Resources · Path to Licensure

Step-by-step licensure pathways in Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico licenses mental-health professionals through two parallel agencies: the Departamento de Salud (ORCPS) houses the Professional Counselor and Psychologist boards, while the Departamento de Estado houses Social Work licensing (administered through the vendor PCS). Two features are distinctive: social workers must additionally join the mandatory professional college (colegiación through CPTSPR) after licensure, and Puerto Rico boards administer their own licensure exams (reválida), with the psychology exam offered in both Spanish and English. Two professions are omitted here because Puerto Rico has no distinct credential for them: marriage & family therapy (practiced as a counseling/psychology specialty) and behavior analysis (national BACB certification only). Addiction counseling is a private certification (JCPAA), shown and labeled below.

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Professional CounselingAddiction & Substance Use CounselingSocial WorkPsychology

Professional Counseling

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CPL Provisional

Provisional Licensed Professional Counselor (Consejero Profesional con Licencia Provisional)

Required exam: Puerto Rico counseling reválida (board-administered exam, developed in affiliation with NBCC / based on the NCE content domains).

Scope: Entry-level license allowing supervised practice of professional counseling — with individuals, couples, families, students, and groups — while completing the mentorship hours required for permanent licensure.
  1. EducationMaster’s or doctoral degree in counseling from an institution accredited by the Consejo de Educación Superior de PR; submit an official sealed transcript.
  2. Supervision / experienceNone required before the provisional license; the provisional license authorizes the start of the supervised mentorship phase.
  3. ExamPass the board’s written reválida.
  4. ApplicationFile the provisional-license application with the Junta via ORCPS, with transcript, exam results, and supporting documents.
CPL Permanente

Permanent Licensed Professional Counselor (Consejero Profesional con Licencia Permanente)

Required exam: Puerto Rico counseling reválida (passed at the provisional stage; no separate permanent exam).

Scope: Full, independent practice of professional counseling across clinical, school, family/couples, addiction, and mental-health settings; may hold board-issued specialty and sub-specialty certificates.
  1. EducationMaster’s or doctoral degree in counseling (same basis as the provisional license).
  2. Supervision / experienceMinimum 500 hours of supervised practice (mentoría) under a board-Certified Mentor after passing the exam.
  3. ExamReválida already passed at the provisional stage.
  4. ApplicationFile the permanent-license application (or apply by endorsement if licensed elsewhere), documenting the completed 500 mentorship hours.

Official Professional Counseling resources

Addiction & Substance Use Counseling

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CAC

Certified Addiction Counselor (Consejero en Adicción Certificado — private JCPAA certification, not a government license)

Required exam: JCPAA competency-based certification examination (based on the SAMHSA/TAP-21 addiction-counseling competencies).

Scope: Provides substance-use / chemical-dependency counseling and recovery services. Issued by the Junta de Certificación para Profesionales en Adicción y Alcoholismo de PR (JCPAA), a private certifying body, not a government license. (Addiction counseling can also be practiced as a specialty under the government Professional Counselor license.)
  1. EducationFormal education plus continuing education in chemical-dependency treatment per the JCPAA standard for the chosen tier (a CAC tier ladder runs up to CAC III).
  2. Supervision / experienceDocumented work experience and supervised hours across the eight addiction-counseling competencies.
  3. ExamPass the JCPAA certification examination.
  4. ApplicationApply to JCPAA with criminal-background and child-support (ASUME) certificates and CE evidence; recertify periodically.

Official Addiction & Substance Use Counseling resources

Social Work

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TS Provisional

Provisional Licensed Social Work Professional (Profesional del Trabajo Social Licenciado/a Provisional)

Required exam: Board licensure examination administered via the vendor PCS.

Scope: Authorizes supervised entry-level social-work practice while the holder completes the credits/experience needed to qualify for a permanent license.
  1. EducationBachelor’s degree with social-work coursework / specialization from a recognized university.
  2. Supervision / experiencePractice under supervision; provisional licensees have a statutory window to complete the 30 social-work credits needed to convert to permanent.
  3. ExamPass the board examination (filed through PCS).
  4. ApplicationFile the provisional-license application via pr.pcshq.com.
TS Permanente

Permanent Licensed Social Work Professional (Profesional del Trabajo Social Licenciado/a Permanente)

Required exam: Board licensure examination (same basis as provisional).

Scope: Full social-work practice in Puerto Rico; permanent licensees complete annual continuing education and must join (colegiar) the CPTSPR.
  1. EducationOne statutory route (Título 20 §844): bachelor’s plus two years of postgraduate social-work study; or bachelor’s plus one year of study and two years of experience; or a bachelor’s with social-work specialization (at least 30 credits) plus three or more years of experience.
  2. Supervision / experienceTwo to three years of satisfactory supervised practice in a recognized social-work agency for the experience-based routes (the master’s route substitutes the graduate degree).
  3. ExamPass the board examination.
  4. ApplicationFile the permanent-license application (by experience or by master’s) via pr.pcshq.com, then colegiar with the CPTSPR.

Official Social Work resources

Psychology

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Psicólogo

Licensed Psychologist (Psicólogo/a Licenciado/a)

Required exam: EPPP (ASPPB) plus a Puerto Rico ethics/legal/professional-competencies exam (or the board’s validated reválida), offered in Spanish and English.

Scope: Independent practice of psychology in Puerto Rico — assessment, diagnosis, psychotherapy, and related psychological services; clinical practice requires the doctoral pathway.
  1. EducationDoctoral degree (PhD or PsyD) in psychology for clinical psychology; for designated non-clinical specialties, a master’s with the relevant specialization, from an accredited university.
  2. Supervision / experienceSupervised professional experience per Reglamento 9314.
  3. ExamPass the EPPP at the ASPPB passing score and the Puerto Rico ethics/legal/professional-competencies exam (or the board reválida).
  4. ApplicationFile the licensure application with the Junta Examinadora de Psicólogos via ORCPS.

Official Psychology resources

All licenses

Puerto Rico licensing portals & background checks.

How to use this page. Each card shows the education, supervised experience, exam, and application steps for one Puerto Rico license, plus its scope of practice. Licensing rules change — always confirm current requirements with the official board before you apply. Verified against the official state boards in June 2026.

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