Maine licenses independent clinical counselors as the LCPC (Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor), through the Board of Counseling Professionals Licensure (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation). Maine has enacted the Counseling Compact but is not issuing privileges yet. Below: what Maine asks of a counselor already licensed in another state, and where those applications slow down.
Maine LCPC License Requirements
The independent clinical license in Maine is the LCPC (Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor).
Maine also issues the LPC (nonclinical tier (NCE plus 2,000 supervised hours); no diagnosis or treatment of mental disorders) and the Registered Counselor (registration category with no continuing education requirement), so confirm which tier your work and your payers require.
Exams named for licensure: NCMHCE. The conditional license requires the NCE; full LCPC licensure requires the NCMHCE.
3,000 hours of post-degree supervised experience for the independent license.
Those hours are completed under the associate credential, the Conditional LCPC (Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (conditional license)).
Licensed elsewhere: Licensure by endorsement (10 M.R.S. 8003-H) is open to holders of an active license from a state whose initial-licensure pathway meets Maine's education, exam and experience minimums. A separate route recognizes at least five consecutive years of active practice under a substantially equivalent license.
How Much Does a Maine LCPC License Cost?
We have not published a Maine figure yet
We have not verified Board of Counseling Professionals Licensure (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation)'s current schedule, and board fees change between legislative sessions
Board: Board of Counseling Professionals Licensure (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation)
We handle the Maine 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 Maine Applications Get Delayed
Maine accepts the NCMHCE only. A counselor who passed only the NCE will need to sit for the NCMHCE before Maine will license them.
The endorsement route expects 5 years of licensure elsewhere. Count from the date your independent license was issued, not your associate license.
The LCPC requires two post-degree years with 3,000 hours of supervised clinical experience and 100 hours of personal supervision.
Since 2020-01-01 LCPC applicants also need 12 hours of coursework in family or intimate partner violence.
A conditional licensee must use the word "conditional" on all documents; the conditional license runs two years and can be renewed twice.
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 Maine LCPC License
Renewal Cycle
Every 2 years
CE Requirement
55 CE hours per renewal cycle
The Counseling Compact and Maine
Maine has enacted the Counseling Compact (March 31, 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 Maine takes a full Maine license, and holding a Maine license does not yet give you a privilege anywhere else.
Addiction counselors in Maine
Maine credentials addiction counselors as LADC, CADC and ADCA, through the Maine State Board of Alcohol and Drug Counselors. That credential is separate from the LCPC, and the Counseling Compact does not cover it. A separate state board licenses alcohol and drug counselors and registers counseling aides.
Keeping it current
Maine renews the LCPC every 2 years, with 55 hours of continuing education per cycle. 55 contact hours per license biennium, with subject distribution rules. 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.
Maine LCPC License FAQ
What is the counselor license called in Maine?
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Can I use the Counseling Compact for Maine?
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I'm licensed in another state. How do I get licensed in Maine?
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Which exam does Maine 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.
- LPC and LCPC requirements, clinical status — checked 2026-10-08
- NCE and NCMHCE — checked 2026-10-08
- conditional license — checked 2026-10-08
- licensure by endorsement — checked 2026-10-08
- five-year route — checked 2026-10-08
- 55 CE hours per biennium — checked 2026-10-08
- addiction counselor credentials — checked 2026-10-08
- board URLs — 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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