LPCC Scope of Practice 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An LPCC without specialized training is asked to provide Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) to a trauma client. The ethical course of action is to:
- Provide EMDR because it is a recognized counseling technique
- Decline until obtaining proper EMDR training, as competence is required before practice (Correct answer)
- Attempt EMDR with supervision from any licensed mental health professional
- Use EMDR only in the first session to assess client response
Correct answer: Decline until obtaining proper EMDR training, as competence is required before practice
Practicing specialized techniques like EMDR without specific training violates the competence standard and is outside the counselor's scope.
Question 2: Under most state laws, which client population requires an LPCC to have additional specialized training before providing services?
- Adults with major depressive disorder
- Children under age 12 requiring play therapy interventions (Correct answer)
- College students presenting with adjustment disorder
- Adults experiencing occupational stress
Correct answer: Children under age 12 requiring play therapy interventions
Play therapy with young children is a specialized modality requiring additional training beyond standard LPCC preparation.
Question 3: An LPCC discovers a client is also seeing a psychiatrist and a social worker. To operate within scope and best serve the client, the LPCC should:
- Discontinue services to avoid duplication
- Obtain written consent and coordinate care with the treatment team (Correct answer)
- Continue independently to maintain therapeutic boundaries
- Immediately transfer the case to the psychiatrist as the supervising provider
Correct answer: Obtain written consent and coordinate care with the treatment team
Collaborative care coordination, with client consent, ensures comprehensive and non-duplicative services within the LPCC's scope.
Question 4: Which of the following diagnoses is within the LPCC scope to diagnose and treat?
- Major Neurocognitive Disorder (Dementia)
- Borderline Personality Disorder with comorbid Major Depressive Disorder (Correct answer)
- Psychotic Disorder Due to Traumatic Brain Injury
- Intellectual Disability requiring psychometric confirmation
Correct answer: Borderline Personality Disorder with comorbid Major Depressive Disorder
Personality disorders and mood disorders are within the LPCC diagnostic and treatment scope in most states.
Question 5: A client requests that their LPCC write a letter supporting a psychiatric disability determination for Social Security. This activity is:
- Categorically outside all LPCC scopes of practice
- Within scope when the LPCC has an established therapeutic relationship and documents clinical findings accurately (Correct answer)
- Outside scope because only psychiatrists may write disability letters
- Within scope only if the client pays an additional administrative fee
Correct answer: Within scope when the LPCC has an established therapeutic relationship and documents clinical findings accurately
LPCCs may write clinical letters supporting disability claims when they are basing the letter on their documented clinical findings and established relationship.
Question 6: An LPCC is approached by a business to conduct pre-employment psychological screenings using personality inventories. This is:
- Within scope because LPCCs are trained in assessment
- Outside scope in most states, as formal psychological testing for employment decisions requires a licensed psychologist (Correct answer)
- Within scope if the LPCC purchased the test commercially
- Within scope for any job that involves public safety
Correct answer: Outside scope in most states, as formal psychological testing for employment decisions requires a licensed psychologist
Pre-employment psychological screening using standardized inventories for high-stakes decisions typically requires a licensed psychologist, not an LPCC.
Question 7: An LPCC in private practice wants to add biofeedback to their services. To do so ethically, they must first:
- Register biofeedback as an additional license with the state board
- Obtain adequate training and supervision in biofeedback before offering the service (Correct answer)
- Hire a certified biofeedback technician to operate equipment on their behalf
- Get approval from a medical doctor for each client before using biofeedback
Correct answer: Obtain adequate training and supervision in biofeedback before offering the service
Competence must be established through training and supervised practice before adding any new modality, including biofeedback.
LPCC Scope of Practice 3
An LPCC without specialized training is asked to provide Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) to a trauma client.
The ethical course of action is to: