North Dakota Counselor License Exam

To get licensed in North Dakota, 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 Fargo, Bismarck, Grand Fork 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 North Dakota. Licenses are granted by the North Dakota Board of Counselor Examiners.

To qualify to become a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) or Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in North Dakota, 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 two years.
An applicant for an LPC must earn a passing score on the NCE (National Counselor Exam)
An applicant for the LPCC must earn a passing score on the National Clinical Mental Health Counselor Examination (NCMHCE).
To become an LPCC, the applicant must first hold the LCP.

How to Apply for Licensure

An application for licensure for LPC and LPCC, as well as other documentation can be obtained online. All documents must be sent to:

Board of Counselor Examiners
2112 10th Ave SE
Mandan, ND 58554

1-701-667-5969

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 an LPC to earn 30 clock hours of continuing education in acceptable courses and programs offered by approved Continuing Education providers, which must be completed every two year license renewal period. LPCC’s must earn an additional 10 hours. LPCC continuing education hours must be pre-approved by the Board.

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