Counseling Licensure in Kansas

Kansas has two levels of licensure Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and eventually a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC). You may want to start your journey towards licensure by exploring the requirements on the Kansas Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board website which you can find here:

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There are a number of pre-requisites that must be fulfilled so you can gain your title as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and after further experience, Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) in Kansas:

1. Meet the educational requirement of having your Master of Counseling degree from a Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) or Council on Counseling Rehabilitation (CORE in the case of rehabilitation counselors) accredited university.
2. Complete a practicum as you are working on your Master’s in Counseling.
3. Pass a criminal background check.
4. Apply to take your National Counselor Examination (NCE) as administered by the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC).
5. Apply to the state board to receive your Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) title.
6. Submit a supervised training plan if you want to go on to become a LCPC.
7. Accumulate the required hours for your 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 Kansas.

Educational Requirements

Kansas 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.
• The Master’s program must have certain core elements as described on the Kansas Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board website here: https://ksbsrb.ks.gov/professions/professional-counselors
• You graduate program must include some sort of practicum.

Apply for and Take Your NCE Exam

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

• Apply with the Kansas Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board 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 under Kansas law.

Apply for Your LPC License

You are now ready to apply for your license.

• Apply with the Kansas Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board for your LPC title.
• You can find the form here: http://www.ksbsrb.org/pdf/LPC_app_pkt.pdf

Supervised Experience LCPC

If you want to go on to attain the LCPC title you will need to accumulate supervised experience.

Submit a supervised training plan, the form for which is here: http://www.ksbsrb.org/pdf/LCPC_super_trainplan.pdf

You supervisor must be an LCPC (preferred) or a licensed: psychologist, clinical Social Worker, Clinical Psychotherapist or Marriage and Family Therapist.

• If you hold a Master’s degree you need 4,000 hours of supervised experience
• 1500 hours must be providing mental health therapy for clients.
• You must have 150 hours of clinical supervision.
• You must have one hour of supervision for every 15 hours you work with clients.
• You need 50 hours of the supervision as face-to-face individual supervision
• The remaining 100 hours may be group supervision.
• If you have your Ph.D. you may cut the requirements down to 2,000 hours.
• You must have two supervisor meetings per month.

Apply for and Take Your NMHCE

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

• Apply with the Kansas Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board 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 under Illinois law.

Apply for Your LCPC License

You are now in the final stage, all you have left to do is gather your materials and verification complete your application and send it in to the board to receive your LCPC title.

• Apply with the Kansas Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board for your LCPC title.
• You can find the form here: http://www.ksbsrb.org/pdf/LCPC_app_pkt.pdf

Continuing Education

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

• You must have 30 hours of continuing education credits when you renew your license.
• Six hours of the 30 must be in mental disorder diagnosis and treatment.
• Three of the hours must be in professional ethics.

You will want to take the time to periodically get caught up to date with the current laws for Kansas state licensure which you can find here on the Kansas Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board website: https://ksbsrb.ks.gov/professions/professional-counselors.