At a Glance
Arkansas licenses professional counselors at two levels: the Licensed Associate Counselor (LAC) and the Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC). The Arkansas Board of Examiners in Counseling and Marriage and Family Therapy (ABEC) issues both credentials. Earning full LPC licensure requires a 60-credit master’s degree, three years of supervised experience, and passing three NBCC-sponsored exams. The process typically takes around nine years from the start of a bachelor’s degree.
The Arkansas Board of Examiners in Counseling and Marriage and Family Therapy (ABEC) issues the Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) credential, the license you need to practice independently as a counselor in Arkansas. Before you can earn the LPC, you’ll work as a Licensed Associate Counselor (LAC), a supervised credential you hold while completing the required post-degree experience. Most people spend at least three years as an LAC before upgrading to full licensure. If you’re also interested in marriage and family therapy, Arkansas offers a dual-licensure path as an LAC/LAMFT or LPC/LMFT, though that process isn’t covered here. Arkansas also has a separate credentialing path for Arkansas substance abuse counselor certification.
Steps Toward Arkansas Counseling Licensure
The path from graduate student to fully licensed LPC follows a defined sequence. Here’s how the process breaks down before you get into the step-by-step detail for each credential.
- Earn a qualifying graduate degree in counseling that includes a practicum and internship (minimum 60 semester credits, regionally accredited)
- Pass the National Counselor Examination (NCE) and the Arkansas Jurisprudence Exam through the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC)
- Obtain your LAC license and complete 3,000 client contact hours over at least three years under an ABEC-approved supervisor
- Pass the National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination (NCMHCE)
- Upgrade your LAC license to full LPC licensure
Licensed Associate Counselor (LAC)
The LAC is a provisional credential. It allows you to practice counseling in Arkansas while accumulating the supervised experience hours required for full LPC licensure. You must always work under an ABEC-approved LPC supervisor as an LAC.
Step 1: Meet the Education Requirement
Earn a qualifying graduate degree in counseling that is at least 60 semester credits, primarily focused on professional counseling, and regionally accredited by a body recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). Programs accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) meet this standard and are generally preferred by employers and licensing boards. Your degree must include a practicum and internship and cover required coursework areas, including human growth and development, cultural and social diversity, counseling theory, career development, group work, assessment, research and program evaluation, and professional identity and ethics. Have your school send official transcripts to ABEC and complete a Core Curriculum Summary to include with your application.
Step 2: Submit Your LAC Application
Submit an application for licensure to ABEC and verify the current application fee before applying. ABEC’s online licensure form currently lists a $200 application fee. Once ABEC approves your application, it notifies the NBCC that you’re cleared to test and mails you authorization to register for your exams.
Step 3: Pass Your Exams
Register with the NBCC to take two exams required for LAC licensure: the National Counselor Examination (NCE), with a $275 registration fee, and the Arkansas Jurisprudence Exam, with a $30 registration fee. Both exams are taken through the Center for Credentialing and Education’s (CCE) ProCounselor portal. The NCE covers topics from your degree program across 200 multiple-choice questions. The Arkansas Jurisprudence Exam covers the laws and rules governing counseling practice in Arkansas, including Arkansas Code, Title 17, Subtitle 2, Chapter 27.
Step 4: Complete Background Check and Set Up Supervision
Once ABEC confirms you’ve passed your exams, it sends fingerprinting instructions for your background check. Before you can start accumulating hours, ABEC must approve your supervision arrangement. You’ll need to identify an ABEC-approved LPC supervisor and define your supervised scope of practice in a Statement of Intent.
Step 5: Submit Letters of Recommendation
Obtain four letters of professional recommendation. Two must come from faculty or adjuncts in your graduate program, one from your practicum or internship supervisor, and one from a mental health professional. Have each letter sent to you in a sealed envelope.
Step 6: Send Your Pre-Licensure Packet to ABEC
Compile your Statement of Intent, Pre-Licensure Criminal Background Check Petition, fingerprinting materials, and letters of recommendation into one envelope and send everything to ABEC together. ABEC will notify you once this stage is approved.
Step 7: File Your Supervision Agreement and Receive Your LAC License
Complete a Supervision Agreement form with your supervisor and submit it to ABEC. Once approved, ABEC will notify you of your pro-rated LAC licensing fee. After payment, ABEC issues your LAC license, and you can begin practicing under supervision.
Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)
The LPC is Arkansas’s full independent practice credential. Once you’ve completed your supervised experience and passed the NCMHCE, you can petition ABEC to upgrade your LAC license to an LPC.
Step 1: Complete the Supervised Experience Requirement
You need 3,000 client contact hours and 175 hours of supervision, completed over at least three years. Your supervisor submits semi-annual evaluation reports to ABEC throughout. Additional graduate coursework beyond the master’s degree may reduce required client-contact hours, but applicants should verify the current credit calculation with ABEC. Current Arkansas rules describe 100 client-contact hours for each three graduate semester hours, up to 2,000 hours for 60 graduate semester hours. Once you’ve fulfilled the requirement, your supervisor submits a final report, and you both file a Termination Notice with ABEC.
Step 2: Pass the NCMHCE
You and your supervisor complete a Petition to Take the National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination (NCMHCE) and submit it to ABEC. Once approved, ABEC notifies the NBCC, and you can register through the CCE ProCounselor portal. The NCMHCE format and fees can change, so confirm the current exam structure and cost directly with NBCC and CCE before registering. Arrange for your score to be forwarded to ABEC.
Step 3: Petition for License Upgrade
You and your supervisor submit a Petition for License Change to ABEC, along with a revised Statement of Intent and a $100 fee. Once ABEC approves the petition, it issues your LPC license.
Once you’ve been an LPC in good standing for three years, you can apply for a Supervisor designation. This qualifies you to supervise LACs. Requirements include completing a three-semester-credit graduate course in clinical supervision that includes 18 hours of supervised experience. Your application must include a $50 fee, a revised Statement of Intent, and a written paper on your supervision philosophy.
Required Education
To qualify for both LAC and LPC licensure, your graduate degree must meet all of the following: at least 60 semester credits, a primary focus on professional counseling, regional accreditation from a body recognized by CHEA, and coursework covering each of the following areas with at least one three-credit course each.
- Human growth and development
- Cultural and social diversity
- Counseling theory and helping relationships
- Group work
- Career development
- Assessment
- Research and program evaluation
- Abnormal psychology, DSM and ICD use, and psychopathology
- Relationship and family
- Professional identity and ethics
Your program also needs one credit in the use of technology in counseling or therapy, plus a qualifying practicum and internship. Arkansas rules use CACREP standards for LAC and LPC academic preparation, but applicants should still confirm that their specific coursework, practicum, internship, grades, and documentation meet ABEC’s requirements. If you’re considering a non-CACREP program, confirm with ABEC before enrolling that your specific degree will qualify, particularly if you’re considering an out-of-state or online program. Browse counseling degree programs to compare accredited options.
You can also include a three-credit course in clinical supervision in your degree program. Completing it as part of your graduate work positions you to apply for Supervisor status once you’ve been an LPC for three years.
Practicums and Internships
Your degree program must include a practicum and an internship that together total at least 9 semester credits across at least 3 graduate courses, completed over a minimum of 6 months. On average, these should include one hour of individual or triadic supervision per week and 1.5 hours of group supervision per week.
The practicum must be at least 100 hours total and include 40 hours of direct client services. The internship must be at least 600 hours total and include 240 hours of direct client services.
Required Exams
Arkansas requires three exams on the path to LPC licensure, all sponsored by the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC). You need ABEC’s clearance before registering for any of them.
- National Counselor Examination (NCE): required for LAC licensure. 200 multiple-choice questions covering core counseling competencies. $275 registration fee.
- Arkansas Jurisprudence Examination: required for LAC licensure. Covers Arkansas counseling laws, including Arkansas Code, Title 17, Subtitle 2, Chapter 27. $30 registration fee.
- National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination (NCMHCE): required for LPC licensure. Ten clinical simulation scenarios. $275 registration fee.
All three exams are taken at a local testing center through the Center for Credentialing and Education’s (CCE) ProCounselor portal. You’ll have at least three hours to complete either the NCE or NCMHCE. ABEC provides clearance once you submit the appropriate application materials for each exam.
Renewing Your License
LAC and LPC licenses expire biennially on May 31st of even-numbered years. You can renew online. Renewal fees should be verified with ABEC before renewal. Current Arkansas rules list biennial license fees of $200 for associate licenses and $250 for professional licenses. To renew, you need 24 hours of continuing education each renewal period, including at least three hours in ethics. You don’t need to submit your continuing education records to ABEC unless you’re audited, but keep track of them. If you’ve passed or retaken the NCE or NCMHCE within the 12 months before renewal, that exam result can substitute for the full 24-hour continuing education requirement.
Reciprocity
Arkansas doesn’t have formal reciprocity agreements with other states, but ABEC does accept endorsement applications from counselors who’ve held an active, full (not provisional) license in good standing with no disciplinary actions for at least three years. To apply, submit the endorsement application form with a $100 fee.
ABEC will need to receive the following to process your application:
- Core Curriculum Summary
- Official transcripts from your college or university
- Statement of Intent
- Official verification of your out-of-state LPC license from your state’s board
- NBCC exam scores sent directly from the NBCC
- Four letters of professional recommendation
- Fingerprint background check results
Once your application is approved, ABEC will send instructions for registering with the NBCC for the Arkansas Jurisprudence Exam. After you pass the licensure exam and pay the licensure fee, ABEC issues your LPC license via endorsement.
Counseling Salaries in Arkansas
Counseling salaries in Arkansas vary by specialty. The figures below are national medians from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), May 2024 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. Actual wages in Arkansas may differ from national figures based on employer, setting, and geographic area.
| Counseling Occupation |
National Median Annual Wage (May 2024) |
| School and Career Counselors and Advisors |
$65,140 |
| Marriage and Family Therapists |
$63,780 |
| Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors |
$59,190 |
| Rehabilitation Counselors |
$46,110 |
Among the listed occupations, BLS currently projects the fastest growth for substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors at 17 percent from 2024 to 2034. Marriage and family therapists are projected at 13 percent over the same period.
Resources
Professional Associations
Arkansas Counseling Association (ArCA): The state affiliate of the American Counseling Association, ArCA supports professional development through advocacy, continuing education discounts, and an annual conference. Membership gives counselors a voice on legislative issues affecting the profession in Arkansas.
Arkansas School Counselor Association (ArSCA): ArSCA supports school counselors in advancing students’ academic, personal, and career development. The organization hosts an annual conference, awards ceremonies, and scholarship opportunities.
Arkansas Mental Health Counselors Association (ArMHCA): ArMHCA offers professional development through an annual conference, seminars, and retreats, emphasizing networking and education for mental health counselors across the state.
Arkansas Association of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors (AAADAC): With more than 40 years of history, AAADAC works to maintain quality standards in substance abuse counseling and advocates for policy responses to the profession’s evolving challenges.
Career Opportunities
Arkansas Division of Aging, Adult and Behavioral Health Services: This division of the Arkansas Department of Human Services provides resources for substance abuse, mental health, and treatment services statewide. It’s one of the primary state-level employers of LACs and LPCs.
Counseling Associates (CA): Part of the National Service Corps, CA serves clients regardless of ability to pay and accepts multiple national insurance plans. With offices in 10 cities and an after-hours crisis line serving 10 counties, it’s one of the largest community mental health providers in the state.
Ozark Guidance: Operating across 11 cities, Ozark Guidance provides behavioral health services for children, adolescents, and adults and hosts a summer professional development series for school-based mental health professionals.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to become a licensed counselor in Arkansas?
Most people take about 9 years to reach full LPC licensure, starting from the beginning of a bachelor’s degree. That breaks down as roughly four years for an undergraduate degree, two years for a master’s in counseling, and at least three years as an LAC completing the supervised experience requirement. If you already have a master’s degree when you begin the process, plan for three to five years from graduation to LPC licensure.
Does Arkansas require CACREP accreditation for the counseling degree?
Arkansas doesn’t mandate CACREP accreditation specifically, but your degree must be from a regionally accredited institution recognized by CHEA and meet all of ABEC’s curricular requirements. CACREP-accredited programs are designed to satisfy these requirements and are widely preferred by employers. If you’re considering a non-CACREP program, confirm with ABEC before enrolling that your specific degree will qualify.
What is the difference between the LAC and LPC licenses in Arkansas?
The LAC is a provisional credential that allows you to practice counseling under the supervision of an ABEC-approved LPC supervisor. It’s the credential you hold while completing the 3,000 client contact hours required for full licensure. The LPC is the full independent practice license. Once you have it, you can practice without supervision and, eventually, supervise LACs yourself.
Does Arkansas have reciprocity for out-of-state counselors?
Arkansas doesn’t have formal reciprocity agreements with other states. However, ABEC accepts endorsement applications from out-of-state counselors who’ve held an active, full license in good standing for at least three years. Endorsement applicants must still pass the Arkansas Jurisprudence Exam and submit transcripts, exam scores, four recommendation letters, a Statement of Intent, and a background check.
How many continuing education hours do Arkansas LPCs need for license renewal?
Arkansas LPCs need 24 hours of continuing education during each two-year renewal period, including at least 3 hours in ethics. Licenses expire on May 31st of even-numbered years. Arkansas rules allow a passing score on the NCE, NCMHCE, or AMFTRB exam to substitute for continuing education if you haven’t accumulated the required CE hours. Verify timing and documentation requirements with ABEC before relying on this option.
Key Takeaways
- Two-license pathway: Arkansas uses a provisional LAC credential followed by the full LPC license. You’ll spend at least three years as an LAC completing supervised hours before you can upgrade.
- Three exams are required: the NCE and the Arkansas Jurisprudence Exam are required for LAC licensure. The NCMHCE is required to advance to the LPC. ABEC must clear you before you register for any of them.
- CACREP matters in practice: Arkansas doesn’t mandate CACREP accreditation, but programs that meet this standard satisfy ABEC’s requirements and are preferred by employers. Verify your program qualifies before enrolling.
- Endorsement is available: Out-of-state LPCs with three or more years of active licensure in good standing can apply for an Arkansas LPC by endorsement, though the Arkansas Jurisprudence Exam is still required.
- Strong job growth outlook: The BLS projects 17 percent growth for mental health and substance abuse counselors from 2024 to 2034, well above the average for all occupations.
Ready to explore Arkansas counseling licensure? Compare programs carefully and confirm with ABEC that any program you choose meets current Arkansas licensure requirements before enrolling.
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Laura Bennett, MPH is a public health professional with over 12 years of experience in community health education and program coordination. She specializes in helping aspiring professionals explore flexible education pathways, including online and hybrid public health degree programs. Laura is passionate about making public health careers more accessible through practical, accredited training
May 2024 Bureau of Labor Statistics salary and job market figures for School and Career Counselors and Advisors, Marriage and Family Therapists, Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors, and Rehabilitation Counselors represent national data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed May 2026.
