How to Become a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor in California
California was the last state to license professional counselors, launching the credential in 2012. Counselors here are called Licensed Professional Clinical Counselors (LPCCs), not LPCs, and the license is issued by the Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS). California also just cut most of its BBS fees in half on a temporary basis, so the numbers below are worth double-checking against the Board's current fee page.
Step 1: Earn a Qualifying Master's Degree
You need a 60-semester-unit master's or doctoral degree in counseling or psychotherapy from an accredited institution, including 6 semester units of supervised practicum or fieldwork and at least 15 semester units of advanced coursework.
Step 2: Register as an Associate Professional Clinical Counselor (APCC)
Before accruing supervised hours, you register with the BBS as an APCC. Under the Board's standard fee schedule, Associate Registration runs $150, though California's temporary fee reduction (in effect for payments made July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2030, under Business and Professions Code section 128.5(b)) cuts most BBS fees, including this one, by half. Confirm the exact current amount on bbs.ca.gov before paying.
Step 3: Complete Your Supervised Experience
California requires 3,000 hours of supervised clinical experience over a minimum of two years, documented through the BBS's Weekly Summary of Experience Hours and Experience Verification forms.
Step 4: Pass Two Exams
LPCC licensure requires passing both of the following:
California Law and Ethics Examination
National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination (NCMHCE), administered by NBCC through CCE
Step 5: Apply for Full LPCC Licensure
Submit your licensure application to the BBS with the current application fee (standard fee $250, subject to the temporary 50% reduction noted above). The DOJ Live Scan fingerprinting fee ($49) and the NCMHCE exam fee are set by other agencies and are not affected by BBS's fee reduction.
Apply for Your License
Start or continue your application directly with California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS), the official licensing authority. Applications submitted anywhere else won't be processed.
A Note on Accuracy
This post reflects information from the California Board of Behavioral Sciences, including its standard fee schedule and its temporary fee reduction under Business and Professions Code section 128.5(b). Because California's fees are actively changing through at least 2030, exact current amounts should be confirmed directly at bbs.ca.gov before you pay any fee.
California's LPCC path is one of the more document-heavy processes in the country, and the temporary fee reduction is a real reason to double-check the Board's site rather than an old guide, including this one, before submitting payment.
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