An applicant for licensure must meet the following requirements:

 

Earned a graduate degree in clinical mental health counseling as part of a program of higher learning accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). Please select this link for the educational requirements for applicants with graduate degrees in non-CACREP accredited programs;

 

Acquired three thousand hours of postgraduate experience under professional supervision, including a minimum of one hundred hours of direct professional supervision, in the practice of professional counseling, performed over a period of not less than two years. 

 

"Direct professional supervision" means face-to-face consultation between one supervisor, who is a professional described in subdivision (5) of this section, and one person receiving supervision that consists of not less than a monthly review with a written evaluation and assessment by the supervisor of such person's practice of professional counseling. 

Individuals completing the experience requirement in Connecticut are exempt from the licensure requirement only while completing the experience necessary to obtain licensure.  The exemption to the licensure requirement shall cease upon notification that the person did not successfully complete the licensing examination or one year after completion of such experience, whichever occurs first.

 

An applicant who is currently licensed or certified as a professional counselor or its equivalent in another state may substitute three (3) years of licensed or certified work experience in the practice of professional counseling in lieu of the postgraduate supervised experience outlined above.  Please arrange for a letter to be submitted directly to this office from the appropriate authority at the organization where the work experience occurred.  The letter must indicate that the applicant was employed as a professional counselor and provide dates of employment.

 

Successfully completed the National Counselor Examination for Licensure and Certification (NCE) or the National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination (NCMHCE) administered by the National Board for Certified Counselors.

 

If an applicant has not successfully completed the NCE or NCMHCE and wishes to sit for the examination for purposes of obtaining a Connecticut license, you need to register online via NBCC's website at http://www.nbcc.org/.  Choose the 'ProCounselor Login' tab in the upper right-hand corner of the page.  Select 'Register to Take a State Licensure Exam'.

 

Documentation Requirements:

 

An applicant for licensure shall arrange for the submission of following documentation directly from the source:

 

A transcript from the CACREP educational institution verifying the conferral of a clinical mental health graduate degree;

 

Verification from each state licensing authority where a license, certificate or registration as a professional counselor is, or has ever been held.  Most jurisdictions charge a fee for this service. The purpose of the verification is to document that the applicant has not be the subject of any type of disciplinary action;

 

Verification sent directly from the appropriate authority  of three thousand (3000) hours of postgraduate supervised experience and one hundred hours of postgraduate-degree supervision.; Please select this link for the required form.

 

A score report for the NCE or NCMHCE examination sent directly to this Department from the NBCC;