Florida licenses independent clinical counselors as the LMHC (Licensed Mental Health Counselor), through the Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage & Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling (Florida Department of Health). Florida has enacted the Counseling Compact but is not issuing privileges yet. Below: what Florida asks of a counselor already licensed in another state, and where those applications slow down.
Florida LMHC License Requirements
The independent clinical license in Florida is the LMHC (Licensed Mental Health Counselor).
Exams named for licensure: NCMHCE. Florida accepts only the NCMHCE for the LMHC. You can register with NBCC without prior board approval.
1,500 hours of post-degree supervised experience for the independent license.
Those hours are completed under the associate credential, the RMHCI (Registered Mental Health Counselor Intern).
Licensed elsewhere: MOBILE endorsement (F.S. 456.0145) requires an active, unencumbered license in another state with a similar scope, a passed national exam or recognized national certification, and at least two years of active practice in the four years before you apply. Applicants still complete Florida's required courses.
How Much Does a Florida LMHC License Cost?
We have not published a Florida figure yet
We have not verified Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage & Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling (Florida Department of Health)'s current schedule, and board fees change between legislative sessions
We handle the Florida application end-to-end.
Eligibility screening, document prep, board follow-ups, and tracking — so you don't lose a board meeting cycle to a missing form.
View full pricingWhere Florida Applications Get Delayed
Florida accepts the NCMHCE only. A counselor who passed only the NCE will need to sit for the NCMHCE before Florida will license them.
The endorsement route expects 2 years of licensure elsewhere. Count from the date your independent license was issued, not your associate license.
Supervised experience is two post-master's years with 1,500 hours of face-to-face psychotherapy and 100 hours of supervision spread over at least 100 weeks.
Every applicant also completes an 8-hour Florida laws and rules course, a 3-hour HIV/AIDS course and a 2-hour domestic violence course. Florida uses courses, not a jurisprudence exam.
Out-of-state counselors can register as Florida telehealth providers instead of getting a full license; the board lists this as a telehealth option for practitioners licensed outside Florida.
Supervisor attestations and verifications from other boards take the longest. Request them the week you decide to apply, not the week you file.
Renewing Your Florida LMHC License
Renewal Cycle
Every 2 years
CE Requirement
30 CE hours per renewal cycle
The Counseling Compact and Florida
Florida has enacted the Counseling Compact (April 6, 2022), but it is not issuing or accepting privileges yet. Each member state has to finish its own setup, including FBI fingerprint authority, before it goes live. Until it does, practicing in Florida takes a full Florida license, and holding a Florida license does not yet give you a privilege anywhere else.
Addiction counselors in Florida
Florida credentials addiction counselors as CAP, MCAP and CAC, through the Florida Certification Board (IC&RC member board). That credential is separate from the LMHC, and the Counseling Compact does not cover it. These are certifications issued by the Florida Certification Board, not state licenses.
Keeping it current
Florida renews the LMHC every 2 years, with 30 hours of continuing education per cycle. No CE is due at the first renewal. After that, 30 hours each period, including 2 on preventing medical errors and 3 on ethics and boundaries or telehealth; domestic violence (2 hours) and laws and rules (3 hours) come every third renewal. If you hold licenses in several states, each runs its own calendar and its own CE rules, which is most of what our annual compliance service tracks.
Florida LMHC License FAQ
What is the counselor license called in Florida?
+
Can I use the Counseling Compact for Florida?
+
I'm licensed in another state. How do I get licensed in Florida?
+
Which exam does Florida accept?
+
Where these facts come from
Checked against primary sources. Boards change rules between sessions, so we confirm the current process again before anything is filed.
- title, exam, hours, MOBILE endorsement, required courses, telehealth registration — checked 2026-10-08
- CE hours and topics — checked 2026-10-08
- biennial renewal — checked 2026-10-08
- enacted 2022-04-06 (HB 1521) — checked 2026-10-08
- member, not live — checked 2026-10-08
- addiction credentials — checked 2026-10-08
What Working with Us Costs
Transparent, a la carte service fees. Board, exam and fingerprinting fees are paid directly to those organizations. Our concierge fee is separate and is the only thing you pay us.
View PricingBook Online
Share your details and preferred availability.