Missouri Revised Statutes

Mo. Rev. Stat. § 337.500 (2026)

Definitions

✓ current as of May 2026

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337.500. Definitions. — As used in sections 337.500 to 337.540, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the following words and phrases mean:

(1) "Committee or board", the committee for professional counselors;

(2) "Department", the Missouri department of commerce and insurance;

(3) "Director", the director of the division of professional registration;

(4) "Division", the division of professional registration;

(5) "Licensed professional counselor", any person who offers to render professional counseling services to individuals, groups, organizations, institutions, corporations, government agencies or the general public for a fee, monetary or otherwise, implying that the person is trained, experienced, and licensed in counseling, and who holds a current, valid license to practice counseling;

(6) "Practice of professional counseling", rendering, offering to render, or supervising those who render to individuals, couples, groups, organizations, institutions, corporations, schools, government agencies, or the general public any counseling service involving the application of counseling procedures, and the principles and methods thereof, to assist in achieving more effective intrapersonal or interpersonal, marital, decisional, social, educational, vocational, developmental, or rehabilitative adjustments;

(7) "Professional counseling", includes, but is not limited to:

(a) The use of verbal or nonverbal counseling or both techniques, methods, or procedures based on principles for assessing, understanding, or influencing behavior (such as principles of learning, conditioning, perception, motivation, thinking, emotions, or social systems);

(b) Appraisal or assessment, which means selecting, administering, scoring, or interpreting instruments designed to assess a person's or group's aptitudes, intelligence, attitudes, abilities, achievement, interests, and personal characteristics;

(d) Therapeutic vocational or personal or both rehabilitation in relation to coping with or adapting to physical disability, emotional disability, or intellectual disability or any combination of the three;

(e) Designing, conducting, and interpreting research;

(f) The use of group methods or techniques to promote the goals of counseling;

(g) The use of informational and community resources for career, personal, or social development;

(h) Consultation on any item in paragraphs (a) through (g) above; and

(i) No provision of sections 337.500 to 337.540, or of chapter 354 or 375, shall be construed to mandate benefits or third-party reimbursement for services of professional counselors in the policies or contracts of any insurance company, health services corporation or other third-party payer;

(8) "Provisional licensed professional counselor", any person who is a graduate of an acceptable educational institution, as defined by division rules, with at least a master's degree with a major in counseling, or its equivalent, and meets all requirements of a licensed professional counselor, other than the supervised counseling experience prescribed by subdivision (1) of section 337.510, and who is supervised by a person who is qualified for the practice of professional counseling.

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(L. 1985 S.B. 37 § 1, A.L. 1989 H.B. 738 & 720, A.L. 1996 S.B. 604, et al., A.L. 2006 S.B. 756, A.L. 2008 S.B. 788)

Notes of Decisions

Cited in 7 cases (2 in the last 5 years), 1988–2025 · leading case: Johnson v. State, 58 S.W.3d 496 (Mo. 2001).

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Johnson v. State, 58 S.W.3d 496 (Mo. 2001). · cites it 2× “” “Professional counseling” and “practice of professional counseling,” phrases defined in section 337.500, are not defined to include “diagnoses” of any sort, but do include “[ajppraisal or assessment, which means selecting, administering, scoring, or interpreting instruments…”

State v. Ward, 745 S.W.2d 666 (Mo. 1988). · cites it 2× “— No person shall use the title of "professional counselor" or engage in the practice of professional counseling in this state unless he is licensed as required by the provisions of sections 337.500 to 337.545. Sections 337.”

State v. Montgomery, 64 S.W.3d 328 (Mo. Ct. App. 2001). · cites it 4× “The court stated that “ ‘[professional counseling’ and ‘practice of professional counseling’, phrases defined in section 337.500 [RSMo.2000], are not defined to include ‘diagnoses of any sort’, but do include “[ajppraisal or assessment, which means selecting, administering,…”

State v. Edwards, 918 S.W.2d 841 (Mo. Ct. App. 1996). · cites it 2× “Though the record reveals that Manade was also trained to become a licensed professional counselor as defined by section 337.500(4), he had not received his licensure at the time of his involvement in K.”

Dorris v. Missouri Substance Abuse Counselors' Certification Bd., Inc., 10 S.W.3d 557 (Mo. Ct. App. 1999). · cites it 2× “abuse counselors certified by MSACCB are specifically exempted from the professional counselor statutory licensure requirements: No person shall use the title of “professional counselor”, “counselor” or “provisional licensed professional counselor” or engage in the practice of…”

Thomas Hernandez v. Missouri Dep't of Soc. Servs., Child.'s Div. (Mo. Ct. App. 2025). · cites it 2× “Under Section 337.500(5), “Licensed professional counselor” is “any person who offers to render professional counseling services to individuals, couples, groups, …implying that the person is trained, experienced, and licensed in counseling, and who holds a current, valid license…”

In the Matter of the Care & Treatment of Eric Helm a/k/a Eric T. Helm a/k/a Eric Thomas Helm v. State of Missouri (Mo. Ct. App. 2023). · cites it 2× “" Section 337.500(5). 13 and that the statements were thus inadmissible during the SVP trial because, although the exception created by section 632.”

— Mo. Rev. Stat. § 337.500(4) — 1 case

State v. Edwards, 918 S.W.2d 841 (Mo. Ct. App. 1996). “Though the record reveals that Manade was also trained to become a licensed professional counselor as defined by section 337.500(4), he had not received his licensure at the time of his involvement in K.”

— Mo. Rev. Stat. § 337.500(5) — 2 cases

Thomas Hernandez v. Missouri Dep't of Soc. Servs., Child.'s Div. (Mo. Ct. App. 2025). “Under Section 337.500(5), “Licensed professional counselor” is “any person who offers to render professional counseling services to individuals, couples, groups, …implying that the person is trained, experienced, and licensed in counseling, and who holds a current, valid license…”

In the Matter of the Care & Treatment of Eric Helm a/k/a Eric T. Helm a/k/a Eric Thomas Helm v. State of Missouri (Mo. Ct. App. 2023). “" Section 337.500(5). 13 and that the statements were thus inadmissible during the SVP trial because, although the exception created by section 632.”

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