The role of a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in Virginia provides behavioral health services. The pursuit of licensure is governed by the Virginia Board of Counseling (BoC) and requires a precise, multi-step process. Aspiring counselors must sequentially complete educational requirements, formal registration, extensive supervised residency hours, and a national examination to earn independent licensure.
Required Educational Foundations
The foundation for LPC licensure in Virginia requires completing a master’s or doctoral degree in counseling or a related field from a regionally accredited college or university. While programs accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) are generally accepted, non-CACREP programs may also qualify if they meet specific course requirements.
The educational program must include a minimum of 60 graduate semester hours of coursework. These hours must be distributed across 13 core content areas, with at least three semester hours dedicated to each topic. Required content areas include:
- Human growth and development
- Social and cultural diversity
- Professional orientation and ethical practice
- Theories of counseling and psychotherapy
- Appraisal, evaluation, and diagnostic procedures
The curriculum must also incorporate a supervised internship experience of at least 600 hours, including a minimum of 240 hours of direct client contact. This pre-residency internship provides the initial clinical exposure necessary for advancing to the post-graduate residency phase.
Registering as a Resident in Counseling
After completing the educational requirements, candidates must formally register with the Virginia Board of Counseling to obtain a “Resident in Counseling” license. This temporary, provisional status must be secured before any supervised clinical hours can be accrued toward the full LPC license. Hours accumulated before the Board approves the official registration will not count toward the residency requirement.
The application for temporary licensure requires submitting official transcripts to verify the 60-credit hour degree and coursework. A central component is the supervisory contract, which formally outlines the relationship between the resident and a qualified, board-approved supervisor. This contract must identify the worksite where the resident will provide clinical services and confirm that the setting meets all regulatory standards.
The application is completed through the Board’s online portal and includes a non-refundable fee. Incomplete applications remain active for one year, after which re-application and a new fee are required. Once approved, the Resident in Counseling is authorized to begin supervised clinical experience, but they must display their license and inform clients that they are not yet independent practitioners.
Completing Supervised Clinical Residency Hours
The supervised clinical residency requires completing a 3,400-hour supervised residency in the role of a professional counselor. This experience must be completed within a minimum of 21 months and a maximum of four years.
Within the total residency hours, the resident must accumulate a minimum of 2,000 hours of direct client contact, which includes providing clinical counseling services. The remaining hours cover ancillary services such as case management, record-keeping, and consultation. Up to 600 hours of the pre-graduate internship may be counted toward the 3,400 total hours. An additional 300 hours may apply if the internship exceeded 600 hours and was completed after 30 graduate semester hours.
A minimum of 200 hours of in-person supervision is required during the residency period. Supervision must occur at a rate of at least one hour and no more than four hours of supervision for every 40 hours of work experience. Group supervision is capped at 100 hours, meaning the remaining supervision must be individual. The supervisor must be an approved LPC or equivalent with documented post-licensure experience and specific training in supervision.
Passing the Required Licensing Examinations
Candidates must pass a national examination to demonstrate clinical competence. The Virginia Board of Counseling requires passing either the National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination (NCMHCE) or the National Counselor Examination (NCE), both administered by the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC).
Residents in Counseling must pass the examination during their residency period, within six years from the date their resident license was issued. While both exams are accepted for Virginia licensure, the NCMHCE is required for counselors who wish to qualify for reimbursement under the federal TRICARE program. Candidates do not need Board approval to register for the exam and may take it multiple times, provided they observe a mandatory 30-day waiting period between attempts.
Submitting the Final LPC Application
The final administrative step is submitting the application for the full Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) license by examination. This application can only be submitted after the candidate has successfully completed all prior requirements: the educational coursework, the full 3,400-hour supervised residency, and passing the required examination.
The application requires several documents, including a final, notarized Verification of Supervision form from the approved supervisor, confirming the completion of all required residency hours. Official documentation of the passing examination score is also necessary. The final application is submitted online and is accompanied by the application fee. The Board reviews the complete application, which, once compliant, results in the issuance of the full LPC license.
Maintaining Licensure and Continuing Education
Once the LPC credential is granted, the professional must adhere to ongoing requirements to maintain active status. The Virginia LPC license is subject to annual renewal, typically due by June 30th. Renewal is contingent upon the completion of continuing education (CE) hours.
Licensed Professional Counselors must complete a minimum of 20 hours of continuing competency for each annual renewal cycle. At least two of the 20 hours must emphasize professional ethics, standards of practice, or the laws governing behavioral science professions in Virginia. CE activities must focus on increasing knowledge or skills in areas such as counseling theory, human growth and development, or appraisal of individuals.
Pathway for Out-of-State Counselors
Professional counselors licensed in another jurisdiction may pursue licensure in Virginia through Licensure by Endorsement. This pathway is for individuals who hold an active, unrestricted, and equivalent professional counseling license in another U.S. state. Virginia does not have automatic reciprocity, requiring all applicants to undergo a formal review process.
Candidates must demonstrate that their previous state’s requirements were substantially equivalent to Virginia’s educational and supervised experience standards. A common route for endorsement is providing evidence of post-licensure clinical practice for at least 24 of the last 60 months preceding the application. If the active practice requirement is not met, the applicant must document that their education and supervised experience meet Virginia’s specific hour and content requirements. The endorsement application requires verification of all professional licenses ever held and an affidavit confirming understanding of Virginia’s counseling laws.