Washington licenses independent clinical counselors as the LMHC (Licensed Mental Health Counselor), through the Washington State Department of Health, Mental Health Counselor program. Washington has enacted the Counseling Compact but is not issuing privileges yet. Below: what Washington asks of a counselor already licensed in another state, and where those applications slow down.
Washington LMHC License Requirements
The independent clinical license in Washington is the LMHC (Licensed Mental Health Counselor).
Exams named for licensure: NCE and NCMHCE. Either NBCC exam qualifies; DOH must receive the score directly from NBCC (WAC 246-809-240).
3,000 hours of post-degree supervised experience for the independent license.
Those hours are completed under the associate credential, the LMHCA (Licensed Mental Health Counselor Associate).
Licensed elsewhere: A counselor licensed for at least two years, without discipline, in a state DOH considers substantially equivalent can apply for the full LMHC. DOH lists 11 states as not equivalent and may refuse this route to anyone ever licensed in a universal-licensure state; a one-year probationary license (renewable once) covers gaps for applicants from listed reciprocity states.
How Much Does a Washington LMHC License Cost?
We have not published a Washington figure yet
We have not verified Washington State Department of Health, Mental Health Counselor program's current schedule, and board fees change between legislative sessions
Board: Washington State Department of Health, Mental Health Counselor program
We handle the Washington 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 Washington Applications Get Delayed
The endorsement route expects 2 years of licensure elsewhere. Count from the date your independent license was issued, not your associate license.
DOH lists Arkansas, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, South Carolina and Wisconsin as not substantially equivalent. Anyone ever licensed in a universal-licensure state (AZ, AR, ID, IA, KS, MS, MO, UT, VA) may not qualify for the equivalency route.
Since 2025-06-12, an applicant who has held an active counselor license elsewhere for the past year with a clean record is deemed to meet the supervised-experience requirement (WAC 246-809-230(1)); education and exam rules still apply.
Since 2025-10-01 an associate applicant may practice under an approved supervisor for 120 days after DOH receives a complete application (RCW 18.225.145).
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 Washington LMHC License
Renewal Cycle
Every year
CE Requirement
32 CE hours per renewal cycle
The Counseling Compact and Washington
Washington has enacted the Counseling Compact (April 13, 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 Washington takes a full Washington license, and holding a Washington license does not yet give you a privilege anywhere else.
Addiction counselors in Washington
Washington credentials addiction counselors as SUDP and SUDPT, through the Washington State Department of Health. That credential is separate from the LMHC, and the Counseling Compact does not cover it. Substance Use Disorder Professional and SUDP Trainee are DOH credentials. Three years as a SUDP cuts the LMHC hour requirement from 3,000 to 2,700.
Keeping it current
Washington renews the LMHC every year, with 32 hours of continuing education per cycle. License renews every year on the birthday; the 32 CE hours are due every two years and include 6 in ethics and law, 2 in roles and boundaries, plus 6 hours of suicide training every six years and 2 hours of health equity every four years. 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.
Washington LMHC License FAQ
What is the counselor license called in Washington?
+
Can I use the Counseling Compact for Washington?
+
I'm licensed in another state. How do I get licensed in Washington?
+
Which exam does Washington accept?
+
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.
- two-year equivalency route, list of 11 non-equivalent states, universal-licensure exclusion, probationary license — checked 2026-10-08
- exams, hours, associate license, no law exam listed — checked 2026-10-08
- WAC 246-809-230 hours and one-year deemed experience, -240 exams, -095 probationary license, -630 CE, -990 annual renewal — checked 2026-10-08
- associate license and 120-day practice from 2025-10-01 — checked 2026-10-08
- compact: Chapter 58, Laws of 2023, approved 2023-04-13 — checked 2026-10-08
- no privilege jurisprudence requirement listed for WA — 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.
View PricingBook Online
Share your details and preferred availability.