BOARD INFORMATION

The Arkansas Board of Examiners in Counseling protects the public of Arkansas and ensures the quality of Counseling and Marriage and Family Therapy services being provided to the citizens of Arkansas through regulation of title and practice of the persons licensed by the Board under Arkansas Code Annotated 17-27-101 et sq. The Board was authorized for title and practice licensing of Counselors by Act 593 of 1979. The Act was amended for title and practice licensing of Marriage and Family Therapists by Act 244 of 1997.

History and Organization

The Arkansas Board of Examiners in Counseling regulates the title and practice of Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists in the State of Arkansas. The Board examines the credentials of those who hold the license. The Board monitors and records the supervision of each new license until the license holder has completed the mandated three (3) years of supervised practice. The Board conducts investigations into violations of Statutes, Rules and Regulations based on complaints, practice without license, and/or information received by the Board administrative office. If the complaints are valid and have sufficient merit, administrative hearings are held to resolve the issue, suspend or revoke the license if necessary.

The Board mission is to protect the public and to ensure quality of mental health services being provided to the citizens of Arkansas. The staff is responsible for the operation of the Board, for carrying out the policies of the Board, and making detailed reports and recommendations to the Board each month. The General Assembly of the State of Arkansas approved Act 593 of 1979 (A.C.A. §17-27-101) in the Regular Session, 1979. The General Assembly approved Act 244 of 1997 to amend A.C.A. §17-27-101 through 104 and approved Act 1317 of 1997 to amend A.C.A. §17-1-103 in the Regular Session, 1997. The Acts provided for the regulation of the practice and the use of the titles of Counseling, Marriage and Family Therapy, and the Specialization Licenses created by the Board of Examiners in Counseling, prescribed the powers and duties of the Board, and provided for the examination and licensure of Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists, and provided for the examination and licensure of those with specialized training in the field of Counseling and Marriage and Family Therapy.

The first Board of Examiners in Counseling, composed of seven members, was appointed by the Governor sixty days after July 1, 1979, in the manner and for the terms of office provided in Act 593 of 1979. A retired citizen board member was appointed in the fall of 1984 and a Marriage and Family Therapist was appointed in the fall of 1997 bringing the Board’s membership to a total of nine (9) members. The Board meets each month.

Disciplinary hearings held before the Board are pursuant to the Arkansas Administrative Procedures Act and are arranged through the staff of the Arkansas Attorney General’s Office.

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