4/6/2019 Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage & Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling » Licensed

Licensed Mental Health Counselor- Lic…

FLORIDA
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and Mental Health Counseling
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Requirements Process Fees Statutes & Rules

To be licensed as a Mental Health Counselor in Florida you must have:

1. OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT: Complete the Education Worksheet for mental health counseling to determine if you have
satisfied the coursework requirements for licensure. Transcripts must be sent in the official sealed envelope from the university or
they will not be considered official.

(a) Minimum of an earned master’s degree from a mental health counseling program accredited by the Council for the
Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) that consists of at least 60 semester hours or 80
quarter hours of clinical and didactic instruction, including a course in human sexuality and a course in substance abuse. Ensure
your program is accredited in mental health counseling by visiting https://www.cacrep.org/. NOTE: CACREP accredited
programs that are not mental health counseling programs do not meet this requirement, i.e., community counseling, school
counseling, counselor education.

OR

(b) Minimum of an earned master’s degree from a program related to the practice of mental health counseling that consists of at
least 60 semester hours or 80 quarter hours and meets the following requirements:

Minimum of 3 semester hours or 4 quarter hours of graduate-level coursework in each of the following 12 content areas:
counseling theories and practice, human growth and development, diagnosis and treatment of psychopathology, human
sexuality, group theories and practice, individual evaluation and assessment, career and lifestyle assessment, research and
program evaluation, social and cultural foundations, counseling in community settings, substance abuse, and legal, ethical,
and professional standards issues. Courses in research, thesis or dissertation work, practicums, internships, or fieldwork
may not be applied toward this requirement; AND
The equivalent of at least 1,000 hours of university-sponsored supervised clinical practicum, internship, or field experience
as required in the standards for CACREP accredited mental health counseling programs. This experience may not be used
to satisfy the post-master’s clinical experience requirement.

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2. SUPERVISED EXPERIENCE: Two (2) years of post-master’s supervised experience under the supervision of a Board
approved qualified supervisor. These hours must be documented on the Verification of Clinical Experience Form by the
supervisor or they will not count towards licensure.

The supervision experience must have consisted of:

At least 100 hours of supervision in no less than 100 weeks;

1,500 hours of face-to-face psychotherapy with clients; and,
1 hour of supervision every two weeks

NOTE: Please see Rule 64B4-2.002, F.A.C. for information regarding group supervision and supervision by electronic methods

3. EXAM: Passed the national clinical mental health counseling examination (NCMHCE) developed by the National Board for
Certified Counselors (NBCC). For information about the exam required, click here. Please do not contact the Board to schedule
your exam as you do not need prior approval. You may schedule at any time by visiting
http://www.nbcc.org/Search/StateBoardDirectory/fl.

4. LAWS & RULES COURSE: Completed an 8-hour Florida laws and rules course from a board approved provider listed on
CE Broker.

5. HIV/AIDS COURSE: Completed a 3-hour HIV/AIDS course from a board approved provider listed on CE Broker or
complete the HIV/AIDs Affidavit.

6. DOMESTIC VIOLENCE COURSE: Completed a 2-hour domestic violence course from a board approved provider listed
on CE Broker within six months of licensure. The certificate of completion is retained with your records. Do not submit to the
Board Office with your application.

7. LICENSE VERIFICATION: This for is required for applicants who hold or have ever held a license in another state, U.S.
territory, or foreign country. Please have the office that issued the license or certification complete the Florida
Certification/License Verification Form. A license verification is required for all endorsement applicants. To see more
information on applying by examination and by endorsement, select the Process tab located above.

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