1. 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.

2. Any person holding a current license, certificate of registration, or permit from another state or territory of the United States to practice as a professional counselor who does not meet the requirements in section 324.009 and who is at least eighteen years of age, and is a United States citizen or is legally present in the United States may be granted a license without examination to engage in the practice of professional counseling in this state upon the application to the board, payment of the required fee as established by the board, and satisfying one of the following requirements:

(1) Approval by the American Association of State Counseling Boards (AASCB) or its successor organization according to the eligibility criteria established by AASCB. The successor organization shall be defined by board rule; or

(2) In good standing and currently certified by the National Board for Certified Counselors or its successor organization and has completed acceptable supervised counseling experience as defined by board rule. The successor organization shall be defined by board rule.

3. 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.

4. 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.