• It stands for: Licensed Professional Counselor
• It's a license granted to individuals allowing them to practice counseling in the state of New Jersey.
• Most states in the nation license Professional Counselors, it's relatively new in New Jersey so it may not be immediately recognizable.

The Purpose of Licensure
Professionals are licensed for the protection of the public against inexperienced and uneducated persons portraying themselves as competent professionals. A law that licenses a profession is passed by the state in an effort to:

1. Protect the public by setting minimum standards of education, training and experience.
2. Regulate this profession with rules of conduct.
3. Investigate possible breaches of the regulations and discipline violators.

History of the Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)
The LPC was passed into law for the first time in 1979 in the state of Alabama. Since then 48 states have enacted legislation licensing professionals as Professional Counselors. New Jersey joined this group in 1993.