New Hampshire Counseling License

Counselor Licensing Requirements in New Hampshire

Counselor Licensing Requirements in New Hampshire require some dedication and focus. With the right information and determination, you can accomplish your goals.

We want to ensure that you are empowered with helpful information regarding pursuing the right licensing to work as a counselor in New Hampshire safely and securely.

In the state of New Hampshire, professional counselors are licensed as Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselors. In order to become a counselor, you are going to be required to complete a Master’s Degree, complete a clinical skills examination, and work for a few years under the supervision of a professional. If you have satisfied your overseen training requirements in New Hampshire, you are going to have candidate status while you are finishing your requirements.

New Hampshire Counselor Credential Titles

Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (LCMHC)

New Hampshire Counselor Education Requirements

All applicants shall have a master’s degree or doctoral degree in clinical mental health counseling from a CACREP-accredited institution OR have a 60-credit degree in clinical mental health counseling or its equivalent from a program that has received regional accreditation from the Association of Secondary Schools and Colleges. A minimum of one academic year of full-time graduate study in mental health counseling must be completed in residence at the institution granting the degree. There are 11 content areas.

*A degree from a CACREP-accredited program will be required beginning in 2022.

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New Hampshire Counselor Experiential Requirements

2 years/3,000 hours of paid post-master’s supervised clinical work experience in a mental health setting, to be completed in no more than 5 years. Each year shall not be less than 1,500 clock hours. 100 hours of face-to-face supervision provided by a state-licensed, board-approved, mental health professional is required.

New Hampshire Counseling Exams Required

NCMHCE and an essay exam provided by the board.

Requirements for Clinical Supervisors

The 2 years of post-master’s individual face-to-face supervision must be completed by a licensed clinical mental health counselor (psychologist, social worker, pastoral psychotherapist and marriage and family counselor no longer allowed).

Requirements for Out of State Applicants

New Hampshire does not have reciprocity with any other state. The board may license any applicant who is licensed in any other state, provided the other state’s licensure requirements are substantially equivalent to or higher than those of New Hampshire.

Scope of Practice

“MENTAL HEALTH PRACTITIONER” means persons licensed under this chapter as psychologists, pastoral psychotherapists, clinical social workers, clinical mental health counselors, or marriage and family therapists. For purposes of this chapter, the term clinical social worker shall include independent clinical social worker. “MENTAL HEALTH PRACTICE” means the observation, description, evaluation, interpretation, diagnosis, and modification of human behavior by the application of psychological and systems principles, methods, and procedures for the purpose of preventing or eliminating symptomatic, maladapted, or undesirable behavior and of enhancing interpersonal relationships, work and life adjustments, personal effectiveness, behavioral health, and mental health, as well as the diagnosis and treatment of the psychological and social aspects of physical illness, accident, injury, or disability. Mental health practice may include, but shall not be limited to, those services based on diagnosis and treatment of mental and emotional disorders and psycho-educational or consultative techniques integral to the treatment of such disorders when diagnosis is specified in the most current edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, published by the American Psychiatric Association, or an equivalent of such manual as determined by the board. Notwithstanding any other provision to the contrary, no person licensed or registered under this chapter shall assess the need for medications, prescribe medications, or otherwise practice medicine as defined in RSA 329. “SCOPE OF PRACTICE” means assessment, diagnosis, consultation, treatment recommendations and treatment of a person with a diagnosis or a concern specified in the current edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association (DSM) in accordance with RSA 330-A: 1.

Salary Outlook for Counselors in New Hampshire

In the state of New Hampshire, there is a lot of opportunities available for those willing to dedicate themselves to their career. Counselors in the state find career fulfillment in multiple aspects of their career with one of those aspects being salary. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a general counselor in New Hampshire will bring home a median salary between $35,320 and $56,990 per year. Now that you are familiar with the counselor licensing requirements in New Hampshire, visit our How to Become a Counselor in New Hampshire 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 for Counseling Licensure in New Hampshire

NH Board of Mental Health Practice 121 South Fruit St. Concord, New Hampshire 03301 603-271-6762 http://www.nh.gov/mhpb/licenseees.html License Application Review fee: $150

Sources: https://www.nhbar.org https://www.nh.gov