How to Become a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in Florida
Florida doesn't use the title LPC. Counselors here are Licensed Mental Health Counselors (LMHCs), licensed by the Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy, and Mental Health Counseling. Before full licensure, you'll register as a Registered Mental Health Counselor Intern (RMHCI).
Step 1: Earn a Qualifying Master's Degree
You need a master's degree of at least 60 semester hours (or 80 quarter hours), covering all 12 of the Board's required content areas, including specific coursework in human sexuality and substance abuse. A CACREP-accredited clinical mental health counseling degree is presumed to meet most Florida coursework requirements, with the possible exception of those two specific areas, which must still be documented. Your program must also include a 1,000-hour practicum meeting CACREP standards or university-sponsored equivalent.
Step 2: Register as an RMHCI
You'll register as an intern to begin accruing supervised hours under a qualified supervisor.
Step 3: Complete Your Supervised Experience
Florida requires at least 1,500 hours of face-to-face psychotherapy with clients over a minimum of two years, along with at least 100 hours of supervision, at a ratio of roughly one supervision hour for every 15 hours of psychotherapy, with a minimum of one supervision hour every two weeks.
Step 4: Pass the NCMHCE
Florida requires the National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination, administered by NBCC through the Center for Credentialing and Education. The registration fee is $350 for an initial attempt and $275 for a re-exam. Unlike some states, Florida does not require Board approval before you register to sit for this exam.
Step 5: Complete Pre-Licensure Coursework
Before full licensure, Florida also requires:
An 8-hour Florida Laws and Rules course
A 3-hour HIV/AIDS course
A 2-hour domestic violence course, completed within 6 months of licensure
Step 6: Apply for Full LMHC Licensure
The standard application fee is $100, plus a $105 initial licensure fee and a $5 unlicensed activity fee, for a total of $210.
Renewing Your License
Florida LMHC licenses expire March 31 of odd-numbered years. Renewal requires 25 hours of general continuing education, plus 2 hours on medical errors, 3 hours on ethics/boundaries or telehealth, 3 hours on laws and rules, and 2 hours on domestic violence.
Apply for Your License
Start or continue your application directly with Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage & Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling, the official licensing authority. Applications submitted anywhere else won't be processed.
A Note on Accuracy
This post reflects information from the Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy, and Mental Health Counseling. Licensing rules, fees, and statutes change. Verify current requirements directly with the Board at floridasmentalhealthprofessions.gov before making any licensure decision.
Florida's title (LMHC, not LPC) trips up out-of-state applicants more than any other part of the process, so confirm you're searching the right credential when you cross-reference other states' rules against Florida's.
Comments