Arkansas licenses Licensed Associate Counselors (LAC) and Licensed Professional Counselors (LPC) through the Board of Examiners in Counseling, which rewrote its rules in July 2026. Everything below comes from the board's own pages and rules, checked October 18, 2026. Fees and rules change, so confirm on the linked pages before you pay.
The NCE, plus an optional NCMHCE. Arkansas gives the National Counselor Examination for licensure, the exam Counselor Ticket is written to. LACs can also petition to take the NCMHCE after Level 1, and a pass shortens the LPC hours.
Check with your board. Counselor Ticket is a study aid. Not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC), the Center for Credentialing & Education (CCE), the American Counseling Association (ACA), CACREP or any state counseling board; NCE and NCMHCE are NBCC's marks, used here only to name the exams. Laws on confidentiality, duty to warn, reporting and licensing differ by state; follow your state's law, your agency and your supervisor.
Arkansas at a glance
License
Exam
What it takes
LAC (Licensed Associate Counselor)
NCE
A qualifying counseling degree (CACREP or the board's course requirements), a board-approved supervisor and supervision agreement before the license is issued.
LPC (Licensed Professional Counselor)
Already passed (NCMHCE optional)
3,000 client contact hours and 175 supervision hours (2,500 and 150 with an NCMHCE pass).
Arkansas, step by step
Arkansas Board of Examiners in Counseling
LAC: once your credentials are approved, the board sends a letter to proceed with the written exam, the NCE; oral interviews may be required. Arrange supervision with a board-approved LAC supervisor and get the agreement approved before the license is issued.
Level 1 and Level 2 (17 CAR 75-401): associates complete 3,000 client contact hours with 175 supervision hours: one hour of supervision per 10 client hours for the first 500 direct hours (Level 1, no indirect hours), then one per 20 (Level 2). Group supervision can be no more than half; supervision may be face to face or by telemedicine.
Optional NCMHCE: after Level 1, with your supervisor's recommendation, you may petition to take the NCMHCE; a pass reduces the requirement by 500 client contact hours and 25 supervision hours. You register and pay NBCC directly.
LPC: with the hours complete, apply to upgrade to the LPC.
The steps that hold nearly everywhere: a counseling master's degree (usually 60 semester hours, often CACREP-accredited), your board's approval, an NBCC exam, about two years of supervised experience, then the full license. The NCE has 200 questions (160 scored) in 3 hours 45 minutes; the NCMHCE is 11 clinical case studies in the same time; either can be retaken after 30 days (NBCC/CCE candidate handbooks). The full walk-through: How to get your counseling license.