Certification, Licensure & Alumni Resources

Clinical Mental Health Counseling Licensure (Licensed Mental Health Counselor - LHMC)

• Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LHMC) Requirements

NYS School Counselor Certification

School Counselor Certifications (Internship, Initial/Initial Bilingual, and Professional/Professional Bilingual)

School Counselors must be certified to practice in the state in which they work. State requirements can be found here. In New York, all five New York State Education Department (NYSED) school counseling
certificates have specific requirements. Candidates must research the requirements both through the state's websites (listed below) and by contacting Lehman College’s School of Education Teacher (and School Counselor) Certification Office teacher.certification@lehman.cuny.edu.

Lehman College is required by the state to verify specific requirements before recommendations (online verification) can be submitted. After a recommendation is submitted, the state has a final review before approving and issuing the certificate. Everyone must have a TEACH Online Service Account to begin and maintain the certification.

TEACH Online Service Account - This account is permanent for the candidate’s career as a school counselor. The candidate must periodically update their educational background, personal information, work experience (after certification), apply/pay for any certificates, etc.; everything pertaining to state certification. Candidates must have their fingerprints on file in this account.

Internship Certification:
Internship Certification is a temporary optional certificate for candidates in the school counseling program available after 30 credits, including a completed practicum, which can be used to find a full-time job that may include a paid internship. It is only available before graduation.
Requirements:

• Complete 50% of coursework (30 credits) including practicum.
• Show proof of securing a School Counselor position with a letter from the school principal identifying the position and location.
• Apply using the Teach Online Services Account and contact teacher.certification@lehman.cuny.edu for specific requirements. The program coordinator must sign off on the Internship Certification application.
• Complete mandated workshops (3):
  • Child Abuse Identification & Reporting
  • School Violence Prevention
  • DASA: Anti-Bullying & Discrimination Training

Initial Certification
This is the main base school counseling certificate all candidates must first obtain after graduation. All students seeking the bilingual certification should also apply for initial certification.

• First Step: At the end of their last semester, candidates may set up their paid application
  for the initial School Counselor certificate through their state TEACH Online account by
  following these instructions: https://www.highered.nysed.gov/tcert/certificate/apply.html
  When prompted for a program code use: 41528.
  Candidates should email the School of Education Teacher and School Counselor Certification Office at: teacher.certification@lehman.cuny.edu after they receive their official graduation approval from the Registrar Graduation Audit Unit.
• Second Step: Candidates must have 48 credits including both semesters of internship for
  initial certification. School Counseling candidates complete initial certification on their
  own through NYSED online with their TEACH Online Services account using the
  “Individual Evaluation” pathway. The following is what NYSED requires using this
  pathway to issue the initial School Counselor certificate. You will be prompted to upload
  all the following information in the application:
  • Proof of a bachelor’s degree (official transcript)
  • Proof of Graduate Coursework in School Counseling (official transcript)
  • Proof of College Supervised Internship in School Counseling (official transcript with a
    letter grade for Internships)
  • Proof of Completion of 3 mandated workshops:
    • Child Abuse Identification & Reporting
    • DASA: Anti-Bullying & Discrimination Training
    • School Violence Prevention
  • Fingerprint Clearance
  • CST Exam Completion
• Directions: How to apply for Initial School Counselor Certificate using the “Individual
  Evaluation” pathway:
  • Log in to your state TEACH Online Services account
  • When you see a menu, choose "apply for a certificate." It will take you through 10 steps
    to complete:
    1. Update your education and/or teaching experience. If you already entered this
       information, you may skip it by pressing "next" twice.
    2. On the drop-down menu follow these prompts:
       • Area of Interest: Administration & Pupil Personnel Services
       • Subject Area: School Counseling
       • Grade Level: PreK-12, All Grades
       • Title: School Counselor
       • Type of Certificate: Initial Certificate
    3. Press ADD, and it will ask you for the program code - Select "NO"
    4. It will ask if you are coming from another state (Interstate Reciprocity) - Select "NO"
    5. It will take you to your application on file; scroll down & press NEXT
    6. Select: to have the “state review your application"
    7. Answer background questions & click on “Sign Affidavit”
    8. It will show you the cost of the application, and then click on “Sign Application”
    9. It will then provide a checklist to print out everything you must send to the state for the
       issuance of the School Counselor Initial certificate.
    10. Last, pay the application fee with a credit card. Done!
• Third Step: Take and pass the CST: School Counselor exam ideally in late February of
  the last year in the program. All candidates should have passed the CST: School
  Counselor(#193) exam by graduation.

Bilingual Initial Certification:
School Counselor candidates who passed the BEA exam (candidates need to choose the language for the exam and visit the Pearson testing website to register and schedule the exam), filed the appropriate form with their advisor and graduate studies, and have taken the bilingual extension courses in the summer of their third year are eligible for bilingual certification. After graduation, students should contact the School of Education Teacher and School Counselor Certification Office teacher.certifcation@lehman.cuny.edu to request submission for the initial Bilingual Certificate AND the initial School Counseling Certificate.

Become an NYS Master School Counselor with a 60K stipend!

We are delighted that you are interested in joining the New York State Master Teacher Program (NYSMTP) our professional network of outstanding, experienced educational professionals, K-12 classroom teachers, and K-12 counselors, dedicated to professional growth and development and to providing the most innovative, engaging and supportive learning environment for their students.

Selected Master Teachers and Master Counselors engage in NYSMTP professional learning opportunities that are co-created by network members and their SUNY counterparts. The professional learning program is grounded in the local context and designed with local expertise to address challenges and provide new opportunities for students.

The NYS Master Teachers and Master School Counselors are selected by a rigorous, multi-step application process. Please review the document What Does Being a NYS Master Teacher and Master School Counselor Entail? prior to beginning your application. Selected applicants commit to engaging in a minimum number of NYSMTP-Professional Development activities in addition to their district and state requirements, agree to a four-year commitment, and are eligible for annual stipends of $15,000, totaling $60,000.

Eligibility

To be eligible for the New York State Master Teacher program Counselor Applicant, you must:

• Be a certified NYS full-time public school counselor, grades K - 12, with at least four years of full-time public school counselor experience at the time of the application, and
• Be rated "effective" or "highly effective" (or equivalent) on your most recent district annual evaluation.

The NYSMTP professional network encourages applications from all eligible K - 12 counselors who meet the above requirements and who also have specialized training and expertise to support students who have been designated dual language or ESL/ELL, or students with disabilities.

SUNY's Master Counselors Program