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Interested in becoming a counselor? This step-by-step guide breaks down education requirements, licensure options, and average salaries by specialization.
Are you ready to discover your college program?
If you want to make a difference in peoples' lives, counseling can be a rewarding career. Learn how to become a licensed counselor, including the counseling degree you need and how to earn a license.
Popular Online Counseling Master's Programs
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
What Is a Licensed Counselor?
Licensed counselors generally help clients solve problems by addressing a specific problem or improving coping skills. In some specialties, such as career or college counseling, counselors help students or workers identify their priorities and values to make decisions.
Substance use counselors help clients to overcome a substance use problem. Mental health counselors may help patients with coping skills, self-esteem, and healthy thinking practices.
Careers in counseling include:
- Mental health counselor
- Grief counselor (sometimes called loss counselor)
- Substance use counselor
- Rehabilitation counselor
- Career counselor
- College counselor
- Marriage and family counselor
- School counselor (sometimes called guidance counselor)
States set regulations about how to become a licensed counselor and what services counselors can perform. Licensed counselors can specialize in various counseling or client types.
Being a licensed counselor means that you have completed the required education, tests, background checks, and continuing education requirements, and do not have any disciplinary actions against your professional record.
While there's some overlap among counselors and psychologists, these professions require significant differences in training and licensing.
The path to becoming a licensed counselor has specific requirements for each state, and some types of counseling, especially substance use counseling, have different requirements from others.
How to Become a Licensed Counselor
Each state has its requirements for licensed counselors and a regulatory body, typically called a board of counseling. The general requirements for becoming a counselor include completing education requirements, which is at least a graduate degree, supervised experience, a national examination, and a background check.
If you have a criminal conviction in your past, this does not necessarily prevent you from becoming a counselor, depending on the nature of the conviction and how long ago it was.
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1
Earn an Accredited Graduate Counseling Degree
The first step in becoming a licensed counselor is earning a graduate degree, either a master's or a doctorate, from a school with an accredited counseling program.
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2
Complete Post-Graduate Supervised Experience
The next step in becoming a licensed counselor is completing supervised experience. State requirements vary, some require only a specific number of hours, while others require a certain number of face-to-face supervised hours.
In general, states typically require 2,000-3,000 supervised hours, or approximately 12-18 months. Some states require you to apply for a license, usually called an associate license, to perform supervised work. Check your state's requirements for how to become a licensed counselor for details.
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3
Pass the National Counseling Examination
The next step is passing a national counseling examination. The examination may vary by license type, but most counselors take the National Counseling Examination or the National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination. Check your state regulations on how to become a licensed counselor to see which exam you should take.
Counselor Licensure
States have different names and requirements for licensed counseling positions, including:
- Licensed professional counselor
- Licensed mental health counselor
- Licensed clinical professional counselor
- Licensed clinical mental health counselor
- Licensed mental health practitioner
In most states, you must regularly renew your license by completing a certain number of hours of approved continuing education. In some states or for some licenses, you may need to complete hours on a specific topic, such as ethics, substance use, or mandatory reporting. Most states require renewing your license every 2-3 years. You must also maintain a professional record with no disciplinary actions or criminal convictions.
If you want to apply for a license in another state, many states allow you to streamline the process, often called licensure by endorsement. Rather than reapplying from scratch, you only need to demonstrate that your existing credentials meet the new state's requirements. You need to apply for a license by endorsement, but it is far easier than starting a new license application.
An alternative to applying for a license by endorsement is the counseling compact. As states join the Compact, they are essentially agreeing to recognize counselor licenses in mutual states. While some states have already joined, legislation is pending in others.
Licensed Counselor Salaries
Counselor salaries vary based on job requirements, demand, specialty, and work setting. The average annual salary is $58,400 and the average hourly salary is $28, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The salary for licensed counselors ranges $34,860-$89,290. Some specialties pay much more.
Demand and job growth vary based on specialty, but counselors are in high demand. Between 2023 and 2033, the BLS projects jobs for mental health, behavioral disorder, and substance use counselors to grow by 19%, jobs for family and marriage therapists to grow by 16%, and jobs for school and career counselors to grow by 4%.
Depending on your workplace and specialty, opportunities for career advancement include adding supervisory and management responsibilities, leading a department or team, earning a doctorate, or opening your own practice.
| Type of Counselor | Average Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors | $64,200 |
| Marriage and Family Therapists | $63,300 |
| Rehabilitation Counselors | $46,020 |
| Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors | $56,230 |
| Counselors, All Other | $49,770 |
Frequently Asked Questions About How to Become a Licensed Counselor
What is the best degree to become a licensed counselor?
The best degree to become a licensed counselor is a master's degree in counseling. You can specialize in marriage and family therapy, substance use counseling, or school and career counseling.
In most states, you can become a licensed counselor with a master's degree, a passing score on the national examination, and supervised experience.
What types of counselors are in demand?
Almost all types of counselors are in demand, but some of the fastest-growing specialties include mental health counselors and family and marriage therapists.
Can you become a counselor online?
You can complete online coursework to become a counselor, but you must complete fieldwork requirements in person. You can choose from online, hybrid, and on-campus programs.
Is counseling a good second career option?
Whether counseling is a good second career option depends on your goals and interests. If you want a helping profession, it can be a fulfilling career. Many graduate counseling programs accept applicants from a wide variety of educational backgrounds, which can help to enter the field more quickly.
What is the difference between counseling and therapy?
Therapist is an umbrella term for any mental health professional doing talk therapy, whether virtual or in-person therapy. Counselors, psychologists, clinical social workers, or psychiatrists can all perform therapy.
There are some differences among counselors, therapists, and psychologists. For example, psychologists can perform more tests such as IQ or personality tests. Also, psychologists typically are reimbursed more by insurance companies.
What is the difference between a counselor and a counseling psychologist?
Psychologists hold a doctoral degree while counselors typically hold a master's degree in their fields.
Like mental health counselors, counseling psychologists usually work with individuals who need help with social anxiety, depression, or emotional duress rather than clients with serious or chronic mental illnesses. Both psychologists and master's level counselors can get licensed and diagnose and treat mental health disorders. They may also work in similar settings, like schools, clinics, and substance use treatment centers.
The major difference lies in educational requirements. Counseling psychologists spend more time in school. And unlike counselors, counseling psychologists more often conduct psychological assessments and administer diagnostic tests. While some counselors may return to school to earn a doctorate in counselor education, you need a Psy.D., Ph.D., or Ed.D. in counseling psychology to use the term "psychologist" legally.
