How to Become a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor in Maryland
Maryland licenses counselors as Licensed Clinical Professional Counselors (LCPCs), through the Board of Professional Counselors and Therapists at the Maryland Department of Health. Before full licensure, you'll hold a Licensed Graduate Professional Counselor (LGPC) credential while completing supervised hours. As of June 20, 2026, the Board has moved applications and payments to a new online licensing system, so confirm current submission requirements before applying.
Step 1: Earn a Qualifying Master's Degree
You need a master's degree with at least 60 graduate semester credits (or a doctoral degree with at least 90 quarter credits) in professional counseling or a closely related field, from a regionally accredited institution the Board approves. Your program should include a supervised clinical practicum with a minimum of 125 face-to-face client contact hours. CACREP accreditation can help your program align with Maryland's coursework expectations.
Step 2: Apply for Your LGPC Credential
Submit your LGPC application with a $200 application fee. Once the Board confirms your application is complete, it notifies NBCC that you're cleared to register for the NCE. After you pass, you'll pay a $150 licensing fee to receive your LGPC license.
Step 3: Complete Your Supervised Experience
Maryland requires 3,000 hours of supervised clinical experience, with at least 1,500 hours of face-to-face client contact and 100 hours of supervision (at least 50 of which must be individual, not group). Your primary supervisor must be a Board-approved LCPC, and at least 50 percent of your total supervised hours must be under that LCPC specifically.
Step 4: Pass Two Exams
Full LCPC licensure requires passing both:
The National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination (NCMHCE)
The Maryland Law and Assessment exam, covering the Health Occupations Article, COMAR regulations, and professional ethics specific to Maryland
Step 5: Apply for Full LCPC Licensure
Submit your LCPC application with your supervised experience verification and exam scores. Application and licensing fees have historically run in the $200 to $350 range combined; confirm the current amount through the Board's new online system.
Renewing Your License
Maryland LCPC licenses renew every two years and require at least 40 hours of continuing education, with at least 30 of those hours in Category A activities such as courses, workshops, or authoring peer-reviewed material.
Apply for Your License
Start or continue your application directly with Maryland Board of Professional Counselors and Therapists, the official licensing authority. Applications submitted anywhere else won't be processed.
A Note on Accuracy
This post reflects information from the Maryland Board of Professional Counselors and Therapists, including its June 2026 transition to a new online licensing system. Licensing rules, fees, and statutes change, and reported fee figures varied across sources at the time of writing. Verify current requirements and fees directly at health.maryland.gov/bopc before making any licensure decision.
Maryland's two-exam requirement, the national NCMHCE plus its own state law exam, catches out-of-state applicants off guard more than almost anything else in this process, so budget time for both rather than assuming your national exam alone will clear you for licensure.
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