Are There "No Limits" to a License to......Counsel?

No Limits "Christ Based" Counseling Ministries, Inc.'s "Team Biographies" page  (as shown on August 28, 2011) says that Pastor Clark Williams, Sr., is a  "Licensed and certified Christ Base counselor":

Licensed and certified? That's good to know.  The mission of the State's Counselor licensing board is "To protect the public health, safety and welfare through the licensure and regulation of those who provide counseling services in Idaho."  So, if someone is providing counseling in the State of Idaho, they ought to be licensed by the State of Idaho, in order that the public can be assured the counselor meets certain criteria, hasn't done anything which would result in the revocation of a counseling license or some such, right?

Let's check the State of Idaho's Counselor License and Registration records search page:

Type in the last name "Williams" and we get all of the Licensed counselors with the last name "Williams" in the State of Idaho- all seven of them. None of them are Clark Williams, Sr., Pastor of No Limits Christ Based Counseling Ministries, Inc.
Maybe the claim to be "Licensed" on his webpage is an isolated mistake?
No, he seems to be pretty sure of being "licensed"- he repeats the claim two more times in the court filings:

"I, Clark D. Williams, Sr., make this declaration.....I am an ordained pastor, licensed Christian counselor, and resident of Mountain Home, Idaho..."

And in the original complaint: "...when Clark D. Williams, Sr., an ordained pastor and a licensed Christian counselor...."

Absurdly, "Christian" counselors aren't required to be licensed at all.  Idaho Code 54-3402 states the requirements to be licensed as a counselor in Idaho, then yanks the protective rug out from under the public with this dandy little nugget of horseshit at the very end:

Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to apply to the activities and services of any religious denomination or sect or faith-based counseling of any kind.

Wait, what?
That's right.  He doesn't need a license- because it's "Christ Based" Counseling!
So he doesn't even need to claim to be licensed.  Unless he's seeking some other stamp of validity than the "Christ Based" nature of the counseling he's delivering.
There's a problem with that, though.  All the non-"Christ Based" counselors out there who have had to go through a lot of state-mandated hours of training and a state  licensure process don't like being lumped into the same group with those who have not had to so comply.  And the State, fulfilling its mission of protecting the public from unscrupulous counselors, does so "through the licensure and regulation of those who provide counseling services in Idaho."      

But the State, through this extensive licensure and regulation process, probably wouldn't want to put the stamp of approval on anyone who, by specific exemption or not, hadn't gone through that process.  So the state code that lets anyone with a Bible call themselves a "Christian Couneselor" is also pretty clear that they can't also call themselves "licensed" unless they've complied with all the provisions of the licensing code:

54-3402. License required -- Exemptions. It shall be unlawful for any person to engage in any of the following acts:

(1)  To practice professional counseling or marriage and family therapy for compensation without first having complied with the provisions of this chapter and without a valid license as required by this chapter.

(2)  To represent himself/herself to be a licensed professional counselor or licensed counselor or licensed marriage and family therapist or licensed associate marriage and family therapist unless he/she shall first obtain a license pursuant to this chapter.

 That means if you wanna say you're licensed, you gotta have a license.  If you don't need a license because Jesus is your supervisor, by all means, don't get one. But don't tell the public you have one, unless you're clear that your license is from Jesus, and not from the Idaho Licensing Board of Professional Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists. 

Hmm.  maybe his license is from somewhere else, then?

Fine.  Tell us, clearly wherefrom this "license" was obtained.  According to the State Bureu of Occupational Licenses, it ain't from Idaho.

Incidentally, here is a list of all the Licensed Professional Counselors with 83647 as their Zip code:

BRESLIN, GLENDA K

CRENSHAW, LYNN W

DE SANTIS, TIMOTHY

DELANGE, TALMAGE W

DOBSON, WILLIAM A IV

FRAZIER-SHEWMAKER, BONITA J

GARAY, PAULA

GINGERICH, COLLEEN M

HAMM, JEFFREY M

JENKS, BARRY E

JEWELL, CHARLES M

LUTZ, LARRY II

MONASTERIO, FRANK C

MORISETTE, JOSEPH P

RILEY, STEPHAN

SELLS, LISA N

STROHM, JENNIFER

WILKINSON, ROBERT S

We'll deal with the word "Certified" and the source of Williams' "certification" in the next entry.