Renewals

2024 Renewals Update

The Board would like to remind you that the fees, deadlines, and periods for renewal of licenses, stated in the NC Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselors Act and the Board’s Administrative Rules, are still in effect in 2024. If you have any additional questions, please contact the Board’s office.

Renewal Requirements Effective July 1, 2014

The following Licensure Renewal procedures apply to LCMHC Associates, LCMHCs, and LCMHC Supervisors. Renewals may be submitted as early as January 1^st of the renewal year. Licensee shall complete all requirements before renewal can be issued. Deadline for receipt of renewal is June 20^th of the renewal year.

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Important Changes to the Renewal Process

The renewal process is now available online. Licensees are encouraged to complete the online renewal application process to decrease the standard renewal processing time.
The Board will conduct a random audit of a percentage of its licensees’ continuing counselor education documentation for the renewal cycle. Selected licensees will receive notification that they have been selected for audit with additional instructions. Failure to submit the required documentation shall result in disciplinary action by the Board. (Rule .0603(f))
You must maintain documentation of continuing education for seven years following the date of completion.

Renewal Checklist Effective January, 2017

Checklist if you are not selected for audit:

Completed Renewal Form (available online)

General Information
Licensure/Credentials
Continuing Counselor Education Attestation for credits earned between July 1^st to the second June 30^th unless you are a new licensee. For example, licensees with an expiration date of June 30, 2024 can only use activities completed from July 1, 2022 – June 30, 2024. New license renewal period is date of issue to the second June 30^th. See below for additional information about continuing education.
Renewal validation (signature required)

Ethics Attestation Statement (available online)– – signature required for each succeeding renewal of license. The licensee shall sign a statement agreeing to abide by the ethical standards adopted by the Board. If a licensee fails to sign the statement, the Board shall notify the licensee in writing of the statutory requirement to abide by the ethical standards adopted by the Board.

Professional Disclosure Statement for the level of license being renewed. Please make sure that your disclosure statement contains the Board’s current address and contact information. Disclosure statements with the Board’s former (Garner) office information will result in the delay of your renewal approval. For those completing the online renewal form, you will have the ability to submit this document online.

Jurisprudence Exam Certificate of Completion for the level of license being renewed

A No Fail computer-based Exam
Shall be completed after January 1 of the renewal year.
Certificate of Completion shall accompany renewal application.
Covers the law and ethical codes that govern the LCMHCA, LCMHC, and LCMHCS licenses.
For those completing the online renewal form, you will have the ability to submit this document online.

Renewal Fee – The fee for renewal is $200, and shall accompany the renewal application when mailed; an additional fee of $75, shall be included if renewal is received by the Board after June 30th. For those completing the online renewal form, you will have the option to pay immediately online or to mail a check or money order. Failure to renew by June 30, 2024 means that a license shall be issued only upon re-application and all current licensure requirements apply to the new application.

Additional Checklist if you are selected for audit:

In addition to all of the items listed above, the licensee will also be required to submit a list of the Continuing Counselor Education for credits earned between July 1st to the second June 30th unless the licensee is a new licensee. For example, licensees with an expiration date of June 30, 2024 can only use activities completed from July 1, 2022 – June 30, 2024. New license renewal period is date of issue to the second June 30th. See below for additional information about continuing education.
Copies of all CE Certificates/Documentation of Completion for all credits earned during the renewal period. Complete documentation requirements can be found in Rule .0603 of the Administrative Code and on pages 4-5 of this document.
Documentation of continuing education is only required to be submitted if audited by the Board.
Failure to submit the required documentation shall result in disciplinary action by the Board.
You must maintain documentation of continuing education for seven years following the course completion.

Continuing Education Requirements (Rule .0603)

Contact Hours (Rules .0603(b and i))

Forty (40) contact hours of continuing counselor education is required for renewal. In the case of newly issued licenses in which the initial renewal period is less than two full years, thirty (30) contact hours is required.
A minimum of three (3) contact hours of ethics shall be required. The required Jurisprudence Exam counts for five (5) contact hours in ethics.
Credits must be earned between July 1st and the second June 30^th unless you are a new licensee. New license renewal period is date of issue to the second June 30^th.
Contact hours means the number of actual clock hours spent in direct participation in a structured education format as a learner.
- One Continuing Education Unit (CEU) = 10 contact hours
- One Semester hour of credit = 15 contact hours
- One Quarter hour of credit = 10 contact hours
LCMHC Supervisors shall provide additional documentation of a minimum of ten (10) contact hours of continuing education training related to professional knowledge and competency in the field of clinical supervision. These contact hours are in addition to the forty (40) contact hours already required for a total of fifty (50).
Failure to submit a complete renewal packet in a timely manner will result in additional hours of continuing education.

Approved Providers (Rules .0603(c and d))

Continuing education training provided by one of the following national organizations, their affiliates or by a vendor approved by one of the following organizations shall be approved:

American Counseling Association (counseling.org);
American Association of State Counseling Boards (aascb.org);
National Board for Certified Counselors (nbcc.org); and
Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification (crccertification.com).

Continuing education training provided by one of the following national organizations, their affiliates or by a vendor approved by one of the following organizations shall be approved for no more than 15 contact hours for any given renewal period.

American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC) (www.aacc.net);
American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) (www.aamft.org);
American Psychological Association (APA) (www.apa.org);
Employee Assistance Certification Commission (www.eapassn.org);
International Association of Employee Assistance Professionals in Education (www.iaeape.org);
National Area Health Education Center Organization (www.nationalahec.org);
The Association for Addiction Professionals (www.naadac.org);
National Association of Pastoral Counseling and Psychotherapy (www.napcp.ie);
National Association of Social Workers (NASW) (www.socialworkers.org); and
National Rehabilitation Association (www.nationalrehab.org).

Content Areas (Rules .0603(a and b))

Continuing education is required for the renewal of licenses to ensure that LCMHCAs, LCMHCs, and LCMHCSs maintain their professional knowledge and competency in the field of counseling. Continuing education activities appropriate for the purpose of license renewal are those that are directed toward professionals in the mental health field and that focus on increasing knowledge and skills in the practice of counseling in one or more of the following content areas:

Counseling theory
Human growth and development
Social and cultural foundations
Helping relationship
Group dynamics
Lifestyle and career development
Appraisal of individuals
Diagnosis and treatment planning
Research and evaluation
Professional counseling orientation
Ethics

A minimum 3 hours is required per renewal period.
The required Jurisprudence Exam offers 5 contact hours in ethics.
Ethics training shall focus on ethical behavior and responsibility as related to the American Counseling Association (ACA) Code of Ethics or the Center for Credentialing and Education Approved Clinical Supervisor (ACS) Code of Ethics.

For LCMHCSs - Counseling clinical supervision (Rule .0603(i))
1. A minimum of ten (10) contact hours is required per renewal period.
2. Counseling clinical supervision training must focus on professional knowledge and competency in the field of counseling supervision.

Types of Activities (Rule .0603(g))

(See pages 4 and 5 for documentation requirements)

A structured education activity for which the licensee was a learner (may be used to fulfill ethics requirement).
Academic credit granted from a regionally accredited institution of higher education for work done in a counseling or counseling related subject (may be used to fulfill ethics requirement) (1 semester hour = 15 contact hours OR 1 quarter hour = 10 contact hours).
Publication activities are limited to articles written by the licensee and published in peer reviewed journals, editing of a chapter in a book based on counseling or counseling related material, or authoring or co-authoring a published book on counseling or counseling related material (maximum reported contact hours within a renewal period is 10 contact hours).
Academic credit granted from a regionally accredited institution of higher education for doctoral work done in a counseling or counseling related subject, toward the completion of a dissertation (maximum reported contact hours within a renewal period is 10 contact hours).
Clinical supervision as defined by Rule .0208, which was received by the licensee during the renewal period (maximum reported contact hours within a renewal period is 10 contact hours).
Leadership positions Officer of state, regional, or national counseling organization; editor or editorial board member of a professional counseling journal; active member of a state, regional, or national counseling committee producing a substantial written product; chair of a major state, regional or national counseling conference or convention (maximum reported contact hours within a renewal period is 10 contact hours).
Presentation activities or workshops for which the licensee was a presenter (maximum reported contact hours within a renewal period is 5 contact hours).

Documentation Requirements (Rule .0603(g))

Continuing Education Training

Certificate of Attendance/Completion to include:

Name of approved provider and/or an approved provider number
Signed by the responsible officer of an approved continuing education provider
Name of attendee
Name of course
Date(s) of attendance
Number of contact hours

Graduate or Doctoral Level Academic Credit in Counseling or a Counseling Related Subject

Copy of Transcript to include:

Dates(s) of attendance (Completion dates must fall within the renewal period)
Number of semester or credit hours earned
Name or course number

Doctoral Level Academic Credit for work done towards the completion of a Dissertation in a Counseling or Counseling Related Subject (maximum = 10 contact hours)

Copy of Transcript to include:

Dates(s) of attendance (Completion dates must fall within the renewal period)
Number of semester or credit hours earned
Name or course number

Publication Activities for articles written by the licensee and published in peer reviewed journals, editing of a chapter in a book based on counseling or counseling related material, or authoring or co-authoring a published book on counseling or counseling related material (maximum = 10 contact hours)

Required documentation:

Copy of cover page of article(s) or book
Copy of the copyright page denoting the date of publication

For a chapter in an edited book, a copy of table of contents listing the chapter
Copy of the copyright page denoting the date of publication

Clinical Supervised Practice for actual clock hours of direct practice (maximum = 10 contact hours)

Letter from a qualified clinical supervisor with supervisor’s signature
The Letter shall confirm the following:

Date(s) of activity
Number of participation hours
Position or title of the provider
Credential of the provider

Leadership Positions (maximum = 10 contact hours)

Shall have been one of the following:
1. Officer of a state, regional, or national counseling organization
2. Editor or Editorial Board Member of a professional counseling journal
3. Active Member of a state, regional, or national counseling committee producing a substantial written product
4. Chair of a major state, regional, or national counseling conference or convention
Shall have occurred for a minimum of six months and dates must fall within the renewal period.
Letter of confirming the leadership position must include:
- Name of the title/position
- Provides the nature of the position or service rendered
- Date(s) position was held.
- Signed by an officer of the organization

Presenter (licensee presented a program) (maximum = 5 contact hours)

Topic must be from one or more of the approved content areas
A letter of confirmation from the organization for which the licensee presented and the letter shall be dated AFTER the presentation occurred and must confirm the following:

Date(s) of presentation (must fall within the renewal period)
Name of presentation
Length of presentation

If documentation for continuing education is not clearly identifiable as dealing with counseling, the Board shall request a written description of the continuing education and how it applies to the professional practice of counseling. If the Board determines that the training is not appropriate, the individual shall be given 45 days from the date of notification to replace the hours not approved. Those hours shall be considered replacement hours and cannot be applied to the next renewal period.

Failure to Secure Sufficient Continuing Education (Rule .0604)

LCMHCAs, LCMHCs and LCMHCSs who are unable to provide documentation of sufficient continuing counselor education activities to renew their license have the following options:

Extension Requests

Must be received, in writing, no later than May 1, 2024.
Request for an extension must be submitted in writing to the Board. An extension shall be granted for:

Military Deployment
Major illness lasting longer than three months of self, partner, or child
Death of partner or child

If approved, extensions shall be granted for a period of up to one year
Any continuing counselor education acquired during the extension shall not be applied to the next renewal period.
Must complete all requirements before renewal can be issued (see Renewal Checklist above)

Within one year of expiration, LCMHCAs, LCMHCs, and LCMHCSs shall complete the required hours of continuing counselor education and an additional 20 hours of continuing counselor education.

This applies to all renewals received after June 30^th.
Continuing counselor education acquired during this additional time period for the purpose of renewal of an expired license shall not be applied to the next renewal period.
LCMHCA & LCMHC = 60 hours (original 40 contact hours, plus 20 contact hours additional)
LCMHCS = 70 hours (original 40 contact hours, plus 10 contact hours in clinical supervision training, plus 20 contact hours of additional continuing counselor education)
The complete renewal packet (see Renewal Checklist on pg.1) with a $275.00 (include $75.00 late fee) renewal fee is also required.

If your license expires on June 30, 2024 you must cease the practice of counseling until the license has been renewed. Failure to renew by June 30, 2025 means that a license shall be issued only upon re-application and all current licensure requirements apply to the new application.