Counselor Licensure Requirements by State

All 50 states of the United States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico possess counselor licensure and school counseling certification. For many states, possessing a 60-hour master’s degree in counseling from a CACREP-accredited program meets the educational and Practicum/Internship requirements needed to pursue licensure and/or certification.

However, some states have course requirements and Practicum/Internship requirements in addition to having a degree from a CACREP-accredited program. Since the Counseling Program at ULM accepts students from all over the United States, the counseling faculty provide the resource below so students and applicants can determine if the state in which they want to pursue licensure and certification has any extra requirements. If so, students can work with faculty to build these requirements into their plan of study.  

Below is a table that depicts the licensure board websites for all 50 states of the union, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. The table possesses the following resources: 

• The homepage for each counseling board website,
• A link to the specific education requirements for each state,
• A list of any additional required courses,
• What courses the Counseling Program at ULM can provide to meet those requirements
• Any additional Practicum/Internship requirements for each state
• How the Counseling Program at ULM can meet these additional Practicum/Internship requirements

State counselor licensure boards periodically change their requirements, so we encourage students and applicants to double-check the information on the table to substantiate the content is still accurate.

School Counseling Certification 

Currently, we are creating a table for the school counseling certification standards for all fifty states. Until that table is complete, the following link will take you to the ASCA website that will describe each state's requirements. 

School Counseling Certification: Click Here

 

 

State	State Licensure Board Websites	Education Requirements	Additional course requirements for licensure beyond CACREP?	If yes, what courses can ULM's Counseling Program provide?	Additional Practicum/Internship requirements for licensure beyond CACREP?	If yes, can ULM's Counseling Program provide this?	Additional State Workshops Needed for Licensure
Alabama	Alabama Board of Examiners in Counseling	Alabama	None		None
Alaska	Board of Professional Counselors	Alaska	Marriage and Family Course	COUN 6060: Intoduction to Marriage/Couples/Family Counseling; MAFT 7014: Couple and Marital Therapy	None
Arizona	Board of Behavioral Health Examiners	Arizona	None		None
Arkansas	Arkansas Board of Examiners in Counseling and Marriage & Family Therapy	Arkansas	Marriage and Family Course, Use of Technology in Counseling/Therapy	COUN 6060: Intoduction to Marriage/Couples/Family Counseling; MAFT 7014: Couple and Marital Therapy	None
California	Board of Behavorial Sciences	California	Psychopharmacology, Addiction Counseling, Crisis or Trauma Counseling	COUN 5055: Psychopharmacology in Cousneling; COUN 5025 Addiction Counseling; COUN 6069 Crisis Counseling; COUN 6040 Trauma Counseling	*Please note that California has specific requirements that students will have to complete in California. The Counseling Program at ULM can fulfill many of the general requirements, but not the specific ones.	Here we provide additional resources that students in CA can use to meet these extra requirements. Guide for Out-of-State degrees  Flow Chart for Out of State Degrees Resource to Meet the Extra Requirments	-
Colorado	State Board of Licensed Professional Counselor Examiners	Colorado	None		None
Connecticut	Connecticut Department of Public Health	Connecticut	Trama/Crisis, Addiction/ Substance Abuse	COUN 6040: Trauma Counseling; COUN 6069: Crisis Counseling; COUN 5025: Addiction Counseling; COUN 5026: Advanced Addiction Counseling	None
Delaware	Board of Mental Health and Chemical Dependency Professionals	Delaware	None		None
District of Columbia	Board of Professional Counseling	District of Columbia	Marriage and Family Counseling	COUN 6060: Intoduction to Marriage/Couples/Family Counseling; MAFT 7014: Couple and Marital Therapy	None
Florida	Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage & Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling	Florida	Human Sexuality, Substance Abuse	COUN 6062: Human Sexuality in Counseling; COUN 5025: Addiction Counseling; COUN 5026: Advanced Addiction Counseling	None		Laws and Rules Course, Domestic Violene Course, HIV/Aids Course
Georgia	Secretary of State Professional Licensing Boards Division	Georgia	None		None
Hawaii	Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs	Hawaii	Tests and Measurements	PSYC 5015: Psychopathology from the ULM Psychology Program	None
Idaho	Idaho Licensing Board of Professional Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists	Idaho	None		1,000 hours supervised experience 400 hours being direct	Students can take an additional COUN 6070: Internship course
Illinois	Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation	Illinois	Substance Abuse, Family Dynamics	COUN 6060: Intoduction to Marriage/Couples/Family Counseling; MAFT 7014: Couple and Marital Therapy; COUN 5025: Addiction Counseling; COUN 5026: Advanced Addiction Counseling;	None
Indiana	Behavioral Health and Human Services Licensing Board	Indiana	None		Advanced Intership of 300 hours, separate from the 600 hour Internship requirement	Students can take an additional COUN 6070: Internship course
Iowa	Bureau of Professional Licensure	Iowa	Psychopathology	PSYC 5015: Psychopathology from the ULM Psychology Program	None
Kansas	Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board	Kansas	None		None
Kentucky	Kentucky Board of Licensed Professional Counselors	Kentucky	None		None
Louisiana	LA LPC Board of Examiners	Louisiana	None		None
Maine	Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation	Maine	None		None
Maryland	Maryland Department of Health	Maryland	Marriage and Family, Alcohol and Drug Counseling	COUN 6060: Intoduction to Marriage/Couples/Family Counseling; MAFT 7014: Couple and Marital Therapy; COUN 5025: Addiction Counseling; COUN 5026: Advanced Addiction Counseling	None
Massachusetts	Board of Registration of Allied Mental Health and Human Services Professions	Massachusetts	None		None
Michigan	Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs	Michigan	None		None
Minnesota	Minnesota Board of Behavioral Health & Therapy	Minnesota	Family Counseling and Therapy	COUN 6060: Intoduction to Marriage/Couples/Family Counseling; MAFT 7014: Couple and Marital Therapy	None
Mississippi	State Board of Examiners for Licensed Professional Counselors	Mississippi	Marriage and Family Therapy	COUN 6060: Intoduction to Marriage/Couples/Family Counseling; MAFT 7014: Couple and Marital Therapy	None
Missouri	Missouri Division of Professional Registration	Missouri	None		None
Montana	Montana Department of Labor & Industry	Montana	None		None
Nebraska	Nebraska Department of Health & Human Services	Nebraska	None		280 Hours of direct supervision	Yes
Nevada	Board of Examiners for Marriage and Family Therapists & Clinical Professional Counselors	Nevada	None		None
New Hampshire	Office of Professional Licensure and Certification	New Hampshire	Addictive Behaviors	COUN 5025: Addiction Counseling; COUN 5026: Advanced Addiction Counseling;	None
New Jersey	Professional Counselor Examiners Committee	New Jersey	None		None
New Mexico	New Mexico Regulation & Licensing Department	New Mexico	None		None
New York	New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions	New York	None		None
North Carolina	North Carolina Board of Licensed Professional Counselors	North Carolina	None		None
North Dakota	North Dakota Board of Counselor Examiners	North Dakota	None		None
Ohio	Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage & Family Therapist Board	Ohio	None		None
Oklahoma	State Board of Behavioral Health Licensure (BBHL)	Oklahoma	One additional course in one of the following areas: Marriage and Family, Addiction, Human Sexuality, Psychopharmacology, Gerontology, Crisis, Counseling Children/Adolescents	COUN 6060: Intoduction to Marriage/Couples/Family Counseling; MAFT 7014: Couple and Marital Therapy; COUN 5025: Addiction Counseling; COUN 5026: Advanced Addiction Counseling; COUN 6062 Human Sexuality; COUN 5055 Psychopharmacology in Counseling; COUN 6069: Crisis Counseling; COUN 6068 Play Therapy; GERO 5012 Social Gerontology	None
Oregon	Board of Licensed Professional Counselors and Therapists	Oregon	None		None
Pennsylvania	Pennsylvania Department of State	Pennsylvania	None		None
Puerto Rico	Board of Examiners of Professional Counselors	Puerto Rico	None		None
Rhode Island	Department of Health	Rhode Island	None		None
South Carolina	South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation	South Carolina	None		None
South Dakota	Board of Examiners for Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists	South Dakota	None		None
Tennessee	Board of Licensed Professional Counselors, Licensed Marital and Family Therapists and Licensed	Tennessee	None		None
Texas	Texas State Board of Examiners of Professional Counselors Texas Department of State Health	Texas	Addiction Counseling, Marriage and Family Counseling, Psychopathology	PSYC 5015: Psychopathology from the ULM Psychology Program; COUN 6060: Intoduction to Marriage/Couples/Family Counseling; MAFT 7014: Couple and Marital Therapy; COUN 5025: Addiction Counseling; COUN 5026: Advanced Addiction Counseling	None
Utah	Utah Department of Commerce Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing	Utah	Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders	COUN 5025: Addiction Counseling; COUN 5026: Advanced Addiction Counseling	None
Vermont	Vermont Secretary of State Board of Allied Mental Health	Vermont	At least two of these: Marriage and Family Counseling, Substance Abuse Counseling, Psychopharmacology, Crisis, Human Sexuality,	COUN 6060: Intoduction to Marriage/Couples/Family Counseling; MAFT 7014: Couple and Marital Therapy; COUN 5025: Addiction Counseling; COUN 5026: Advanced Addiction Counseling; COUN 6062 Human Sexuality; COUN 5055 Psychopharmacology in Counseling; COUN 6069: Crisis Counseling	None
Viginia	Virginia Board of Counseling	Virginia	Addiction Counseling, Marriage and Family Counseling	COUN 5025: Addiction Counseling; COUN 5026: Advanced Addiction Counseling; COUN 6060: Intoduction to Marriage/Couples/Family Counseling; MAFT 7014: Couple and Marital Therapy	None
Washington	Washington State Department of Health	Washington	None		None
West Virginia	West Virginia Board of Examiners in Counseling	West Virginia	Addiction Counseling, Marriage and Family Counseling; Five or more classes in these subject areas: Psychopharmacology, Human Sexuality, Crisis Intervention, biological basis of behavior, Counseling Interventions, Special Populations, Rehab Counseling, advanced core courses	COUN 6060: Intoduction to Marriage/Couples/Family Counseling; MAFT 7014: Couple and Marital Therapy; COUN 5025: Addiction Counseling; COUN 5026: Advanced Addiction Counseling; COUN 6062 Human Sexuality; COUN 5055 Psychopharmacology in Counseling; COUN 6069: Crisis Counseling, see our complete list of electives	None
Wisconsin	MPSW Examining Board DSPS	Wisconsin	Crisis/Trauma Counseling, Psychopathology, Addictions, Marriage and Family	COUN 6060: Intoduction to Marriage/Couples/Family Counseling; MAFT 7014: Couple and Marital Therapy; COUN 5025: Addiction Counseling; COUN 5026: Advanced Addiction Counseling COUN 6069: Crisis Counseling; COUN 6040: Trauma Counseling; PSYC 5015: Psychopathology from the ULM Psychology Program	None
Wyoming	Wyoming Mental Health Profession Licensing Board	Wyoming	None		None

 

Last Updated: December 2023