How to Become a Licensed Professional Counselor in North Dakota

Becoming a Licensed Professional Counselor in North Dakota runs through the Board of Counselor Examiners (NDBCE). North Dakota uses a three-tier structure: Licensed Associate Professional Counselor (LAPC), then LPC, with the Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) available afterward as a specialty designation.

Step 1: Earn a Qualifying Master's Degree

You need a master's degree or higher in counseling. For the LPCC specialty later, the degree must be at least 60 semester hours with core clinical coursework; the Board currently also accepts 48-semester-hour degrees supplemented by additional coursework for general LPC purposes.

Step 2: Pass the NCE and Apply for Your LAPC

All LAPC and LPC applicants must take and pass the National Counselor Examination. The LAPC is a two-year license that requires an approved plan of supervision. The LAPC fee is $150.

Step 3: Complete Your Supervised Experience and Apply for LPC

During your two-year LAPC period, you need 400 hours of direct client counseling contact, along with 100 hours of individual supervision by an LPC or LPCC. The LPC application fee is $100.

Step 4: Pursue the LPCC Specialty (Optional)

LPCC applicants must already hold the LPC and complete 700 hours of clinical training within supervised practica or internships, then 2 years (3,000 hours) of post-master's supervised clinical counseling work experience, including 100 hours of direct post-master's clinical supervision (at least 60 of which must be individual, face-to-face). You'll also submit a recorded counseling session of at least 30 minutes and pass the NCMHCE, in addition to the NCE already required for LPC. The LPCC fee is $150.

Apply for Your License

Start or continue your application directly with North Dakota Board of Counselor Examiners (NDBCE), the official licensing authority. Applications submitted anywhere else won't be processed.

Apply on the Board's Website

A Note on Accuracy

This post reflects information from the North Dakota Board of Counselor Examiners and its published application packets. Licensing rules, fees, and statutes change. Verify current requirements directly at ndbce.org before making any licensure decision.

North Dakota's LPCC specialty, requiring both a taped counseling session and a second national exam on top of LPC status, is a heavier lift than the base LPC alone, so confirm which credential your intended employer actually requires before committing to the extra steps.