Kentucky licenses independent clinical counselors as the LPCC (Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor), through the Kentucky Board of Licensed Professional Counselors. Kentucky has enacted the Counseling Compact but is not issuing privileges yet. Below: what Kentucky asks of a counselor already licensed in another state, and where those applications slow down.
Kentucky LPCC License Requirements
The independent clinical license in Kentucky is the LPCC (Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor).
Exams named for licensure: NCE and NCMHCE.
4,000 hours of post-degree supervised experience for the independent license.
Those hours are completed under the associate credential, the LPCA (Licensed Professional Counselor Associate).
Licensed elsewhere: Kentucky reciprocity works only with jurisdictions that have a written reciprocity agreement with the board and grant Kentucky licensees the same privileges. Associates cannot be licensed by reciprocity.
How Much Does a Kentucky LPCC License Cost?
We have not published a Kentucky figure yet
We have not verified Kentucky Board of Licensed Professional Counselors's current schedule, and board fees change between legislative sessions
We handle the Kentucky 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 Kentucky Applications Get Delayed
At 4,000 hours, Kentucky asks for more supervised experience than most states. Counselors licensed elsewhere on 3,000 hours should check whether endorsement waives the difference before assuming it does.
Kentucky requires 4,000 supervised hours for the LPCC, more than most states.
Because reciprocity depends on bilateral agreements, many out-of-state counselors apply by meeting the full requirements instead. Kentucky has adopted the Counseling Compact (201 KAR 36:100), but privileges are not yet issued there.
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 Kentucky LPCC License
Renewal Cycle
Every year
CE Requirement
10 CE hours per renewal cycle
The Counseling Compact and Kentucky
Kentucky has enacted the Counseling Compact (April 8, 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 Kentucky takes a full Kentucky license, and holding a Kentucky license does not yet give you a privilege anywhere else.
Addiction counselors in Kentucky
Kentucky credentials addiction counselors as LCADC, LADC and CADC, through the Kentucky Board of Alcohol and Drug Counselors. That credential is separate from the LPCC, and the Counseling Compact does not cover it. A separate state board licenses and certifies alcohol and drug counselors; it is also an IC&RC member board.
Keeping it current
Kentucky renews the LPCC every year, with 10 hours of continuing education per cycle. Licenses renew every year with 10 CE hours. Also required: 3 hours of domestic violence training within three years of licensure, 6 hours of suicide assessment within three years and every six years after, and 3 hours on Kentucky counseling law every three years. 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.
Kentucky LPCC License FAQ
What is the counselor license called in Kentucky?
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Can I use the Counseling Compact for Kentucky?
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I'm licensed in another state. How do I get licensed in Kentucky?
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Which exam does Kentucky accept?
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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.
- 4,000 supervised hours, LPCA — checked 2026-10-08
- NCE or NCMHCE — checked 2026-10-08
- reciprocity by agreement only — checked 2026-10-08
- annual CE requirements — checked 2026-10-08
- compact regulation — checked 2026-10-08
- enacted 2022-04-08 (HB 65) — checked 2026-10-08
- addiction credentials and board — checked 2026-10-08
- board site (and adc.ky.gov) refused connections from this server; facts taken from the regulations — 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.
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