PLNU’s Master of Arts in Clinical Counseling (MACC) prepares students to become either a licensed professional clinical counselor (LPCC) or a licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT).
Although the course requirements are the same for students seeking either path, the program offers the flexibility to pursue the career you’re called to. In this program, you’ll gain the knowledge and practical experience to qualify for your licensure exams and make a tangible difference in clients’ lives. Whether in-person or online, PLNU’s MACC offers a blend of practice and skills through coursework, mentoring, clinical training, and culturally aware approaches to treat real clients in diverse settings.
As you consider where to focus your education, here’s a breakdown of the LPCC and LMFT options to help you determine which path best aligns with your calling in counseling.
Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC)
Licensed professional clinical counselors (LPCC) focus primarily on the needs of patients as individuals with the purpose of improving mental health, though they may also work with families and in group settings. Through a broader scope of intervention, LPCCs diagnose and treat individual patients living with:
- Mental and emotional illness
- Substance abuse
- Disability
- Personal trauma
- Psychological and social developmental disorders
- Career counseling
How do I become an LPCC?
Becoming an LPCC requires a few additional steps outside of earning your bachelor’s degree. If you want to pursue a career as a therapist, and more specifically an LPCC, these are the typical steps to follow to achieve your goals.
- Earn a bachelor’s degree — it doesn’t necessarily have to be in psychology.
- Earn a master’s or a doctoral degree in a counseling or related field — i.e. social work.
- Gain clinical experience — about 3,000 supervised hours under a licensed clinician.
- Take both state- and nationally-accredited licensure/certification exams.
Scope of practice of an LPCC
LPCC professionals specialize in the application of counseling and therapy techniques to improve a patient’s mental health. The core responsibilities of this profession are based on assessment and counseling to support patients’ personal growth. The LPCC license focuses on identifying and treating individuals, couples, and families in the following areas:
- Personal Growth and Development
- Adjustment to Disability
- Crisis Intervention
- Psychosocial and Environmental Challenges
The services an LPCC can provide are based on their education, training, and issued license. LPCCs may provide assessments or administer tests catered to each individual. For LPCCs, their mental health counseling practice may work independently or within various professional settings, such as:
- Mental health clinics
- Rehabilitation centers
- Community agencies
- Private practice
One limitation of the LPCC license for California professionals is that they cannot perform certain assessments compared to other practices. For example, they cannot diagnose severe mental illnesses and must collaborate with other health professionals, such as psychologists and psychiatrists. Additionally, LPCCs cannot prescribe medications and cannot cover nonclinical counseling.
LPCC career opportunities
Mental health impacts our entire well-being. As education about the importance of fostering positive mental health continues to gain momentum, we’ve seen a shift toward people seeking more mental health support than ever before.
The American Counseling Association (ACA) reported in their annual Workforce Study that counselors have seen their mental health industries grow up to 36% in employment. The ACA also theorizes an uptick in salary growth over the next decade, stating that the U.S. behavioral health market is expected to grow by $49.3 billion over the next ten years and reach $136 billion by the end of 2032.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) also predicts this growth and the need for mental health support. BLS forecasts LPCC employment to jump up 22% in the next decade — a rate higher than other occupations.
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Who are you called to be?
Pursue your purpose at PLNU.
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As an LPCC, you have a variety of career opportunities available to choose from:
- Private practice counselor
- School or college counselor
- Crisis intervention counselor
- Military counselor
- Substance abuse recovery
- Grief counselor
- Mental health counselor
Consider the different types of organizations you can choose to work as an LPCC:
- Private practice
- Nonprofit organizations
- Department of Veteran Affairs
- Hospitals
- Prisons
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT)
Licensed marriage and family therapists (LMFT) focus more specifically on the relational and interpersonal dynamics within families, marriages, and couples. With a more specialized field, LMFTs focus on a wide range of topics such as:
- Premarital counseling
- Relationship counseling
- Separation counseling
- Childhood counseling
- Divorce counseling
They also work with more specific conditions like depression, anxiety, and other psychological needs within relationships and families.
LMFTs are more specifically trained to support family dynamics and how mental health impacts the different family relationships.
Scope of practice of an LMFT
The LMFT license is geared toward professionals trained in relational therapy, focusing on how they impact mental health. The practice enables them to provide therapy for addressing emotional, psychological, and relationship challenges in the context of relationships, such as:
- Mental health disorders
- Eating disorders
- Family communication issues
- Changing dynamics (divorce, adoption, etc.)
LMFTs are trained to treat individuals and groups to help those who are struggling to achieve more satisfying lives. They can do this by addressing needs by improving communication and fostering healthier connections on a daily basis. LMFT professionals can do this by making assessments, consulting, treating, and supervising. They can also provide specific treatment therapies, such as:
- Cognitive behavioral therapy
- Emotionally focused therapy
- Family systems therapy
- Child and adolescent therapy
LMFTs can assess and diagnose mental health disorders, though some states limit their ability to use certain diagnostic tools or prescribe medication.
How to become an LMFT
Similar to LPCCs, LMFTs must complete the following steps to become licensed and certified practicing therapists.
- Earn a bachelor’s degree — it doesn’t necessarily have to be in psychology.
- Earn a master’s degree from a program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education.
- Gain clinical experience — about 3,000 supervised hours under a clinical psychotherapist.
- Take your state — and nationally-accredited licensure/certification exams.
Where can I work as an LMFT?
Like an LPCC, an LMFT has a wide range of settings to practice, such as:
- Hospitals
- Schools
- Private practice
- Government agencies
- Outpatient centers
- Rehabilitation centers
- Nonprofit organizations
Is there job growth for LMFTs?
Similar to LPCCs, LMFT career opportunities are also projected to significantly grow in the next decade to support the growing need for mental health services in the United States.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the field is expected to grow by 16% by 2030. According to a report from the San Diego Workforce Partnership, the San Diego region “...needs to more than double the behavioral health workforce by 2027.” This is increasing the demand for universities in San Diego to offer programs that prepare students for the mental health field.
LPCC and LMFT Career Opportunities
Although there are differences between what LMFT and LPCCs do in their day-to-day work, they can often work in similar settings and will experience a rise in demand.
Hospitals, health centers, clinics, and private practice, as well as roles within social work, education, ministry, and government service, all need the support of mental health professionals. In the U.S., the need for mental health providers will continue to rise at a rate of over 20%, with various mental health fields expected to grow faster than three percent compared to other occupations. Fields such as “substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors” are projected to grow over 18% through 2032.
Take the next steps
Whether you see yourself helping an individual improve their mental health, or helping a young couple prepare for a long and fulfilling marriage, your pursuit of a career in counseling and therapy will improve the lives of the clients and people you interact with. Take your first step today — applying to PLNU's MACC is a crucial step toward the impactful counseling career you’ve been called to.
