Maryland Counselor License Exam
To get licensed in Maryland, Professional Counselors are required to take an exam covering such subjects as human growth and development, psychopathology, group therapy and professional ethics. Whether you live in Baltimore, Columbia, Germantown 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 Maryland. Licenses are granted by the Maryland Department of Mental Health.
To qualify to become a licensed professional counselor in Maryland, the following must be met:
- Obtain a graduate degree in counseling from an accredited school meeting credit limits. Meet supervised clinical experience requirements. For applicants with Master’ degrees, three years with a minimum of 3,000 hours of supervised clinical practice, with at least three years post graduate experience is required. Applicants with doctorates need two years with a minimum of 2,000 hours. 1,000 hours must be completed after the doctorate degree has been awarded.
- Pass the NCE (National Counselor Exam) and the Maryland State Law test.
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 of Professional Counselors and Therapists
4201 Patterson Avenue, 3rd Floor
Baltimore, MD 21215
1-410-764-4732
1-410-358-1610 (fax)
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 Maryland State Law Test:
The applicant will receive the state law content outline upon approval of their submitted Maryland licensure application. The state law exam is administered at the Board office on the third Wednesday and fourth Thursday of each month.
License or Certification Renewal and Continuing Education Requirements
To renew a license, regulations require 40 clock hours of continuing education in acceptable courses and programs offered by approved Continuing Education providers must be completed every two years.
