Tennessee licenses independent clinical counselors as the LPC/MHSP (Licensed Professional Counselor with Mental Health Service Provider designation), through the Tennessee Board for Licensed Professional Counselors, Licensed Marital and Family Therapists, and Licensed Clinical Pastoral Therapists. Tennessee issues Counseling Compact privileges to practice (since September 1, 2026). Below: what Tennessee asks of a counselor already licensed in another state, and where those applications slow down.
Tennessee LPC/MHSP License Requirements
The independent clinical license in Tennessee is the LPC/MHSP (Licensed Professional Counselor with Mental Health Service Provider designation).
Tennessee also issues the LPC (may not diagnose or treat DSM disorders; limited to normal social and family problems), so confirm which tier your work and your payers require.
Exams named for licensure: NCE, NCMHCE and Tennessee Jurisprudence Exam. The LPC requires the NCE and the Tennessee Jurisprudence Exam; the LPC/MHSP adds the NCMHCE.
3,000 hours of post-degree supervised experience for the independent license.
Tennessee requires a state law or jurisprudence exam.
Licensed elsewhere: Under Rule 0450-01-.05 a current, undisciplined LPC/MHSP-equivalent license from another state can qualify for the LPC/MHSP by reciprocity; the plain LPC route is limited to states with a mutual reciprocity agreement (Kentucky and North Carolina). The rule sets no minimum years licensed.
How Much Does a Tennessee LPC/MHSP License Cost?
We have not published a Tennessee figure yet
We have not verified Tennessee Board for Licensed Professional Counselors, Licensed Marital and Family Therapists, and Licensed Clinical Pastoral Therapists's current schedule, and board fees change between legislative sessions
We handle the Tennessee 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 Tennessee Applications Get Delayed
Only the LPC/MHSP may diagnose and treat mental disorders. It needs 3,000 post-master's hours (1,500 face-to-face counseling, 1,500 clinically related) with 150 hours of supervision, plus 9 graduate hours in diagnosis and treatment.
Tennessee began issuing Counseling Compact privileges on 2026-09-01, and only for the LPC-MHSP (state fee $180 plus the $30 compact fee). Privilege holders must pass the Tennessee jurisprudence exam.
The board page still says Tennessee "does not have an anticipated start date" for the compact next to the 2026-09-01 launch notice, so expect some stale text on tn.gov.
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 Tennessee LPC/MHSP License
Renewal Cycle
Every 2 years
CE Requirement
20 CE hours per renewal cycle
The Counseling Compact and Tennessee
Tennessee is a Counseling Compact member and is issuing privileges to practice as of September 1, 2026. A counselor who lives in another live member state and holds an unencumbered independent license there can apply through CompactConnect for a Tennessee privilege instead of a full Tennessee license. The privilege costs the Commission's $30 fee plus Tennessee's own $180, and it follows your home license: if that lapses, so does the privilege.
Addiction counselors in Tennessee
Tennessee credentials addiction counselors as LADAC I and LADAC II, through the Tennessee Board of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselors. That credential is separate from the LPC/MHSP, and the Counseling Compact does not cover it. A separate board. Level I may not practice independently; Level II may.
Keeping it current
Tennessee renews the LPC/MHSP every 2 years, with 20 hours of continuing education per cycle. At least 3 hours on ethics, Tennessee law or board rules. Holders of two board licenses need 30 hours. 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.
Tennessee LPC/MHSP License FAQ
What is the counselor license called in Tennessee?
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Can I use the Counseling Compact for Tennessee?
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I'm licensed in another state. How do I get licensed in Tennessee?
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Which exam does Tennessee 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, compact applications from 2026-09-01, CE 20 hours per 2 years, jurisprudence exam, KY and NC reciprocity agreements — checked 2026-10-08
- LPC vs LPC/MHSP scope, exams, hours — checked 2026-10-08
- exams, 3,000 hours with 150 supervision for LPC/MHSP — checked 2026-10-08
- reciprocity rules, no minimum years — checked 2026-10-08
- CE 20 hours every two calendar years; 30 for two licenses — checked 2026-10-08
- issuing privileges from 2026-09-01 — checked 2026-10-08
- SB 1027 signed 2022-05-27 — checked 2026-10-08
- LPC-MHSP eligible, state fee $180 — 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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