The requirements at a glance
- 3,000 hours of supervised experience after your degree, at least 1,500 direct with clients, and at least half direct in every setting
- Supervision: an average of one hour a week, or two hours every other week, individual or group, at each job, in person or by secure video
- A limited permit before you start: up to 24 months, extendable to 48 at most
- A 60-semester-hour counseling degree, and the NCMHCE (not the NCE)
- A qualified supervisor licensed in New York: an LMHC, physician, physician assistant, psychologist, LCSW, registered nurse or nurse practitioner, supervising at most 5 permit holders at a time
Step by step
1. Apply for licensure (Form 1)
You, online
- Submit Form 1 with the $371 fee for licensure and first registration.
- Complete the required training in identifying and reporting child abuse; NYSED requires it of every applicant for the license or a limited permit.
2. Your school certifies your education (Form 2, and Form 2INT)
Your school, directly to NYSED
- A master's or doctoral degree in counseling with at least 60 semester hours.
- Form 2INT certifies the internship and practicum. It is not needed for graduates of 60-semester-hour CACREP-accredited clinical mental health counseling programs or New York-registered licensure-qualifying programs.
3. Get your limited permit (Form 5 and Form 5CS)
You, with your supervisor
- Submit Form 5 online with the $70 fee; your supervisor completes Form 5CS.
- You may not practice until the limited permit is issued, even after graduating.
- It lasts up to 24 months, with up to 2 extensions of 12 months at NYSED's discretion: 48 months at most.
NYSED: limited permit FAQ (opens in a new tab)NYSED: LMHC application forms (opens in a new tab)
4. Complete 3,000 supervised hours
You and your supervisor
- At least 3,000 clock hours after your degree, at least 1,500 of them direct contact with clients.
- In every setting where you do fewer than 3,000 hours, at least half must be direct. Direct hours in one setting cannot be combined with indirect hours in another.
- Supervision: an average of one hour a week, or two hours every other week, individual or group, at each job, in person or by secure video.
8 NYCRR Subpart 79-9, mental health counseling (opens in a new tab)NYSED: LMHC license requirements (opens in a new tab)
5. Pass the NCMHCE
You
- The National Clinical Mental Health Counselor Examination. The NCE is not accepted for New York licensure.
- Register with the examination administrator after NYSED tells you you are eligible.
6. Verify your experience (Form 4B and Form 4)
Each supervisor sends Form 4B; you send Form 4
- Each supervisor completes a Form 4B for the time they supervised you and sends it directly to NYSED. NYSED will not accept a Form 4B sent by the applicant.
- Form 4 is your own experience record, listing each supervised experience.
- Experience documents go to NYSED electronically at [email protected].
7. Licensed
NYSED
- Until your license is issued, keep practicing only under your limited permit and your supervisor.
The permit has a clock
Ask for an extension at least 60 days before the permit expires (a new Form 5, $70 and a justification). When you leave a job, your employer must return the permit; NYSED voids it and the clock stops, so the time left is kept for your next permit. If the permit and its extensions run out before you finish, you must stop practicing except in an exempt setting.
Thinking ahead: the diagnostic privilege
The privilege lets an LMHC diagnose and develop assessment-based treatment plans. It needs 2,000 hours of supervised direct client contact that includes diagnosis, plus clinical coursework, and a $175 application. NYSED has said hours you earn under your permit can count toward it after you are licensed, if your supervisor qualified for the privilege: an LCSW, a psychotherapy-trained psychologist, a qualifying psychiatrist, or, from June 24, 2024, an LMHC who holds the privilege. What NYSED said, and what to record now.
Keep your own record
Form 4B asks your supervisor for total hours only. Keep your own weekly record of direct, indirect and supervision hours, agreed with your supervisor as you go, and the facts NYSED may ask about later: your supervisor’s license and privilege, the setting, and your permit dates.
Questions people ask
- Do MHC-LP hours count toward the diagnostic privilege in New York?
- How much supervision do you need for the LMHC in New York?
- How long does the MHC limited permit last in New York?
- What counts as indirect hours for the LMHC in New York?
Sources
- 8 NYCRR Subpart 79-9, mental health counseling (opens in a new tab)
- NYSED: LMHC license requirements (opens in a new tab)
- NYSED: limited permit FAQ (opens in a new tab)
- NYSED: LMHC application forms (opens in a new tab)
- NYSED: diagnostic privilege (opens in a new tab)