Indiana Counseling License

Counselor Licensing Requirements in Indiana

We want to provide you some essential information about Counselor Licensing Requirements in Indiana to help you become properly licensed as a counselor in Indiana.

For you to become a Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) by the Indiana Behavioral Health and Human Services Licensing Board, you are going to have to meet requirements for the following categories: education, supervised practice, and examination.

You will gain information here that will be your guide through the process of most of the counseling licensure requirements in Indiana. To make sure that you are on the correct track and are completing the process correctly, contact the Indiana Behavioral Health and Human Services Licensing Board via email at: [email protected] or call them at: (317) 234-2064.

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Indiana Counselor Credential Titles

Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC)  Licensed Mental Health Counselor Associate (LMHCA) A counselor performing under supervision as a part of the supervised experience requirement (required after July 1, 2014) – cannot apply until AFTER degree is conferred.

Illinois Counselor Educational Requirements

Master’s degree or higher in an area related to mental health counseling from a CACREP or CORE accredited program, or “equivalent program,” from a regionally accredited institution which includes a minimum of 60 semester hours of graduate coursework in counseling in 12 specified content areas. Completion of a practicum (100 hours), internship (600 hours), and advanced internship (300 hours) with at least 100 hours of face-to-face supervision.

An area related to mental health counseling includes counseling, clinical social work, psychology, human services, human development, family relations, or programs accredited by CACREP or CORE.

Click here and discover what online counseling and psychology educational opportunities are a match for you!

Illinois Counselor Experiential Requirements

3,000 hours of postgraduate supervised clinical experience over a 21-48 month period. Does not start to count until approved as an LMHCA 100 hours of face-to-face supervision under an LMHC or equivalent supervisor is required.

Illinois Counselor Examinations

LMHC NCMHCE LMHCA NCE *If passing score is achieved on the initial try applicant can apply up to 1500 hours accrued. If passing score is not achieved, applicant can no longer accrue hours until passing score is achieved.

Illinois Requirements for Clinical Supervisors

Counselor educator or licensed as a mental health counselor, marriage and family therapist, clinical social worker, psychologist, psychiatrist, or a clinical nurse specialist in psychiatric or mental health nursing.

Illinois Requirements for Out of State Applicants

If an applicant qualifies for licensure in Indiana by endorsement, he or she is only actually exempted from the examination requirement itself. The following requirements must be met in order to be approved for licensure through endorsement: 1). Endorsement applicants must meet all of Indiana’s education and supervised experience requirements for the licensure being sought. 2.) The examination that applicant took to gain licensure in another state must be substantially equivalent to the examination required for licensure in Indiana. 3.) Endorsement applicants must be currently licensed or certified to practice in another state at the same level of licensure that the individual is applying for in Indiana. This license or certification must be current and in good standing. Endorsement applicants must have been actively engaged in the practice of mental health counseling for not less than three (3) out of the previous five (5) years. 4.) Endorsement applicants are required to pass a written jurisprudence examination covering the board’s statute (IC 25-23.6), rule (Title 839) and the Health Professions Standards of Practice (IC 25-1-9). You will be notified after the board reviews your application for licensure by exemption from examination and grants you approval to sit for the jurisprudence examination. The examination will be mailed to your address on file. A score of seventy-five (75) or above on the examination is passing. You will not be granted licensurein Indiana until you have successfully completed this examination.

Scope of Practice

“PRACTICE OF MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELING” means a specialty that:

1. Uses counseling and psychotherapeutic techniques based on principles, methods, and procedures of counseling that assist people in identifying and resolving personal, social, vocational, intrapersonal, and interpersonal concerns;
2. Uses counseling to evaluate and treat emotional and mental problems and conditions in a variety of settings, including mental and physical health facilities, child and family service agencies, or private practice, and including the use of accepted evaluation classifications, including classifications from the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) as amended and supplemented, but only to the extent of the counselor’s education, training, experience, and scope of practice as established by this article;
3. Administers and interprets appraisal instruments that the mental health counselor is qualified to employ by virtue of the counselor’s education, training, and experience;
4. Uses information and community resources for personal, social, or vocational development;
5. Uses individual and group techniques for facilitating problem solving, decision making, and behavioral change;
6. Uses functional assessment and vocational planning guidance for persons requesting assistance in adjustment to a disability or disabling condition;
7. Uses referrals for individuals who request counseling services; and
8. Uses and interprets counseling research.

The term does not include diagnosis (as defined in IC 25-22.5-1-1.1(c)).

Indiana Counselor Salary Outlook

Indiana counselors find fulfillment in their jobs in many ways. Counseling in the state of Indiana allows those who practice it to better those around them, while bringing home a good living for their own families. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a general counselor in Indiana earns between $34,050 and $66,550 per year. Now that you are familiar with the counselor licensing requirements in Indiana, visit our How to Become a Counselor in Indiana page for a more detailed look into the steps you will need to take to make your dream of becoming a counselor a reality.

Additional Information About Counselor Licensure in Indiana

IN Behavioral Health and Human Services Licensing Board 402 W. Washington Street, Room W072 Indianapolis, IN 46204 317-234-2064 www.in.gov/pla/social.htm Application fee: $50 Temporary permit: $25 (issued upon completion of the education and experience requirements and approval by the board to take the exam; valid for 180 days).

Source: http://www.in.gov/pla/social.htm http://web.oru.edu/