Counseling Licensure in New Hampshire

The state of New Hampshire only has one level of counseling licensure. The title is known as the Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (LCMHC). You will need to meet a number of requirements for educational attainment; supervised work experience logged and will need to pass an examination.

New Hampshire has the following set of pre-requisites for those seeking licensure to gain the LCMHC title:

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• You will need to complete your graduate level education and obtain a Master of Counseling degree from a Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) accredited school.
• Pass a criminal background check.
• Accumulate the necessary hours to complete the supervised experience requirement.
• Apply with the New Hampshire Board of Mental Health Practice to sit for the National Mental Health Counselor Examination (NMHCE) as administered by the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC) for the Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (LCMHC) title.
• Obtain three letters of professional reference.
• Apply to the New Hampshire Board of Behavioral Health and Therapy to receive your Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (LCMHC) title.
• Complete Board essay questions.

Educational Requirements

New Hampshire has the following educational requirements for licensure.

• You will first need to acquire your Bachelor’s degree in Counseling or a highly related Social or Behavioral Science field such as Psychology, Social Work or Human Services. Counseling degrees are preferred.
• The next step is to apply to and get accepted into a Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) accredited Master of Counseling program.

Supervised Experience

You must now accumulate the required supervised experience.

• You need to attain 3000 hours of supervised practice.
• This must be completed in a two year period.
• The total cannot be completed in less than 21 months.
• You must have a board authorized supervisor.

Apply for and Take Your NMHCE Exam

You are now ready to apply for and take your NMHCE.

• Apply with the New Hampshire Board of Mental Health Practice to take your National Mental Health Counselor Examination (NMHCE) as administered by the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC).
• Pass the NMHCE with a score acceptable under New Hampshire law.

Apply for Your LCMHC License

You are finally ready to complete your application and receive your LCMHC title.

• Apply with the New Hampshire Board of Mental Health Practice to receive your LCMHC title.
• Provide three professional references.
• Answer six essay questions put to you by the board.
  • You can find the appropriate form here:

License Renewal and Continuing Education

New Hampshire law states that you must renew your license every 2 years. You must also present evidence of continuing education at that time.

• You must complete 40 hours per year of continuing education.
• Six hours must be in ethics.

You will want to keep abreast of any potential changes to licensure law by periodically reviewing the state website which you can find here: