1. As used in this section, the following terms mean:

(1) “License”, a license, certificate, registration, permit, accreditation, or military occupational specialty that enables a person to legally practice an occupation or profession in a particular jurisdiction;

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(2) “Military”, the Armed Forces of the United States, including the Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, Navy, Space Force, National Guard and any other military branch that is designated by Congress as part of the Armed Forces of the United States, and all reserve components and auxiliaries. Such term also includes the military reserves and militia of any United States territory or state;

(3) “Nonresident military spouse”, a nonresident spouse of an active duty member of the Armed Forces of the United States who has been transferred or is scheduled to be transferred to the state of Missouri, or who has been transferred or is scheduled to be transferred to an adjacent state and is or will be domiciled in the state of Missouri, or has moved to the state of Missouri on a permanent change-of-station basis;

(4) “Resident military spouse”, a spouse of an active duty member of the Armed Forces of the United States who has been transferred or is scheduled to be transferred to the state of Missouri or an adjacent state and who is a permanent resident of the state of Missouri, who is domiciled in the state of Missouri, or who has Missouri as his or her home of record.

2. Each applicant for licensure as a professional counselor shall furnish evidence to the committee that the applicant is at least eighteen years of age, is a United States citizen or is legally present in the United States; and

(1) The applicant has completed a course of study as defined by the board rule leading to a master’s, specialist’s, or doctoral degree with a major in counseling, except any applicant who has held a license as a professional counselor in this state or currently holds a license as a professional counselor in another state shall not be required to have completed any courses related to career development; and

(2) The applicant has completed acceptable supervised counseling as defined by board rule. If the applicant has a master’s degree with a major in counseling as defined by board rule, the applicant shall complete at least two years of acceptable supervised counseling experience subsequent to the receipt of the master’s degree. The composition and number of hours comprising the acceptable supervised counseling experience shall be defined by board rule. An applicant may substitute thirty semester hours of post master’s graduate study for one of the two required years of acceptable supervised counseling experience if such hours are clearly related to counseling;

(3) After August 28, 2007, each applicant shall have completed a minimum of three hours of graduate level coursework in diagnostic systems either in the curriculum leading to a degree or as post master’s graduate level course work;

(4) Upon examination, the applicant is possessed of requisite knowledge of the profession, including techniques and applications, research and its interpretation, and professional affairs and ethics.

3. (1) Any person who holds a valid current professional counselor license issued by another state, a branch or unit of the military, a territory of the United States, or the District of Columbia, and who has been licensed for at least one year in such other jurisdiction, may submit an application for a professional counselor license in Missouri along with proof of current licensure and proof of licensure for at least one year in the other jurisdiction, to the committee.

(2) The committee shall:

(a) Within six months of receiving an application described in subdivision (1) of this subsection, waive any examination, educational, or experience requirements for licensure in this state for the applicant if it determines that there were minimum education requirements and, if applicable, work experience and clinical supervision requirements in effect and the other state and jurisdiction verifies that the person met those requirements in order to be licensed or certified in that state and jurisdiction. The committee may require an applicant to take and pass an examination specific to the laws of this state; or

(b) Within thirty days of receiving an application described in subdivision (1) of this subsection from a nonresident military spouse or a resident military spouse, waive any examination, educational, or experience requirements for licensure in this state for the applicant and issue such applicant a license under this subsection if such applicant otherwise meets the requirements of this subsection and section.

(3) (a) The committee shall not waive any examination, educational, or experience requirements for any applicant who has had his or her license revoked by a committee outside the state; who is currently under investigation, who has a complaint pending, or who is currently under disciplinary action, except as provided in paragraph (b) of this subdivision, with a committee outside the state; who does not hold a license in good standing with a committee outside the state; who has a criminal record that would disqualify him or her for licensure in Missouri; or who does not hold a valid current license in the other jurisdiction on the date the committee receives his or her application under this subsection and section.

(b) If another jurisdiction has taken disciplinary action against an applicant, the committee shall determine if the cause for the action was corrected and the matter resolved. If the matter has not been resolved by that jurisdiction, the committee may deny a license until the matter is resolved.

(4) Nothing in this subsection shall prohibit the committee from denying a license to an applicant under this subsection for any reason described in section 337.525.

(5) Any person who is licensed under the provisions of this subsection shall be subject to the committee’s jurisdiction and all rules and regulations pertaining to the practice as a licensed professional counselor in this state.

(6) This subsection shall not be construed to waive any requirement for an applicant to pay any fees.

4. The committee shall issue a license to each person who files an application and fee and who furnishes evidence satisfactory to the committee that the applicant has complied with the provisions of this act and has taken and passed a written, open-book examination on Missouri laws and regulations governing the practice of professional counseling as defined in section 337.500. The division shall issue a provisional professional counselor license to any applicant who meets all requirements of this section, but who has not completed the required acceptable supervised counseling experience and such applicant may reapply for licensure as a professional counselor upon completion of such acceptable supervised counseling experience.

5. All persons licensed to practice professional counseling in this state shall pay on or before the license renewal date a renewal license fee and shall furnish to the committee satisfactory evidence of the completion of the requisite number of hours of continuing education as required by rule, including two hours of suicide assessment, referral, treatment, and management training, which shall be no more than forty hours biennially. The continuing education requirements may be waived by the committee upon presentation to the committee of satisfactory evidence of the illness of the licensee or for other good cause.