How to Become a Licensed Professional Counselor in Connecticut
Connecticut is unusual among states in that it has no separate counseling licensing board. Licensure is handled directly by the Department of Public Health's Health Care Practitioner Licensing and Investigations Section. Counselors here are Licensed Professional Counselors (LPCs), working first as a Professional Counselor Associate while completing supervised hours.
Step 1: Earn a Qualifying Master's Degree
Connecticut's exact degree requirements depend on when you matriculated into your graduate program: requirements differ for those who started before versus after July 1, 2017. In general, a graduate degree in clinical mental health counseling from a CACREP-accredited program is the most direct path; degrees with 60 graduate hours in counseling or a related mental health field, with specific coursework, may also qualify. Confirm which requirement set applies to you directly with the DPH.
Step 2: Register as a Professional Counselor Associate
You'll register as a Professional Counselor Associate to begin your supervised experience, working under a licensed professional counselor or another qualifying licensed supervisor.
Step 3: Complete Your Supervised Experience
Connecticut requires 3,000 hours of postgraduate supervised experience, including 100 hours of supervision by a licensed professional. If you're already licensed or certified as a professional counselor in another state, you may substitute three years of that licensed work experience for the postgraduate supervised experience requirement instead.
Step 4: Pass a Licensing Exam
Connecticut accepts either the National Counselor Examination (NCE) or the National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination (NCMHCE), both administered by the National Board for Certified Counselors.
Step 5: Apply for Full LPC Licensure
Submit your completed application, exam score report, supervised experience verification, and any required license verification from other states directly to the Connecticut DPH.
Apply for Your License
Start or continue your application directly with Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH), the official licensing authority. Applications submitted anywhere else won't be processed.
A Note on Accuracy
This post reflects information published by the Connecticut Department of Public Health. Because Connecticut's degree requirements vary by matriculation date and the DPH's fee schedule was not fully confirmed at the time of writing, verify current requirements and fees directly at portal.ct.gov before making any licensure decision.
Connecticut's matriculation-date rules mean two people with the same degree title can face different requirements. Confirm which version applies to you before assuming the general path above covers your situation.
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