The West Virginia Board of Examiners in Counseling is the licensing and regulatory authority for professional counselors in West Virginia. The Board’s primary mission is to enforce licensure rules and ethical standards for professional counselors and therapists to protect and promote public health and welfare. This Board evaluates applicants for professional counselor and therapist licensure, issues professional counselor and therapists licenses, annually renews professional counselors and therapists licenses, grants approval for Approved Licensed Professional Supervisors (ALPS), approves continuing education providers and programs, receives and investigates consumer complaints regarding professional counselors and therapists, and levels disciplinary actions against professional counselors and therapists who are found to have violated state law or rules relating to the professional counselor license.
The Board of Examiners in Counseling was created by Acts, Chapter 138, Regular Session, 1986. The Board consists of seven members appointed by the Governor. The members include two counselor educators engaged in teaching counseling at an accredited institution of higher education, three practicing counselors, one practicing marriage and family therapist, and one individual that represents the public.