Nevada Counselor Licensing Requirements
Counselor Licensing Requirements Nevada are specific. We are providing you details here to make this process a bit easier for you.
We want you to know the options available to you when pursuing licensing to work as a professional counselor in Nevada. Knowing the counselor licensing requirements in Nevada will benefit you in the long term as you successfully work in practice as a counselor.
Professional counselors in Nevada are LCPC’s (Licensed Clinical Professional Counselors). The process to become an LCPC in Nevada includes schooling, passing the exams, and professional supervision. Initially, you’ll become a Licensed Clinical Counselor Intern in Nevada to begin your career.
The information that follows should provide a helpful overview to pursuing the appropriate counseling license in Nevada.
Nevada Counselor Credential Titles
Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC)
Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor Intern – Required before beginning supervised experience after obtaining valid master’s degree; valid for 3 years.
Nevada Counselor Education Requirements
Master’s degree or higher in mental health counseling or community counseling from a program approved by CACREP, “or equivalent program” of at least 48 semester hours and completion of the minimum required coursework, including three semester hour courses or four quarter hour courses in Supervised Clinical Practice by way of either practicum or internship in mental health counseling; accomplished over a period of one academic year.
Nevada Counselor Experiential Requirements
2 years/3,000 hours of post-master’s supervised counseling experience.
To include 1,500 hours of direct client contact, 1,200 hours in the practice of clinical professional counseling and 100 hours of direct supervision under an approved supervisor of which at least 1 hour per week was completed for each work setting at which the applicant provided counseling.
Nevada Counseling Exams Required
NCMHCE
Requirements for Clinical Supervisors
The composition of these required hours must meet Board approval. The registered Intern must perform the following activities in order to fulfill the requirements:
- A minimum of 1500 direct client contact hours, performed after applicant has become a Registered Intern.
- 300 hours of supervision, including a minimum of 160 provided by an Approved supervisor, and a minimum of 40 hours provided by a secondary supervisor(s).
The remaining required hours may be met in the same way, up to the required minimum total hours; or the following activities may be submitted for consideration by the Board as fulfillment of the requirements:
- A maximum of 300 hours as a group facilitator.
- A maximum of 150 hours of personal therapy, documented by a licensed mental health therapist.
- A maximum of 200 hours of documented teaching by the intern in such formats as parent education, family education, workshops, or similar teaching activities, to be agreed upon by the Primary Supervisor.
- A maximum of 50 hours, documented, in additional training, such as university graduate work, a pre-approved workshop, or other training/education activities agreed upon by the Primary Supervisor.
- A maximum of 500 hours of direct client contact, performed in a graduate program of study, documented, with supervision of at least 100 hours provided by a University Supervisor.”
Requirements for Out of State Applicants
The board will, after verifying that an applicant for licensure meets Nevada’s requirements and holds an active, equivalent license in good standing from another jurisdiction, issue an interim permit authorizing applicant to practice as a clinical professional counselor, under the supervision of a person approved by the board, until the results of the required examination are received. If the applicant does not pass the examination, the interim permit expires upon notification by the board. The interim permit is not renewable (NAC 641A.111).
Scope of Practice
“PRACTICE OF CLINICAL PROFESSIONAL COUNSELING” means the treatment, assessment and counseling or equivalent activities, to a person or group of persons to achieve mental, emotional, physical and social development and adjustment. The term, as defined by legislation, includes counseling interventions to prevent, diagnose and treat emotional or behavioral disorders which interfere with mental health. The term does not include:
The practice of psychology or medicine;
1. The prescription of drugs or electroconvulsive therapy;
2. The treatment of physical disease, injury or deformity;
3. The diagnosis or treatment of a psychotic disorder;
4. The use of projective techniques in the assessment of personality;
5. The use of psychological, neuropsychological or clinical tests designed to identify or classify abnormal or pathological human behavior;
6. The use of individually administered intelligence tests, academic achievement tests or neuropsychological tests;
or
7. The use of psychotherapy to treat the concomitants of organic illness except in consultation with a qualified physician or licensed clinical psychologist.
Salary Statistics for Counselors in Nevada
On average, a general counselor in the state of Nevada earns between $42,210 and $55,730 each year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Now that you are familiar with the counselor licensing requirements in Nevada, visit our How to Become a Counselor in Nevada 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 Licensing Requirements in Nevada
NV Board of Examiners for Marriage & Family Therapists and Clinical Professional Counselors
P.O. Box 370130
Las Vegas NV 89137-0130
702-486-7388
http://marriage.nv.gov/
Initial Application fee: $75
Issuance of Initial License: $50