Mental Health Practitioners

Mental Health Counseling License Requirements

General Requirements

The practice of mental health counseling or use of the title "licensed mental health counselor" or the title "mental health counselor" or any derivative thereof within New York State requires licensure as a mental health counselor, unless otherwise exempt under the law.

To qualify for a license as a "licensed mental health counselor" in New York State you must:

• be of good moral character;
• be at least 21 years of age;
• meet education requirements;
• complete coursework or training in the identification and reporting of child abuse offered by a New York State approved provider;
• meet experience requirements; and
• meet examination requirements.

You must file an application for licensure and the other forms indicated, along with the appropriate fee, to the Office of the Professions at the address specified on each form. It is your responsibility to follow up with anyone you have asked to send us material.

The specific requirements for licensure are contained in Title 8, Article 163, Section 8402 of the New York State Education Law and Section 52.32 and Subpart 79-9 of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education.

You should also read the general licensing information applicable for all professions.

Fees

The fee for licensure and first registration is $345.

The fee for a limited permit is $70.

Fees are subject to change. The fee due is the one in law when your application is received (unless fees are increased retroactively). You will be billed for the difference if fees have been increased.

• Do not send cash.
• Make your personal check or money order payable to the New York State Education Department. Your cancelled check is your receipt.
• Mail your application and fee to:

  New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions
  PO Box 22063
  Albany, NY 12201

Partial Refunds

Individuals who withdraw their licensure application may be entitled to a partial refund.

• For the procedure to withdraw your application, contact the Mental Health Counseling Unit by e-mailing opunit5@mail.nysed.gov or by calling 518-474-3817 ext. 592 or by faxing 518-402-2323.
• The State Education Department is not responsible for any fees paid to an outside testing or credentials verification agency.

If you withdraw your application, obtain a refund, and then decide to seek New York State licensure at a later date, you will be considered a new applicant, and you will be required to pay the application fee and meet the licensure requirements in place at the time you reapply.

Education Requirements

To meet the professional education requirement for licensure as a mental health counselor, you must present evidence of receiving a master's or doctoral degree in counseling from a program that is:

• registered by the Department as licensure qualifying; or
• accredited by an acceptable accrediting agency*; or
• determined by the Department to be the substantial equivalent of such a registered or accredited program.

A program located outside the United States and its territories may be used to satisfy the professional education requirement if it:

• prepares individuals for the professional practice of mental health counseling; and
• is recognized by the appropriate civil authorities of that jurisdiction; and
• can be appropriately verified; and
• is determined by the Department to be the substantial equivalent of a registered licensure qualifying or acceptable accredited master's or doctoral program in mental health counseling.

Substantial Equivalence

To be considered substantially equivalent, your program must include at least 48** semester hours, or the equivalent, of graduate study that contains curricular content that includes but is not limited to the following areas:

• human growth and development;
• social and cultural foundations of counseling;
• counseling theory and practice;
• psychopathology;
• group dynamics;
• lifestyle and career development;
• assessment and appraisal of individuals, couples, families and groups;
• research and program evaluation;
• professional orientation and ethics;
• foundations of mental health counseling and consultation;
• clinical instruction; and
• include a minimum one year supervised internship or practicum in mental health counseling where one year means at least 600 clock hours.

Evidence of receipt of your degree(s) must be presented on Form 2 - Certification of Professional Education - and must be submitted directly to the Office of the Professions by the school(s) where you obtained your degree(s). In most cases, an official transcript is also needed.

In addition to the professional education requirement, every applicant for mental health counseling licensure or a limited permit must complete coursework or training in the identification and reporting of child abuse in accordance with Section 6507(3)(a) of the Education Law. You must submit a certificate of completion from an approved provider or file a certification of exemption before a New York State license or permit can be issued. You may request a list of approved providers by calling 518-474-3817 ext. 570. You may be eligible for exemption from the training if you can document, to the satisfaction of the Department, that your practice does not involve professional contact with persons under the age of 18 and that you do not have contact with persons 18 or older with a handicapping condition, who reside in a residential care school or facility.

Experience Requirements

To meet the experience requirement for licensure as a mental health counselor, you must submit documentation of completion of a supervised experience of at least 3,000 clock hours providing mental health counseling in a setting acceptable to the Department. The supervised experience must be obtained after completion of the master's degree program required for licensure.

To be acceptable to the Department, your supervised experience must meet the following supervision and setting requirements.

Supervision of Experience

Your supervisor must:

• have completed a master's or higher degree program in counseling, or in the subject of the field in which the supervisor is licensed (see below), or another field related to the field of counseling as determined by the Department; and
• be licensed and registered in New York State to practice mental health counseling, medicine, as a physician assistant, psychology, licensed clinical social work, or as a registered professional nurse or nurse practitioner, or must have the equivalent qualifications as determined by the Department*; and
• have at least three years of full-time experience, or the part-time equivalent, in mental health counseling. Practice on a full-time basis means 960 clock hours in the practice of mental health counseling earned over a 52-week period.

There must be contact between you and your supervisor during which:

• you apprise your supervisor of the assessment and treatment of each client;
• your cases are discussed with your supervisor;
• your supervisor must provide you with oversight and guidance in assessment and evaluation, treatment planning, completing psychosocial histories and progress notes, individual counseling, group counseling, psychotherapy, and consultation; and
• your supervisor must provide an average of one hour per week or two hours every other week of in-person individual or group supervision.

All supervised experience must be verified by your supervisor(s) on Form 4B - Certification of Supervised Experience. Acceptable verification should include an attestation by the actual supervisor. In cases where such attestation is not available, the Department may accept other documentation of the experience.

Setting for Experience

The setting in which the experience is obtained must be a location at which legally authorized individuals provide services that constitute the practice of mental health counseling, as defined in Education Law, and must be responsible for the services provided by individuals gaining experience for licensure. The setting cannot be a private practice owned or operated by the applicant.

The practice of mental health counseling is defined in Education Law as:

• the evaluation, assessment, amelioration, treatment, modification, or adjustment to a disability, problem, or disorder of behavior, character, development, emotion, personality or relationships by the use of verbal or behavioral methods with individuals, couples, families or groups in private practice, group, or organized settings; and
• the use of assessment instruments and mental health counseling and psychotherapy to identify, evaluate and treat dysfunctions and disorders for purposes of providing appropriate mental health counseling services.

Examination Requirements

Please note: New York State candidates for the mental health counselor licensing examinations must have completed their graduate program and received the graduate degree as a condition for admission to the examination. Applicants for licensure will not be approved to take the examination prior to receipt of the graduate degree.

To meet the examination requirement for licensure as a mental health counselor, you must pass the "National Clinical Mental Health Counselor (NCMHCE) Examination," administered by the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC), or an examination determined by the Department to be comparable in content. (Currently, no other examination has been determined to be comparable in content, and the National Counselor Examination from NBCC is not acceptable for licensure.)

Before being admitted to the examination for New York State licensure, you must:

1. Submit an Application for Licensure (Form 1) and fee ($345) to the New York State Education Department.
2. Ask your school to verify your education directly to the New York State Education Department on the Certification of Professional Education form (Form 2).
3. Receive notification of approval of your education and all application materials from the New York State Education Department. (We will notify you and the examination administrator when you have satisfied the examination eligibility requirements.)
4. Register directly with the examination administrator to take the examination after being notified of your eligibility.

Information regarding the examination, including examination format, select bibliography, and availability of study materials for purchase, may be obtained from the NBCC by contacting them at:

National Board for Certified Counselors
3 Terrace Way, Suite D
Greensboro, NC 27403-3660
Phone: 336-547-0607
Fax: 336-547-0017
E-mail: certification@nbcc.org
Web: www.nbcc.org

If you have sat for and passed the NCMHCE for another licensing jurisdiction, you will need to ask NBCC to submit your passing examination score directly to the Office of the Professions on your behalf, using the contact information above.

Reasonable Testing Accommodations

If you have a disability and may require reasonable testing accommodations for the examination, you must complete and submit a Request for Reasonable Testing Accommodations form. You may request a copy of the form by e-mailing opforms@mail.nysed.gov or by calling 518-474-3817 ext. 320 or by faxing 518-473-8222. You must mail the Request for Reasonable Testing Accommodations form to the address printed on that form, along with the required documentation. You will be notified in writing as to whether or not your request for accommodations has been approved. If your request is approved, it will be valid for 1 year from the date of the approval notification. A copy of your accommodation approval must be attached to your NCMHCE examination registration form. You may not test until your request for accommodations has been processed by the Department. If you schedule a test before your request for accommodations has been processed, you may lose any fee paid to the examination administrator. Please be sure to check the box in item 7 of your Application for Licensure (Form 1) if you are requesting accommodations.

Applicants Licensed In Another State

If you are or have been licensed/certified in another jurisdiction(s), you must request the licensing authority of the jurisdiction(s) to provide verification of your licensure/certification on Form 3 - Verification of Other Professional Licensure/Certification. You must meet all requirements for licensure in New York State.

Limited Permits

A limited permit allows an individual who has satisfied all requirements for licensure as a mental health counselor except the examination and/or experience requirements to practice mental health counseling under appropriate supervision while meeting the requirements. Limited permits are only issued for specific practice sites in New York State. Appropriate supervision and allowable practice sites are the same as those for the experience requirements. Effective January 1, 2006 one must be licensed or otherwise exempt to practice mental health counseling or supervise a permit holder. A supervisor who is not licensed in New York State, but has filed an application for licensure, may submit evidence of a credential acceptable to the Department. See Supervision of Experience and Setting for Experience sections in the Experience Requirements section for specific information.

The limited permit is valid for a period of two years. The permit may be extended for one additional year at the discretion of the Department if the Department determines that the permit holder has made good faith efforts to successfully complete the examination and/or experience requirements during the year but has not passed the licensing examination or completed the experience requirement, or has other good cause as determined by the Department for not completing the examination and/or experience requirement. To request an extension of your limited permit, you must submit a new Form 5 and a fee of $70 along with a justification for the extension.

You may apply for a limited permit by submitting the Application for Limited Permit (Form 5) and limited permit fee of $70 at the same time or any time after you submit your Application for Licensure (Form 1), licensure fee of $345, and evidence of satisfactory education.