Demand Professional Counseling Licenses be Awarded in 6 Weeks!

I graduated from my Master's program in August and didn't get my intern license until January! The slow turnaround is losing money for counselors and depriving Texas of mental health providers who are sorely needed in many areas.

Failure to expediently process licensure applications only serves to intensify the mental health crisis.

I am an LPCS and my interns are suffering because they are missing out on job opportunities. A 6 month turn around time is unacceptable.

Its completely absurd how long this department takes to get licensures back. I agree to be part of a class action suit against them for loss of wages.

State needs to hire more workers to complete applications for licensure in a time manner which is 6 weeks.

Help us be able to support ourselves by doing the work we earned our degree to do!

9 years in school, all the money, time, effort to not be able to work is insulting.

Please help us continue helping others.

Stop treating counselors like second rate professionals! We already have enough obstacles in the way of our gaining our license including ridiculous pay. We don’t need to be held back by the very institution that represents us!

I have been waiting for over 3 months to receive my LCDC license.

For everyday that a Licensee has to wait, someone goes without treatment.

Delays throughout the licensure process are quite costly to the licensee. It places a financial burden on individuals who are often already oversaddled with financial hardships at the neophyte stages of their career. Financial costs include fees paid to supervisors beyond the time when interns have already finished accruing enough hours (due to a delay in the licensure process) and also due to cost opportunity, that is an intern cannot apply for jobs requiring full licensure (again, due to a delay in the licensure process). Please consider signing this petition in addition to writing to your state representative to ensure that these issues remain on their radars. Thank you.

Something has to change. People's livelihoods are at stake and our profession is at risk. Students considering counseling may choose another route when they hear about the challenges in getting a license to practice.

This delayed process is hurting professionals livelihoods. The board needs to be held responsible for their lack of efficiency.

It takes 4 month to get my license. When I called to check on the status, I was advised my file was lost. They did find my file, but it caused me a lot of distress. During the time one has to wait to get the license, an intern has to continue staying supervised, which is a lot of money every week to spend over several months for a process that should only take a couple of weeks.

The board had my application for over two years. They sent my initial application back with deficiencies. I took a class then sent in the verification. They reviewed my application and determined that I needed another class. The whole process took way too long.

I’m an LPC-Supervisor that has seen this problem grow increasingly worse in a very short period of time with little hope for change.

I support more help for the state board so they are not so backlogged!

6 weeks!

As an LPC intern, I have colleagues who have waited 4 months or more to become fully licensed. I do not want the same thing to happen to me. The lenghty wait impacts us financially and impedes our ability to move to the next level in our careers.