Arkansas Counselor License Exam

To get licensed in Arkansas, Professional Counselors are required to take an exam covering such subjects as assessment and diagnosis, counseling and psychotherapy and professional ethics.  Whether you live in Little Rock, Fort Smith, Fayetteville or another city or county, the resources below will help you get started on the path to receive your Professional Counselor’s license.

Need of a License: A license is needed to work as a counselor in Arkansas.  Licenses are granted by the Board of Examiners in Counseling.

To qualify to become a licensed professional counselor in Arkansas, the following must be met:

• Obtain a graduate degree in counseling from an accredited school meeting credit limits.
• Meet supervised clinical experience requirements of 3,000 hours of postgraduate professional counseling, including at least 100 hours of supervision, in not less than three years. Arkansas has three tier specification for supervision:
  • First year, Level I: One hour of supervision for every 10 hours of client contact
  • Second year, Level II: One hour of supervision every 20 hours of client contact
  • Third year, Level III: One hour of supervision for every 40 hours of client contact.
• An applicant must earn a passing score on the NCE (National Counselor Exam) or the National Clinical Mental Health Counselor Examination (NCMHCE).

How to Apply for Licensure

An application for licensure and other documentation can be obtained online. All documents must be sent to:

Board of Examiners in Counseling
101 East Capitol, Suite 104
Little Rock, AR  72201

1-(501) 683-5800
FAX 1-(501) 683-6349

Test Content of the NCE

The NCE consists of 200 multiple-choice questions and is administered over a four-hour period. The NCE covers the following six knowledge, skill and task domains:

• Professional Practice and Ethics
• Intake, Assessment and Diagnosis
• Areas of Clinical Focus
• Treatment Planning
• Counseling Skills and Interventions
• Core Counseling Attributes

The questions are aligned to the following CACREP Common Core Areas:

• Human Growth and Development
• Social and Cultural Diversity
• Counseling and Helping Relationships
• Group Counseling and Group Work
• Career Development
• Assessment and Testing
• Research and Program Evaluation
• Professional Orientation and Ethical Practice

For more information, see the NCE Candidate Handbook.

How to Apply to Take the Exam

Apply online to take the NCE.

Test content of the NCMHCE

The test format comprises of 12 to 14 case studies. Each case study is followed by 10 multiple-choice questions, divided into counseling phases: the intake and assessment phase, the first follow-up counseling session, and the second follow-up counseling session. Candidates will have one hour and 45 minutes to complete the exam.

Six different counseling domains will be addressed throughout these case simulations, to include:

• Intake, Assessment, and Diagnosis
• Treatment Planning
• Counseling Skills and Interventions
• Professional Practice and Ethics
• Core Counseling Attributes
• Areas of Clinical Focus, which is the given information provided in each case study

For more information, see the NCMHCE Candidate Handbook.

How to Apply to Take the Exam

Apply online to take the NCMHCE.

License Renewal and Continuing Education Requirements

To renew a license, regulations require 24 clock hours of continuing education in acceptable courses and programs offered by approved Continuing Education providers, to be completed every two year license renewal period. Two hours must be in professional ethics.