Counseling Licensure in Maine

You will need to complete every step required by Maine to attain their various levels of licensure. Maine has two levels of licensure, Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) which is the lower tier title and once you have the required experience the Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC). Both levels require a Master’s degree level of education, but have different requirements that separate the two levels. You will want to take some time and go over the Maine Board of Counseling Professionals website which you can find here:

You will need to complete a number of steps in order to gain your title as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and eventually the title of Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) in Maine:

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1. Meet the educational requirement of having your Master of Counseling degree from a Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) accredited university.
2. Complete a practicum as well as an internship during your graduate studies in Counseling. There are more stringent educational and/or supervision components for those seeking their LCPC title.
3. Pass a criminal background check.
4. Complete the supervised experience component for the LPC level of licensure.
5. Apply to take your National Counselor Examination (NCE) as administered by the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC).
6. Apply to the state board to receive your Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) title.
7. If you want to go on to get your Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) title you must accumulate the required hours for your LCPC supervised experience element.
8. Apply to take your National Mental Health Counselor Examination (NMHCE) as administered by the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC).
9. Apply to the state board to receive your Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) title in the state of Maine.

Educational Requirements

Maine requires prospective Counselors to complete the following educational steps.

• The first step is to earn your Bachelor’s degree in Counseling as the best option, or a highly related Social or Behavioral Science field such as Psychology, Social Work or Human Services.
• The next step is to apply to and get accepted into a Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) accredited Master of Counseling or Council on Counseling Rehabilitation (CORE in the case of rehabilitation counselors) program.
• You graduate program must include some sort of practicum.
• For the LCPC you will need to complete a 600 hour internship, which must include a minimum of 360 hours of client contact or you will need to complete an additional 1000 hours of supervised post-graduate experience.

Supervised Experience LPC Level

• LPC has a different requirement for experience from the more advanced LCPC title.
• Pass a criminal background check.
• Complete 2000 hours of supervised experience.
• 1000 hours must be in the form of client contact in a mental health context.
• You will need to have at least 67 hours of supervision
• 34 hours must be direct face to face and individual supervision
• The remaining 33 hours can be group supervision
• Your supervisor must be one of the following board approved licensed professionals: LCPC, Marriage and Family Therapist, Psychiatrist, Psychologist, Licensed Clinical Social Worker or a Certified Social Worker – Independent Practice.

Apply for and Take Your NCE Exam

The next step is to take your exam for the LPC title.

• Apply with the Maine Board of Counseling Professionals to sit for your National Counselor Examination (NCE) as administered by the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC).
• Pass the NCE with a score acceptable to the Board.

Apply for Your LPC License

You are now ready to apply for your license.

• Apply with the Maine Board of Counseling Professionals for your LPC title.
  • You can find the form here:

Supervised Experience LCPC

If you want to go on to attain the LCPC title you must first attain your LPC title and then you will need to accumulate the following amount of supervised experience:

• Apply for a conditional LCPC title the form for which you can find here
• Your supervisor must be an LCPC (preferred) or a licensed: Marriage and Family Therapist, Psychiatrist, Psychologist, Licensed Clinical Social Worker or a Certified Social Worker – Independent Practice.
• You will need 3,000 hours of supervised experience
• If you did not complete the 600 hour internship during your educational process, you must complete 4000 hours instead with 150 hours of supervision.
• 1500 hours must be providing mental health therapy for clients including, but not limited to diagnosis and treatment of disorders.
• You must have 100 hours of clinical supervision.
• You need 50 hours of the supervision as face-to-face individual supervision
• The remaining 50 hours may be in the form of group supervision.
• You must have one hour of supervision for every 27 hours you accrue.

Apply for and Take Your NMHCE

You are now able to sit for your LCPC level examination.

• Apply with the Maine Board of Counseling Professionals to take your National Mental Health Counselor Examination (NMHCE) as administered by the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC).
• Pass the NMHCE with a score acceptable according to the Maine Board.

Apply for Your LCPC License

Now all that is left for you is to gather your materials and verification complete your application to attain your LCPC title.

• Apply with the Maine Board of Counseling Professionals for your LCPC title.
  • You can find the form here:

   

Continuing Education

Maine regulations will require you to renew your license every two years. You must also complete continuing education credits during this time.

• Maine requires that you complete 55 hours of CE every two years to maintain your license.

You will want to keep up to date on any changes to Maine law by periodically visiting the Maine Board of Counseling Professionals website which you can find here: