Md. Code, Health Occupations § 17-401
This is the official text of Md. Code, Health Occupations § 17-401, part of Maryland’s Code, Health Occupations — governs the licensing of healthcare professionals.
Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.
§17–401.
Official statutory text
(a) (1) This subsection only applies to individuals certified by the Board as a certified professional counselor or certified professional counselor–marriage and family therapist on or before September 30, 2008.
(2) (i) An individual shall be certified as a professional counselor by the Board before the individual may:
1. Use the title “certified professional counselor”;
2. Use the initials “C.P.C.” after the name of the individual; or
3. Represent to the public that the individual is certified as a professional counselor.
(ii) A certificate to practice professional counseling issued by the Board authorizes the certificate holder to practice professional counseling while the certificate is effective.
(3) (i) An individual shall be certified as a professional counselor–marriage and family therapist by the Board before the individual may:
1. Use the title “certified professional counselor–marriage and family therapist”;
2. Use the initials “C.P.C.–M.F.T.” after the name of the individual; or
3. Represent to the public that the individual is certified as a certified professional counselor–marriage and family therapist.
(ii) A certificate to practice marriage and family therapy issued by the Board authorizes the certificate holder to practice marriage and family therapy while the certificate is effective.
(b) (1) An individual shall be certified as a certified professional counselor–alcohol and drug by the Board before the individual may:
(i) Use the title “certified professional counselor–alcohol and drug”;
(ii) Use the initials “C.P.C.–A.D.” after the name of the individual; or
(iii) Represent to the public that the individual is certified as a certified professional counselor–alcohol and drug.
(2) An individual shall be certified as a certified associate counselor–alcohol and drug by the Board before the individual may:
(i) Use the title “certified associate counselor–alcohol and drug”;
(ii) Use the initials “C.A.C.–A.D.” after the name of the individual; or
(iii) Represent to the public that the individual is certified as a certified associate counselor–alcohol and drug.
(3) An individual shall be certified as a certified supervised counselor–alcohol and drug by the Board before the individual may:
(i) Use the title “certified supervised counselor–alcohol and drug”;
(ii) Use the initials “C.S.C.–A.D.” after the name of the individual; or
(iii) Represent to the public that the individual is certified as a certified supervised counselor–alcohol and drug.
(4) A certificate to practice alcohol and drug counseling issued by the Board authorizes the certificate holder to practice alcohol and drug counseling while the certificate is effective.
(2) (i) An individual shall be certified as a professional counselor by the Board before the individual may:
1. Use the title “certified professional counselor”;
2. Use the initials “C.P.C.” after the name of the individual; or
3. Represent to the public that the individual is certified as a professional counselor.
(ii) A certificate to practice professional counseling issued by the Board authorizes the certificate holder to practice professional counseling while the certificate is effective.
(3) (i) An individual shall be certified as a professional counselor–marriage and family therapist by the Board before the individual may:
1. Use the title “certified professional counselor–marriage and family therapist”;
2. Use the initials “C.P.C.–M.F.T.” after the name of the individual; or
3. Represent to the public that the individual is certified as a certified professional counselor–marriage and family therapist.
(ii) A certificate to practice marriage and family therapy issued by the Board authorizes the certificate holder to practice marriage and family therapy while the certificate is effective.
(b) (1) An individual shall be certified as a certified professional counselor–alcohol and drug by the Board before the individual may:
(i) Use the title “certified professional counselor–alcohol and drug”;
(ii) Use the initials “C.P.C.–A.D.” after the name of the individual; or
(iii) Represent to the public that the individual is certified as a certified professional counselor–alcohol and drug.
(2) An individual shall be certified as a certified associate counselor–alcohol and drug by the Board before the individual may:
(i) Use the title “certified associate counselor–alcohol and drug”;
(ii) Use the initials “C.A.C.–A.D.” after the name of the individual; or
(iii) Represent to the public that the individual is certified as a certified associate counselor–alcohol and drug.
(3) An individual shall be certified as a certified supervised counselor–alcohol and drug by the Board before the individual may:
(i) Use the title “certified supervised counselor–alcohol and drug”;
(ii) Use the initials “C.S.C.–A.D.” after the name of the individual; or
(iii) Represent to the public that the individual is certified as a certified supervised counselor–alcohol and drug.
(4) A certificate to practice alcohol and drug counseling issued by the Board authorizes the certificate holder to practice alcohol and drug counseling while the certificate is effective.
Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site
Need a lawyer in Maryland?
Find a Maryland lawyer
About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the
Open US Law dataset
(Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine
(Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.