Counseling Licensure in Nebraska

In Nebraska there are two levels of Counseling licensure, the Provisional Licensed Provisional Licensed Mental Health Practitioner (PLMHP) and the Licensed Mental Health Practitioner (LMHP). Both are able to work with clients but the LMHP is the full licensure level and also has an expanded ability to diagnose and treat severe mental illnesses.

You must follow several steps in order to obtain licensure in Nebraska at either the MHP or IMHP levels:

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1. You will need to complete the educational component by earning a Master of Counseling degree from a Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) accredited school. Being Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) accredited is especially important for attainment of and the Independent Provisional Licensed Mental Health Practitioner (IMHP) title.
2. Pass a criminal background check.
3. Accumulate the necessary hours to complete the supervised experience requirement.
4. Apply with the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services take your National Counselor Examination (NCE) as administered by the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC) for the Provisional Licensed Mental Health Practitioner (PLMHP) and the Licensed Mental Health Practitioner (LMHP) titles.
5. Apply to the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services to receive your Provisional Licensed Mental Health Practitioner (PLMHP) or Licensed Mental Health Practitioner (LMHP) title.

Educational Requirements

Nebraska law states that you will need to fulfill the following educational requirements if you wish to become licensed in counseling.

• It is wise to start your education by attaining your Bachelor’s degree in Counseling. There are many Graduate Counseling degree programs who will consider the Bachelor of Counseling to be the best degree for applicants to have. If you are unable to get a Bachelor of Counseling degree, then you will most certainly need to obtain a Bachelor’s in a highly related Behavioral Science discipline 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 program. You must have a CACREP accredited degree to become a Licensed Mental Health Practitioner (LMHP).
• You must complete a practicum or internship that includes a minimum of 300 hours of client contact with 150 hours of direct face-to-face client mental health therapy supervised by an approved supervisor.

Apply for and Take Your NCE or NMHCE

Now you will need to apply with the Committee to sit for the NCE or NMHCE:

• Apply to the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services to take your National Counselor Examination (NCE) or National Mental Health Counselor Examination (NMHCE) as administered by the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC) if you.
• Pass the NCE or NMHCE with a score acceptable to the Nebraska authorities.

Apply for your PLMHP Title

In order to accrue experience you will need a PLMHP title.

• Apply with the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services for your PLMHP title.
  • You can find the form here:
• Pass a criminal background check.

Supervised Experience

You must now need to accrue the following supervised experience requirements:

• You will need to complete 3000 hours over a two year period.
• This must include at least 1500 direct client treatment hours.
• Your supervisor must be a licensed professional from one of the following: LMHP, Psychologist or a Physical with specialized training in mental health and/or board certification.
• You will need to be supervised by an LMHP, Psychiatrist or Psychologist who have an active license with the state.

Apply for your LMHP Title

You are now eligible to apply for your LMHP title.

• Apply with the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services for your LMHP title.
  • You can find the form here:
• Pass a criminal background check.

Continuing Education and License Renewal

You must renew your license every two years. You must be able to show that you have earned Continuing Education credits.

• You will need 32 hours of Continuing Education.
• Two hours must be in ethics.

As laws change, it is important to take the time to review the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services website periodically to stay up to date.