Indiana licenses independent clinical counselors as the LMHC (Licensed Mental Health Counselor), through the Indiana Behavioral Health and Human Services Licensing Board (Professional Licensing Agency). Indiana issues Counseling Compact privileges to practice (since June 8, 2026). Below: what Indiana asks of a counselor already licensed in another state, and where those applications slow down.
Indiana LMHC License Requirements
The independent clinical license in Indiana is the LMHC (Licensed Mental Health Counselor).
Exams named for licensure: NCMHCE. Board instructions name the NCMHCE for the LMHC. You must sit within one year of board approval, and three failures require an appearance before the board.
3,000 hours of post-degree supervised experience for the independent license.
Those hours are completed under the associate credential, the LMHCA (Licensed Mental Health Counselor Associate).
Licensed elsewhere: There is no blanket reciprocity. The board compares the standards your state used when it licensed you with Indiana's, case by case; you need a valid license, an exam at the same level (the NCMHCE) and no pending discipline.
How Much Does an Indiana LMHC License Cost?
We have not published an Indiana figure yet
We have not verified Indiana Behavioral Health and Human Services Licensing Board (Professional Licensing Agency)'s current schedule, and board fees change between legislative sessions
Board: Indiana Behavioral Health and Human Services Licensing Board (Professional Licensing Agency)
We handle the Indiana 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 Indiana Applications Get Delayed
Indiana accepts the NCMHCE only. A counselor who passed only the NCE will need to sit for the NCMHCE before Indiana will license them.
The 3,000 post-graduate clinical hours must be gained over no less than 21 and no more than 48 months.
An applicant who has been actively practicing (an average of at least 5 hours a week, with no gap over a year) may be exempted from retesting if the earlier exam was substantially equivalent.
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 Indiana LMHC License
Renewal Cycle
Every 2 years
CE Requirement
40 CE hours per renewal cycle
The Counseling Compact and Indiana
Indiana is a Counseling Compact member and is issuing privileges to practice as of June 8, 2026. A counselor who lives in another live member state and holds an unencumbered independent license there can apply through CompactConnect for an Indiana privilege instead of a full Indiana license. The privilege costs the Commission's $30 fee plus Indiana's own $50, and it follows your home license: if that lapses, so does the privilege.
Addiction counselors in Indiana
Indiana credentials addiction counselors as LCAC and LAC, through the Indiana Behavioral Health and Human Services Licensing Board. That credential is separate from the LMHC, and the Counseling Compact does not cover it. The same board licenses addiction counselors and clinical addiction counselors. The Indiana Counselors Association on Alcohol and Drug Abuse issues IC&RC certifications separately.
Keeping it current
Indiana renews the LMHC every 2 years, with 40 hours of continuing education per cycle. The renewal period starts April 1 of even-numbered years. At least 20 hours a year, with at least 1 hour of ethics and boundaries each year. 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.
Indiana LMHC License FAQ
What is the counselor license called in Indiana?
+
Can I use the Counseling Compact for Indiana?
+
I'm licensed in another state. How do I get licensed in Indiana?
+
Which exam does Indiana 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.
- 3,000 hours over 21-48 months (readopted 2024-06-24) — checked 2026-10-08
- exam timing — checked 2026-10-08
- no blanket reciprocity, active practice definition — checked 2026-10-08
- 40 CE hours per two-year period — checked 2026-10-08
- NCMHCE required (instructions dated 2017) — checked 2026-10-08
- board page, compact notices — checked 2026-10-08
- live, $50 state fee — checked 2026-10-08
- issuing since 2026-06-08 — 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.