How to Become a Licensed Professional Counselor in Georgia
Becoming a Licensed Professional Counselor in Georgia runs through the Georgia Composite Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers, and Marriage and Family Therapists. Georgia recently went live as a member of the Counseling Compact, an interstate agreement that can ease multistate practice once you hold full licensure.
Step 1: Earn a Qualifying Master's Degree
You need a master's degree or higher in professional counseling or a closely related field, from a regionally accredited institution, with at least 60 semester hours (or 90 quarter hours). Your program should include a supervised practicum or internship: at least 600 hours for degrees completed after September 30, 2018, or 300 hours for earlier degrees.
Step 2: Apply for Your Associate Professional Counselor (APC) Credential
The APC application fee is $100. You'll file a Board-approved Directed Experience Under Supervision Contract identifying your worksite and qualified supervisor. APC status is limited to five years while you accrue LPC experience.
Step 3: Complete Your Supervised Experience
Georgia requires 3,000 hours of supervised post-master's counseling experience, with at least 1,000 hours of direct client contact, under an approved supervisor.
Step 4: Pass a Licensing Exam
Georgia accepts either the National Counselor Examination (NCE) or the National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination (NCMHCE). You'll need Board approval before registering for either.
Step 5: Apply for Full LPC Licensure
The LPC application fee is $100. Once approved, you can practice independently and, per the Counseling Compact, potentially in other Compact member states without a separate license in each.
Renewing Your License
Georgia requires 35 hours of continuing education within each two-year renewal cycle, including at least 5 hours in professional ethics, completed synchronously. No more than 10 hours may come from asynchronous, self-study formats.
Apply for Your License
Start or continue your application directly with Georgia Composite Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers, and Marriage and Family Therapists, the official licensing authority. Applications submitted anywhere else won't be processed.
A Note on Accuracy
This post reflects information from the Georgia Composite Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers, and Marriage and Family Therapists, current as of the state's 2026 Counseling Compact launch. Licensing rules, fees, and statutes change. Verify current requirements directly with the Board at sos.ga.gov before making any licensure decision.
Georgia's Counseling Compact status is new enough that it's worth confirming current portability rules directly with the Board if multistate practice is part of your plan, rather than assuming last year's rules still apply.
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