Montana licenses independent clinical counselors as the LCPC (Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor), through the Montana Board of Behavioral Health, Department of Labor and Industry. Montana has enacted the Counseling Compact but is not issuing privileges yet. Below: what Montana asks of a counselor already licensed in another state, and where those applications slow down.
Montana LCPC License Requirements
The independent clinical license in Montana is the LCPC (Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor).
Exams named for licensure: NCE and NCMHCE. Either NBCC exam qualifies (ARM 24.219.403, new 2/10/2024). At most three attempts without special board approval.
3,000 hours of post-degree supervised experience for the independent license.
Those hours are completed under the associate credential, the PCLC (Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor Candidate).
Licensed elsewhere: A counselor with an active license in good standing from a jurisdiction with substantially equivalent requirements can be licensed under MCA 37-1-304, with supervised hours meeting ARM 24.219.604, a passed NCE or NCMHCE, and fingerprints. If the other state is not equivalent, the board weighs actual qualifications and work experience.
How Much Does a Montana LCPC License Cost?
We have not published a Montana figure yet
We have not verified Montana Board of Behavioral Health, Department of Labor and Industry's current schedule, and board fees change between legislative sessions
Board: Montana Board of Behavioral Health, Department of Labor and Industry
We handle the Montana 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 Montana Applications Get Delayed
Up to 1,500 of the 3,000 supervised hours may be earned pre-degree if the graduate program approves them; post-degree hours must include 1,000 hours of direct client contact, no more than 250 in groups (ARM 24.219.604, amended 2/10/2024).
Supervision runs at least 1 hour face-to-face per 20 hours of counseling across all 3,000 hours.
Exam, CE and supervision rules were rewritten effective 2/10/2024 to implement HB 137 (2023).
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 Montana LCPC License
Renewal Cycle
Every year
CE Requirement
20 CE hours per renewal cycle
The Counseling Compact and Montana
Montana has enacted the Counseling Compact, 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 Montana takes a full Montana license, and holding a Montana license does not yet give you a privilege anywhere else.
Addiction counselors in Montana
Montana credentials addiction counselors as LAC, through the Montana Board of Behavioral Health. That credential is separate from the LCPC, and the Counseling Compact does not cover it. The same board licenses addiction counselors.
Keeping it current
Montana renews the LCPC every year, with 20 hours of continuing education per cycle. 20 CE hours every year; at least 2 hours of suicide prevention at the first renewal and every two years after (ARM 24.219.435). Up to 20 extra hours carry forward. 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.
Montana LCPC License FAQ
What is the counselor license called in Montana?
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Can I use the Counseling Compact for Montana?
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I'm licensed in another state. How do I get licensed in Montana?
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Which exam does Montana 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.
- board name and URL (bbh.mt.gov redirects here), LCPC and LAC license types — checked 2026-10-08
- LCPC requirements, NCE or NCMHCE, out-of-state route, $200 fee, no jurisprudence exam listed (checklist updated 7/1/2024) — checked 2026-10-08
- candidate title (PCLC), up to 1,500 pre-degree hours — checked 2026-10-08
- supervised hours, 1,000 direct, 1:20 supervision ratio, amended 2/10/2024 — checked 2026-10-08
- exams, three-attempt limit, eff. 2/10/2024 — checked 2026-10-08
- 20 CE hours annually, suicide prevention — checked 2026-10-08
- MCA 37-1-304 endorsement text (amended 2023 and 2025); no minimum years — checked 2026-10-08
- Compact member, not yet issuing privileges; no privilege jurisprudence requirement — 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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