Washington licenses Licensed Mental Health Counselors (LMHC), with an associate license (LMHCA) for graduates collecting supervised hours. 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.
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.
Washington at a glance
License
Exam
What it takes
LMHCA (Mental Health Counselor Associate)
None listed for the associate
A master's or doctorate in mental health counseling or a related behavioral science field with the required content areas and a practicum or internship. $35; renewed yearly.
LMHC (Licensed Mental Health Counselor)
NCE or NCMHCE
36 months full time or 3,000 postgraduate hours, 1,200 direct counseling, 100 hours of supervision. $95 + $80.
Washington, step by step
Washington State Department of Health (mental health counselor licensing, chapter 18.225 RCW)
Degree: a master's or doctorate in mental health counseling, or in a behavioral science field related to it, with a core of counseling theory and philosophy, a counseling practicum or internship, and seven of the content areas the department lists (five from its first eight: assessment and diagnosis, ethics and law, individual, group and family counseling, development, psychopathology, research).
Associate license: apply for the LMHCA ($35 plus a $16 online access fee) and practice under an approved supervisor; associate licenses renew every year.
Supervised experience: at least 36 months of full-time counseling or 3,000 hours of postgraduate mental health counseling under an approved LMHC or equally qualified licensed practitioner, including at least 100 hours of immediate supervision and at least 1,200 hours of direct counseling. Your supervisors complete the verification form.
The exam: Washington accepts the NCE or the NCMHCE. Register directly with NBCC's affiliate CCE, and have NBCC send your scores to the department.
LMHC fees (WAC 246-809-990): application $95 plus an $80 initial license fee and the $16 online access fee; renewal $125.
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.