Counselor Licensure in North Dakota: LPC Requirements, Hours and Exams
North Dakota licenses counselors on three rungs: the Licensed Associate Professional Counselor (LAPC), a supervised license capped at two years; the Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), the counseling license; and the Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC), a specialty license layered onto an LPC.
The LPC takes two years of supervised experience with 100 supervision hours and the NCE; the LPCC adds two years (three thousand hours) of post-master's clinical experience and the NCMHCE.
Diagnosis and treatment of emotional and mental disorders sit in the LPCC specialty, not the LPC.
Verify before you rely on this
At a glance
Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), the counseling license NDCC 43-47-06(2) issues.
The rule defines clinical counseling — including diagnosis and treatment of emotional and mental disorders — as the LPCC specialty (NDAC 97-02-01.1-06), not the LPC's rule.
Licensed Associate Professional Counselor (LAPC), an associate professional license to offer and conduct counseling under supervision — licensable for no more than two years (NDCC 43-47-01(4); 43-47-06(6)).
A master's from an accredited school or college in counseling or a program meeting the board's academic and training standards; the rule requires a minimum of sixty semester credits or ninety quarter credits relating to counseling, with 100 hours of practica and a 600-hour internship.
The LPCC adds sixty semester graduate hours including coursework in diagnostic classification and clinical counseling skills.
CACREP is not required.
LPC: two years of supervised experience, at least fifty percent of which must have been under a licensed professional counselor or licensed psychologist, with 100 hours of supervision documented over the two-year period, at least sixty of them individual face-to-face.
LPCC: two years of post-master's clinical experience including two years (three thousand hours) in a clinical setting, with 100 hours of face-to-face supervision (a minimum of sixty hours of individual supervision).
The national counselor examination administered under the auspices of the National Board for Certified Counselors (the NCE) for both the LAPC and the LPC; the clinical mental health counseling examination as offered by NBCC (the NCMHCE) for the LPCC.
A jurisprudence exam: the commission's table marks yes, the rules read name none — confirm with the board.
A board certification of supervisors (NDAC 97-02-01-08): an LPC or LPCC with five years of experience as a licensed counselor, plus thirty hours of continuing education concerning supervision in the five years preceding the application for applications received after July 1, 2016.
LPCC supervision must come from a certified supervisor who is an LPCC, or a supervisor authorized under the statute's hardship route.
Enacted, not live as of September 2026: NDCC ch. 43-47.1 enacts the Counseling Compact and the commission lists North Dakota among its 2023 enactments, but the state is not among the nine issuing and accepting privileges.
Every two years (NDCC 43-47-06(5)); at least thirty hours of continued professional education in the two years preceding expiration, at least three on counselor ethics.
The LPCC adds at least ten hours primarily focused on clinical counseling.
The North Dakota credential ladder
- Licensed Associate Professional Counselor(LAPC)Pre-licensure
A license, not a registration or permit: an associate professional license to offer and conduct counseling under the supervision of a licensed professional counselor or another person meeting the board's supervising-professional requirements (NDCC 43-47-01(4)), licensable for no more than two years (43-47-06(6)).
- Licensed Professional Counselor(LPC)Independent
The counseling license: chapter 43-47 bars engaging in counseling in North Dakota without being an LPC or LAPC, and 43-47-06(2) sets what the LPC requires — the master's degree, recommendations, two years of supervised experience, a statement of professional intent and the NCE.
- Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor(LPCC)Other
A specialty license, not a higher general tier: NDCC 43-47-06.1 authorizes counselor specialty licenses, and the applicant must already be a licensed professional counselor under the chapter (NDAC 97-02-01.1-01).
The specialty is clinical counseling, whose definition includes diagnosis and treatment of emotional and mental disorders.
- Certified supervisorSupervisor
A board certification rather than a separate license: an LPC or LPCC with five years of experience as a licensed counselor — plus, for applications received after July 1, 2016, thirty hours of continuing education concerning supervision (NDAC 97-02-01-08).
The LPCC's clinical experience must be supervised by a certified supervisor who is an LPCC, or by a supervisor authorized under the statute's hardship route.
A license at every rung, and a two-year clock on the first one
North Dakota issues a license at every rung: the LAPC is an associate professional license, not a registration or permit, granted to offer and conduct counseling under the supervision of a licensed professional counselor or another person meeting the board's supervising-professional requirements.
The clock is the part to plan around — the LAPC may be licensed for no more than two years, and extension beyond that takes your supervisor's recommendation plus those of three other counselors, at least one a professor from your training program.
Above it, the LPC is the general counseling license: the chapter makes it unlawful to engage in counseling in North Dakota unless you are an LPC or LAPC (43-47-06(1)).
The LPCC is a different instrument, a specialty license under NDCC 43-47-06.1, and its rule opens by requiring that the individual already be a licensed professional counselor under the chapter (97-02-01.1-01).
Other states issue the same counselor licence under different letters — see LPC vs LMHC vs LPCC vs LCPC, mapped state by state.
“An associate professional counselor initially licensed under this chapter may be licensed for no more than two years. The associate professional counselor's license may not be extended beyond two years, except upon recommendation of the associate professional counselor's supervisor and three other counselors, at least one of whom must be a professor from the associate professional counselor's training program.”
Sixty semester credits, a 100-hour practicum and a 600-hour internship
The statute asks for a master's degree from an accredited school or college in counseling or another program that meets the academic and training standards adopted by the board, and the rule fills in the numbers: a minimum of sixty semester credits or ninety quarter credits relating to counseling across ten areas, from counseling theories to professional orientation and ethics, with the ethics coursework at least three semester credits and covering the American Counseling Association code of ethics.
The field experience is quantified — practica of one hundred hours and an internship of six hundred hours — and both may sit inside the required graduate semester hours.
CACREP accreditation is not required.
The LPCC restates the degree on its own terms: sixty semester graduate hours, at least one semester credit-hour in current classification methods in the diagnostic evaluation of psychopathology and one in clinical counseling skills, plus seven hundred hours of supervised practica and internships.
For anyone transcript-auditing a degree with a non-counseling title, the course titles are what the board reads.
For why boards write program accreditation into the degree rule, see CSWE vs CACREP vs COAMFTE accreditation.
“The practica must consist of one hundred hours of training in supervised practica in settings relevant to the practice of counseling. The internship must consist of six hundred hours of training in supervised internship settings relevant to the practice of counseling. The practica and internship hours may be within the required graduate semester hours.”
Two supervised years with 100 documented hours, then three thousand for the LPCC
The LPC's supervised experience is defined in years, not client-contact hours: two years, of which at least fifty percent must have been under a licensed professional counselor or licensed psychologist.
The rule then sets the supervision ledger — a total of one hundred hours over the two-year period through individual and group methods, at least sixty of them individual face-to-face, with meetings at regular intervals.
Neither rule read sets a direct-client-contact minimum.
Two more lines decide which hours survive: the supervised experience may not be in a practice in which the applicant holds an ownership interest, and the LPCC restates its requirement as two years of post-master's clinical experience including two years (three thousand hours) in a clinical setting with one hundred hours of face-to-face supervision.
Whether the LPC's two years can count toward the LPCC's three thousand is not resolved in the rules read — ask the board before you plan the second application around either reading.
For what counts as a supervised hour, and what changes at independent licensure, see associate vs. independently licensed therapists.
“A total of one hundred hours over the two-year period of supervision through individual and group methods must be documented. At least sixty hours must be individual face-to-face supervision. The supervised experience may not be in a practice in which the applicant holds an ownership interest.”
The NCE twice over, then the NCMHCE for the specialty
Both general rungs test the same way: the rule requires showing successful completion of the national counselor examination as distributed and administered under the auspices of the national board of certified counselors — the NCE — for the LAPC and again for the LPC.
The LPCC switches instruments: its applicant must have passed the clinical mental health counseling examination as offered by the national board for certified counseling, the exam known as the NCMHCE.
Jurisprudence is the open question: the commission's fees table marks North Dakota's jurisprudence requirement as yes without a link or detail, while the rule text read names no state-law exam, so treat it as not established and confirm with the board before scheduling anything.
The statute adds one lever for the licensed: the board may waive the formal examination requirements for an applicant licensed or certified in another state under standards and qualifications similar to or greater than those set by the board (43-47-06(4)).
For how the counselor, social work and MFT licensing exams compare, see ASWB vs NCE vs NCMHCE vs the MFT national exam.
“Showing successful completion of the national counselor examination as distributed and administered under the auspices of the national board of certified counselors.”
A certified-supervisor credential, a hardship carve-out, and video inside face-to-face
North Dakota credentials its supervisors: certification under NDAC 97-02-01-08 goes to an LPC or LPCC with five years of experience as a licensed counselor; applications received after July 1, 2016 also need thirty hours of continuing education concerning supervision, and the certification expires five years after grant or renewal.
For the LPC's two years, the statute requires at least fifty percent of the supervised experience under an LPC or licensed psychologist (or its equivalent as determined by the board); supervision beyond that floor may run under the statute's hardship route — other qualified professionals designated by the board when geographical location, disability or other factors create hardship, if the professional is registered or otherwise qualified as a clinical supervisor by the board that licenses them.
For the LPCC, the certified supervisor must be an LPCC, or a supervisor authorized under the hardship route.
The medium is written into the rule text of both chapters: face to face includes secure, HIPAA-compliant electronic video on a secure server, so the sixty individual face-to-face hours can be met by video.
For what it takes to become a supervisor yourself, see can an LPC supervise an associate?
“Face to face includes electronic video communications that are secure and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act compliant on a secure server.”
Diagnosis is the specialty line, and the letters are policed
The LPCC chapter defines clinical counseling to include diagnosis and treatment of emotional and mental disorders, alongside prevention, consultation and clinical research, and it positions the LPCC as the person licensed to practice that specialty.
That is the state's own tier line: the LPC is a full counseling license, but the clinical-counseling scope this chapter defines sits in the specialty rather than in the LPC's rule.
The titles are policed on both tiers — only persons licensed under the LPCC chapter may use the title licensed professional clinical counselor or the abbreviation LPCC, and chapter 43-47 reserves professional counselor, associate professional counselor, LPC and LAPC for its licensees, who must display the license at the principal place of business.
If the work you want includes diagnosing and treating mental disorders, plan for the specialty license; if it does not, the LPC stands on its own.
“Clinical counseling includes diagnosis and treatment of emotional and mental disorders; psycho-educational techniques aimed at the prevention of emotional and mental disorders; consultations to individuals, couples, families, groups, organizations, and communities; and clinical research into more effective psycho-therapeutic modalities.”
Moving to North Dakota: substantially the same, or equal to or more stringent
Reciprocity turns on a comparison of rulebooks.
For the LPC, the applicant files the application, a copy of the out-of-state license, the other state's licensing statute and rules, the other board's name and address, and proof of passing a counselor examination approved by the board — then the board verifies that the licensing state imposes substantially the same requirements as North Dakota and that no good cause to refuse exists.
The statute separately lets the board waive the formal examination requirements for an applicant licensed or certified in another state under standards and qualifications similar to or greater than those set by the board (43-47-06(4)).
The LPCC has its own gate: currently licensed as a licensed professional clinical counselor in a state or territory that imposes requirements equal to or more stringent than North Dakota's chapter.
Before moving, hold your state's degree and hour figures against these texts — that comparison is the application.
For how endorsement works when you move, see moving states as a therapist: license transfer and endorsement.
“The board or its designee shall verify that the licensing state imposes substantially the same requirements as North Dakota, and that there is no other reason constituting good cause for refusing to issue such license.”
Counseling Compact: enacted in 2023, not yet live
North Dakota's compact law is on the books: NDCC chapter 43-47.1 enacts the Counseling Compact, and the commission lists North Dakota among its 2023 enactments.
Enactment is not operation — as of September 2026 the state is not among the nine issuing and accepting privileges, so a North Dakota LPC cannot take a Compact privilege into another state, and a counselor licensed elsewhere cannot use the Compact to practice here; the routes in remain examination and reciprocity.
The enactment bill number and date were not established in the sources read.
When it does go live, the mechanics the chapter adopts will govern: a privilege to practice is granted to a licensee holding a valid unencumbered license in a member state and rides on that home-state license.
For how the compact’s privilege to practice works, see the Counseling Compact explained.
“The privilege to practice is valid until the expiration date of the home state license. The licensee shall comply with the requirements of subsection 1 to maintain the privilege to practice in the remote state.”
Every two years: 30 hours, 3 on ethics; the LPCC adds 10 clinical
The statute sets the rhythm — a professional counselor shall renew the license every two years — and the rule adds that counselor licenses expire two years after they are granted or last renewed, with renewal requiring the application form, the fee and proof of the required continued professional education.
The education floor is at least thirty hours in the two years preceding expiration, of which at least three hours shall primarily focus on counselor ethics; a continued professional education hour is fifty minutes.
The LPCC carries a top-up: at least ten additional hours primarily focused on clinical counseling, related to the licensee's intent to practice and preapproved by the board.
The two licenses renew together — the LPCC license expires on the date the LPC license expires — so plan the ethics hours and the clinical top-up inside one biennium.
“A licensed professional counselor shall complete at least thirty hours of continued professional education in the two years preceding the date of expiration of the license. At least three of the hours shall primarily focus on counselor ethics.”
Quiet rules since 2018; the Compact is the moving part
The rule history notes read show no 2023–2026 amendments to either chapter — the latest amendment dates are July 1, 2018, which covers the LPC and LAPC requirements, the academic-program rule and the reciprocity rule, and the LPCC requirements section.
That stability cuts both ways for a reader comparing guides: an older page's hour, exam and supervision figures likely still match the rule text, while its Compact status is the part that moved, in 2023, when the legislature enacted chapter 43-47.1.
Re-verify the commission's live-state list on the day you rely on it.
The licensure numbers on this page have been still since 2018; membership and privileges have not.
Before you apply: a record check, three letters and a statement of intent
Three application mechanics sit outside the hour and exam rules.
The board must require applicants for licensure — under the LPC, LAPC and reciprocity provisions and the specialty chapter — to submit to a statewide and nationwide criminal history record check, with all costs on the applicant.
The LPC application carries three recommendations, each from a different vantage point: the counselor educator who provided direct supervision in your practicum or internship, an employer who provided general supervision of your work since the master's, and the professional who provided direct supervision of your counseling experience.
The statute also asks for a statement of professional intent describing the proposed use of the license, the intended client population and the counseling procedures you intend to use.
Line the recommenders up early — the educator and direct-supervision letters are the ones that take chasing.
“All costs associated with obtaining a background check are the responsibility of the applicant or licensee.”
What This Page Does — and Doesn’t — Cover
This page summarizes the North Dakota statute, rules, board pages and other documents cited above, as read for this state-by-state counselor licensure series, current as of September 2026.
It does not list application forms, fees beyond those cited above, or processing times, and it is not a substitute for the instructions the North Dakota Board of Counselor Examiners publishes.
Nor does it cover social work licensure in North Dakota, MFT licensure in North Dakota, or what therapists earn in North Dakota.
Hour totals, exams and supervision rules change by statute and by board rule; for how the counselor, social work and MFT licences differ, see LCSW vs. LPC vs. LMFT: which therapy licence to get.
Confirm every requirement with the North Dakota Board of Counselor Examiners before you count hours, register for an exam or apply — and before you take one of the mental health counselor jobs in North Dakota that asks for it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long can I hold the LAPC in North Dakota before I must advance to the LPC?
Two years.
NDCC 43-47-06(6) says an associate professional counselor initially licensed under the chapter may be licensed for no more than two years, and the license may not be extended beyond two years except on the recommendation of your supervisor and three other counselors, at least one of whom must be a professor from your training program.
Build the LPC application — the two supervised years, the 100 supervision hours, the NCE — inside that window rather than counting on an extension.
Can my supervision meetings be by video in North Dakota?
Yes.
Both licensure rules state that face to face includes electronic video communications that are secure and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act compliant on a secure server (NDAC 97-02-01-01(3); 97-02-01.1-01(3)(b)).
The structure does not change: supervision must include individual, face-to-face meetings at regular intervals, with 100 hours documented over the two-year period and at least 60 of them individual — video can supply those hours if it is secure and HIPAA-compliant.
Confirm your platform qualifies before relying on it.
Do my two LPC supervised years count toward the LPCC's 3,000 hours?
The rules do not say.
NDAC 97-02-01.1-01(3) requires the LPCC to have two years of post-master's clinical experience including two years (three thousand hours) of post-master's clinical experience in a clinical setting, and nothing in the rules read resolves whether the LPC's two supervised years can be credited toward it.
Ask the North Dakota Board of Counselor Examiners in writing before you build your timeline around either reading.
Does North Dakota require a jurisprudence exam for counselors?
It is not established.
The Counseling Compact Commission's fees table marks North Dakota's jurisprudence requirement as yes, but without a link or detail, and the rule text read for this page — NDAC 97-02-01 and 97-02-01.1 — names only the NCE and the NCMHCE.
Whether a state-law exam is actually required was not established in the sources read.
Ask the board before you schedule anything; the two national examinations are the only ones the rules name.
Can I practice in North Dakota under the Counseling Compact?
Not as of September 2026.
North Dakota enacted the Counseling Compact in NDCC chapter 43-47.1 and the commission counts it among the 2023 enactments, but the state is not among the nine issuing and accepting privileges.
A counselor licensed elsewhere cannot use the Compact to practice in North Dakota, and a North Dakota LPC cannot yet take a privilege elsewhere; the route in is examination or reciprocity under NDAC 97-02-01-04.
Check the commission and the board for the current status.
More North Dakota & Mental Health Counselor Resources
Sources
- North Dakota Century Code, ch. 43-47 — Counselors (retrieved 2026-09-24)
- North Dakota Administrative Code, ch. 97-02-01 — Licensing Requirements (retrieved 2026-09-24)
- North Dakota Administrative Code, ch. 97-02-01.1 — Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (retrieved 2026-09-24)
- North Dakota Century Code, ch. 43-47.1 — Counseling Compact (retrieved 2026-09-24)
- Counseling Compact Commission — home page (live-state list) (retrieved 2026-09-24)
- Counseling Compact Commission — Fees, Jurisprudence Exam, and Contact Information (jurisprudence table) (retrieved 2026-09-24)
Sourced from the statute, rules, board pages and other documents cited above.
Verified September 2026.
This is career information, not legal or clinical advice — confirm current rules with the North Dakota Board of Counselor Examiners.