New Hampshire licenses independent clinical counselors as the LCMHC (Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor), through the New Hampshire Board of Mental Health Practice, Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC). New Hampshire has enacted the Counseling Compact but is not issuing privileges yet. Below: what New Hampshire asks of a counselor already licensed in another state, and where those applications slow down.
New Hampshire LCMHC License Requirements
The independent clinical license in New Hampshire is the LCMHC (Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor).
Exams named for licensure: NCMHCE. The NCMHCE is the only accepted exam (RSA 330-A:19, II; Mhp 305.04). The NCE does not qualify.
3,000 hours of post-degree supervised experience for the independent license.
Licensed elsewhere: A counselor actively licensed 5 or more years in good standing in another state uses the Fast Track application, and the board waives supervised-experience requirements (RSA 330-A:26, III; Mhp 302.07). Anyone licensed under 5 years must meet every New Hampshire education, exam and supervision rule (Mhp 302.06).
How Much Does a New Hampshire LCMHC License Cost?
We have not published a New Hampshire figure yet
We have not verified New Hampshire Board of Mental Health Practice, Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC)'s current schedule, and board fees change between legislative sessions
We handle the New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire Applications Get Delayed
New Hampshire accepts the NCMHCE only. A counselor who passed only the NCE will need to sit for the NCMHCE before New Hampshire will license them.
Supervised experience is 2 post-master's years of at least 1,500 hours each, each year finished in 12 to 24 consecutive months, with 100 hours of individual face-to-face supervision at 1 hour a week; HIPAA-compliant video counts (Mhp 305.03, eff. 12/19/2023).
Hours earned in private practice as a 1099 contractor do not count; a W-2 relationship with the site is required (Mhp 305.03, eff. 12/19/2023).
A conditional license (RSA 330-A:19, IV, added 2023) lasts up to 2 years, with one renewal. Fast Track applicants may practice 30 days after a complete application is received, pending approval.
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 New Hampshire LCMHC License
Renewal Cycle
Every 2 years
CE Requirement
40 CE hours per renewal cycle
The Counseling Compact and New Hampshire
New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire takes a full New Hampshire license, and holding a New Hampshire license does not yet give you a privilege anywhere else.
Addiction counselors in New Hampshire
New Hampshire credentials addiction counselors as MLADC, LADC, LCS and CRSW, through the Board of Licensing for Alcohol and Other Drug Use Professionals (OPLC). That credential is separate from the LCMHC, and the Counseling Compact does not cover it. A separate board licenses addiction counselors under RSA 330-C. An MLADC license can substitute for up to 1,500 of the LCMHC's 3,000 supervised hours.
Keeping it current
New Hampshire renews the LCMHC every 2 years, with 40 hours of continuing education per cycle. 40 hours every 2 years: at least 30 from Category A, 6 in ethics and 3 in suicide prevention; board-approved supervisors also need 6 hours in clinical supervision (Mhp 402.01, readopted 8/19/2025). 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.
New Hampshire LCMHC License FAQ
What is the counselor license called in New Hampshire?
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Can I use the Counseling Compact for New Hampshire?
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I'm licensed in another state. How do I get licensed in New Hampshire?
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Which exam does New Hampshire 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.
- title, NCMHCE, 3,000 hours, MLADC substitution, conditional license (amended 2023); read via web.archive.org because gc.nh.gov blocks this server — checked 2026-10-08
- out-of-state applicants, 30-day practice, 5-year supervision waiver (archive capture) — checked 2026-10-08
- Mhp 302.06, 302.07, 305.03 (eff. 12/19/2023), 305.04 (archive capture of 2026-03-10) — checked 2026-10-08
- supervision rules, W-2 requirement — checked 2026-10-08
- 40 CE hours every 2 years, ethics, suicide prevention (eff. 8/19/2025; archive capture) — checked 2026-10-08
- addiction board name and MLADC, LADC, LCS, CRSW titles (archive capture) — checked 2026-10-08
- Compact member via SB 397 (2022); no signing date given — checked 2026-10-08
- board site listed by the Compact as https://www.oplc.nh.gov/board-mental-health-practice; it refused or blocked automated access from this server, so the URL is not recorded as verified — 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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