Kentucky Counselor License Exam

To get licensed in Kentucky, Professional Counselors are required to take an exam covering such subjects as assessment and diagnosis, counseling and psychotherapy and professional ethics.  Whether you live in Louisville, Lexington, Bowling Green, or another city or county, the resources below will help you get started on the path to receive your Professional Counselor’s license.

Need of a License: A license is needed to work as a counselor in Kentucky. Licenses are granted by the Kentucky Board of Licensed Professional Counselors.

To qualify to become a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) in Kentucky, the following must be met:

• Obtain a graduate degree in counseling from an accredited school meeting credit limits.
• Meet supervised clinical experience requirements of 4,000 hours of post-graduate professional counseling, including at least 1600 hours of direct client contact, and at least 100 hours of supervision. Kentucky LPCC applicants are encouraged to have at least 10 hours of clinical experience in a jail or other correctional setting.
• An applicant must earn a passing score on the NCE (National Counselor Exam) or the National Clinical Mental Health Counselor Examination (NCMHCE).

How to Apply for Licensure

An application for licensure and other documentation can be obtained online. All documents must be sent to:

Board of Licensed Professional Counselors
P.O. Box 1360
Frankfort, KY 40602

1-502-564-3296, Ext. 239
1-502-564-4818 (fax)

Test Content of the NCE

The NCE consists of 200 multiple-choice questions and is administered over a four-hour period. The NCE covers the following six knowledge, skill and task domains:

• Professional Practice and Ethics
• Intake, Assessment and Diagnosis
• Areas of Clinical Focus
• Treatment Planning
• Counseling Skills and Interventions
• Core Counseling Attributes

The questions are aligned to the following CACREP Common Core Areas:

• Human Growth and Development
• Social and Cultural Diversity
• Counseling and Helping Relationships
• Group Counseling and Group Work
• Career Development
• Assessment and Testing
• Research and Program Evaluation
• Professional Orientation and Ethical Practice

For more information, see the NCE Candidate Handbook.

How to Apply to Take the Exam

Apply online to take the NCE.

Test content of the NCMHCE

The test format comprises of 12 to 14 case studies. Each case study is followed by 10 multiple-choice questions, divided into counseling phases: the intake and assessment phase, the first follow-up counseling session, and the second follow-up counseling session. Candidates will have one hour and 45 minutes to complete the exam.

Six different counseling domains will be addressed throughout these case simulations, to include:

• Intake, Assessment, and Diagnosis
• Treatment Planning
• Counseling Skills and Interventions
• Professional Practice and Ethics
• Core Counseling Attributes
• Areas of Clinical Focus, which is the given information provided in each case study

For more information, see the NCMHCE Candidate Handbook.

How to Apply to Take the Exam

Apply online to take the NCMHCE.

License Renewal and Continuing Education Requirements

To renew a license, regulations require 10 clock hours of continuing education in acceptable courses and programs offered by approved Continuing Education providers each annual license renewal period. As of December 17, 2014, this must include an approved Suicide Prevention Training.