Vermont licenses independent clinical counselors as the LCMHC (Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor), through the Vermont Office of Professional Regulation (OPR), Allied Mental Health. Vermont has enacted the Counseling Compact but is not issuing privileges yet. Below: what Vermont asks of a counselor already licensed in another state, and where those applications slow down.
Vermont LCMHC License Requirements
The independent clinical license in Vermont is the LCMHC (Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor).
Exams named for licensure: NCE and NCMHCE. Both the NCE and the NCMHCE are required, and only results from within five years of the licensure date count.
3,000 hours of post-degree supervised experience for the independent license.
Licensed elsewhere: Fast Track Endorsement (3 V.S.A. 136a) licenses someone who has held an active, independent license in good standing in another state for the three years immediately before applying. A separate Five Year Rule covers independent clinical counselors with at least five years of active practice (over 20 hours a week, 48 weeks a year).
How Much Does a Vermont LCMHC License Cost?
We have not published a Vermont figure yet
We have not verified Vermont Office of Professional Regulation (OPR), Allied Mental Health's current schedule, and board fees change between legislative sessions
Board: Vermont Office of Professional Regulation (OPR), Allied Mental Health
We handle the Vermont 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 Vermont Applications Get Delayed
The endorsement route expects 3 years of licensure elsewhere. Count from the date your independent license was issued, not your associate license.
There is no associate counselor license. Anyone practicing psychotherapy before licensure must be on the Roster of Non-Licensed, Non-Certified Psychotherapists, and hours earned off the roster do not count.
Of the 3,000 supervised hours (over at least two years), 2,000 must be direct, and only hours from within five years of the licensure decision are accepted.
OPR says the Counseling Compact is not yet active in Vermont, so a compact privilege from another state does not cover practice here.
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 Vermont LCMHC License
Renewal Cycle
Every 2 years
CE Requirement
40 CE hours per renewal cycle
The Counseling Compact and Vermont
Vermont has enacted the Counseling Compact (June 1, 2023), 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 Vermont takes a full Vermont license, and holding a Vermont license does not yet give you a privilege anywhere else.
Addiction counselors in Vermont
Vermont credentials addiction counselors as LADC, ADC and AAP, through the Vermont Office of Professional Regulation (OPR), Alcohol & Drug Abuse Counselors. That credential is separate from the LCMHC, and the Counseling Compact does not cover it. Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor, Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor, and Apprentice Addiction Professional. OPR says the AAP and ADC are meaningful only within state-certified (DSU) provider programs.
Keeping it current
Vermont renews the LCMHC every 2 years, with 40 hours of continuing education per cycle. CE starts with the first renewal after two years of licensure; since the January 2025 renewal, 1 hour must cover systemic oppression and anti-oppressive practice. 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.
Vermont LCMHC License FAQ
What is the counselor license called in Vermont?
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Can I use the Counseling Compact for Vermont?
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I'm licensed in another state. How do I get licensed in Vermont?
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Which exam does Vermont 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.
- both exams, 3,000/2,000 hours, five-year limits, Fast Track and Five Year Rule, CE 40 hours, compact not active — checked 2026-10-08
- roster requirement before licensure, 2,000 direct hours — checked 2026-10-08
- Fast Track: 3 years of independent licensure, 3 V.S.A. 136a — checked 2026-10-08
- H.62 (Counseling Compact) signed 2023-06-01 — checked 2026-10-08
- LADC, ADC and AAP credentials under OPR — checked 2026-10-08
- no privilege jurisprudence requirement listed for VT — 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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