How to become a Counselor in Colorado

Below are basic guidelines for those wishing to earn their counseling certification in Colorado. Most of these requirements, such as earning your Master’s degree, completing 3000 hours of supervised experience and passing the NCE examination, are likely to continue to be mandatory in the Colorado counseling licensure process. However, it is wise to contact the Colorado Board of Mental Health Professions at (303) 894-7800 to make sure you are on the right track.

I’m a High School Graduate

Colorado has a wide variety of opportunity for counseling professionals. By researching requirements for Colorado counseling certification as a high school graduate, you’re putting yourself in a position to take full advantage of all the opportunity you can handle.

The first step you need to take toward your Colorado counseling certification is to enroll in a college or university. Licensure requirements necessitate you eventually hold a master’s degree in counseling or a related field.

Click on the links below to browse schools offering programs psychology and counseling.

Once you have enrolled in a program, take advantage of your school’s career services department and learn how you can find employment or volunteer opportunities that are related to the counseling career path.

Already Received Bachelor’s Degree

Once you have your bachelor’s degree, you can look for a school offering a master’s or doctoral degree program in counseling. To gain these and additional educational qualifications you can request information from counseling schools in Colorado.

Speak with an advisor from the school or schools you are interested in and make sure they offer the courses and supervised experience necessary for Colorado counseling licensure.

You can learn more about specific education requirements for licensure by clicking on the Board Rules link on the following Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies webpage.

Step One:

Make sure certain coursework requirements are met either through your counseling degree program or through professional development courses.

You can learn more about specific education requirements for licensure by clicking on the Board Rules link on the following Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies webpage.

Step Two:

Ensure that you acquire supervised experience both during the completion of your education program and post-graduation.

Your master’s or doctoral program should have a practicum or internship facet providing at least 700 hours of experience.

Post-graduation experience requirements necessitate 2 years of experience in applied psychotherapy under approved supervision for those holding masters degrees and 1 year for those holding doctoral degrees.

Step Three:

Successfully complete required examinations. In Colorado, the required exam is the National Counselor Examination (NCE). You do not need to apply through the Division of Regulatory Agencies to sit for this examination.

You can find information about registration, test dates and contents on the National Board for Certified Counselors website.

Step Four:

Finally, download the application for Colorado counseling licensure, or Colorado Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC).

You can download the application by clicking on the appropriate link on the following Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies webpage.

Pay attention to all required documentation and fees necessary for full evaluation of your application; otherwise, licensure may be significantly delayed.

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