requirements for an initial certificate are:
To advance from an initial to a professional certificate, school counselors must:
Once a school counselor has met all the requirements, advancement happens automatically. |
Initial school counselor certificates issued in South Carolina are valid for three years and may not be renewed. Professional certificates are valid for five years. School counselors with professional certificates must complete 120 renewal credits per renewal cycle. |
Substance Abuse Counseling Licenses in South Carolina
| Licensing Authority | Eligibility & Details | Renewal Requirements |
|---|---|---|
Addiction Professionals of South Carolina (APSC) certifies Alcohol and Drug Counselors (ADC) and Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselors (AADC). ADC certification eligibility includes:
If the applicant has a bachelor’s degree, then a Narrative Philosophy of Addictions Treatment and a sample case are required. This is not required if the applicant has a graduate degree. Requirements for AADC certification includes:
|
ADC and AADC certificate holders in South Carolina must renew every two years. Counselors must complete 40 hours of continuing education per renewal cycle. There must be at least six hours in ethics and for at least 20 of the hours the counselors must be an attendee. Renewals cost $225. |
Rehabilitation Counseling Licenses in South Carolina
| Licensing Authority | Eligibility & Details | Renewal Requirements |
|---|---|---|
Rehabilitation counselors in South Carolina must be either Professional Counselors (LPCs) or Professional Counselor Associates (LPC Associates). Licensing is done through the Center for Credentialing and Education. Candidates for LPC Associate licensure must:
To be licensed as an LPC, applicants must meet the above requirements in addition to completing 1,500 hours of supervised clinical work experience over two years. The hours must be direct counseling with individuals, couples, families or groups. Of those hours, 150 must include direct supervision. |
LPC and LPC Associate licenses in South Carolina are valid for two years. Renewals cost $150 and must be accompanied by an application and proof of 40 hours of continuing education credits, six of which must be in ethics |
Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) Licenses in South Carolina
| Licensing Authority | Eligibility & Details | Renewal Requirements |
|---|---|---|
| Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) for national certification | Currently, there are no state certification or licensing requirements for applied behavior analysts in South Carolina. However, holding a BCBA certification and maintaining membership with the South Carolina Association for Behavior Analysis can help with employment opportunities or job advancement. |
Marriage and Family Therapy Licenses in South Carolina
| Licensing Authority | Eligibility & Details | Renewal Requirements |
|---|---|---|
| South Carolina Board of Examiners for Licensure of Professional Counselors, Marriage and Family Therapists, Addiction Counselors, and Psycho-Educational Specialists |
South Carolina issues Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapy Associate (LMFT/A) licenses. Licensing is done through the Center for Credentialing and Education. Candidates for LMFT/A licensure must:
To be licensed as an LMFT, applicants must meet the above requirements, in addition to:
|
LMFT and LMFT/A licenses in South Carolina are valid for two years. Renewals cost $150 and must be accompanied by an application and proof of 40 hours of continuing education credits, six of which must be in ethics. |
Child (Pediatric) Behavioral Therapy Licenses in South Carolina
| Licensing Authority | Eligibility & Details | Renewal Requirements |
|---|---|---|
|
Child therapists in South Carolina must be either Professional Counselors (LPCs) or Professional Counselor Associates (LPC Associates). Licensing is done through the Center for Credentialing and Education. Candidates for LPC Associate licensure must:
To be licensed as an LPC, applicants must meet the above requirements and complete 1,500 hours of supervised clinical work experience over two years. The hours must be direct counseling with individuals, couples, families, or groups. Of those hours, 150 must include direct supervision. |
LPC and LPC Associate licenses in South Carolina are valid for two years. Renewals cost $150 and must be accompanied by an application and proof of 40 hours of continuing education credits, six of which must be in ethics. |
Vanessa Salvia
WriterVanessa Salvia is an Oregon-based freelance writer and editor with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry. As fun as rigorous studies in math and science were, Vanessa took an independent path and developed a prolific career covering lifestyle and healthcare topics for magazines and newspapers, important industries such as concrete construction and building waterproofing, and even hard science. You can get in touch at Sage Media and Marketing.