How to become a certified counselor in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico licenses this properly. The title is Consejero(a) Profesional and the regulator is the Junta Examinadora de Consejeros Profesionales, created by Ley Núm. 147 de 9 de agosto de 2002 and attached to the health department's Oficina de Reglamentación y Certificación de los Profesionales de la Salud. This is a licence, not a voluntary certification.
What you need
Under Article 8 of Ley 147-2002: a master's degree in orientación y consejería or in consejería from an institution accredited by the Consejo de Educación Superior, with coursework covering at least 8 of the 10 specified theoretical knowledge areas; a minimum of 500 hours of supervised practice under a Mentor Certificado; and a pass in the Junta's written examination.
The route
Complete the accredited master's, then pass the written exam to obtain the provisional licence. Within the three-year provisional window, complete the 500 supervised hours under a Certified Mentor and convert to the permanent licence. Thereafter recertify through ORCPS with continuing education under Reglamento 7521 and a criminal background certification.
What catches people out
The supervision comes after licensure, not before. Puerto Rico issues a provisional licence to practise first and gives you three years to accumulate the hours — the reverse of the US mainland LPC sequence, where post-master's supervised hours precede any licence at all.
Counselor salary in Puerto Rico
Licensed counselors in Puerto Rico are paid by their employer or, in private practice, by what they charge.
The Junta Examinadora de Consejeros Profesionales licenses counselors but publishes no pay scale.
Progression runs through the licence: from provisional to permanent once the 500 supervised hours are complete, then the specialty and subspecialty certificates the Junta issues.
No official scale is published for this role, so treat any single figure you find online as a third-party estimate rather than a rate you can rely on.
Is this the right role for you?
This guide covers how to get in. Whether you should is a different question. Gyfted's career quiz works from how you actually operate — how you handle pressure, structure and other people — rather than from a job title you have already picked.
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