Professional Counseling Licensure in Oregon

How to Become a Professional Counselor in Oregon

The basic requirements for licensing as a Professional Counselor are:

Professional counselor with a child during play therapy

Graduates with a master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling or a master's degree in marriage, couple, and family counseling are eligible to apply to become professional counselor associates with the Oregon Board of Licensed Professional Counselors and Therapists (OBLPCT) for LPC licensure. The OBLPCT is the authority for licensing requirements.

Review the OBLPCT website for detailed information about the required academic education, post-graduation supervised clinical experience and national competency exam. Requirements for accrual of supervised hours, criminal records background check/fingerprinting and national exam toward the professional counselor license (LPC) can be found on oregon.gov.

Licensure Process
for CMHC (Clinical Mental Health Counseling) Graduates

  1. After graduation, become a Registered Associates with the Oregon Board of Licensed Professional Counselors and Therapists (OBLPCT). You must provide the board with transcripts verifying your graduation. You will pay a fee, complete a background check and supply fingerprints.
  2. Identify your supervisor and have your supervisor approved by the OBLPCT. Frequently, for graduates who begin work in an agency or clinic after graduation, a work supervisor or colleague serves as their supervisor for post-graduation clinical experience.
  3. Complete 1,900 hours of post-graduation supervised clinical experience (typically completed within two to three years after graduation). Up to 400 pre-degree hours earned in an internship may be counted using a form submitted by the Graduate School of Counseling.
  4. Take and pass a board-approved competency exam.
  5. After passing a board-approved competency exam, take and pass the Oregon law and rules exam.
  6. Apply for your LPC license.

Washington

Graduates with a master's degree in clinical mental health counseling are also eligible to apply to become a Licensed Mental Health Counselor Associate (LMHCA) in the state of Washington. For more information, see the application packet on Washington State's Department of Health website.

Other States

Each state has its own requirements for education and clinical experience in order to become licensed. This Licensure by State Guide for LPC licensure can help you get the licensure process started in any of the 50 states in the United States of America. Students are advised to keep copies of all course syllabi for course verification with out-of-state licensing boards.

Questions?

Kelly Peterson

Kelly Peterson

Admissions Counselor, Graduate Counseling Programs