Counselors in Indiana are known as Licensed Mental Health Counselors (LMHCs). The premier professional organization for LMHCs in the state is the Indiana Counseling Association, whose mission is “Enhancing the counseling profession and the professional counselors who serve others.”

Licensure for counselors in Indiana is managed by the state Professional Licensing Agency. Licensure requirements for counselors in Indiana, including those related to education, supervision, examination, fees, and renewal, are examined in further detail below, along with salary information from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and public and private scholarships available to aspiring LMHCs in the state.

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LMHC licensure in Indiana requires the completion of a master’s or doctoral degree in an area related to mental health counseling, such as counseling, clinical social work, psychology, human services, human development, family relations, or any other program accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). 

Appropriate degree programs will cover the following foundational counseling curriculum areas as established by CACREP:

In addition to these foundational areas, CACREP-accredited programs include curricula specific to each Specialized Practice Area (such as Clinical Mental Health Counseling), supervised clinical field work experiences, and student assessment and program evaluation.

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The practicum is the first component of the required 700-hour clinical experience, completed during your graduate program. Students must complete 100 hours in a supervised counseling setting, typically an earlier placement where clinical skills are introduced and closely observed. This experience must be part of a degree program at an accredited institution, though off-campus placements are eligible if a program official certifies their equivalence.

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The internship comprises the remaining 600 hours of the 700-hour requirement and represents a more sustained clinical placement. Across both the practicum and internship combined, at least 66 of those hours must be face-to-face supervision. Once these are complete, applicants submit Form P (Verification of Practicum) and Form I (Verification of Internship) to document the full 700-hour experience.

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The exam is an important part of becoming a licensed mental health counselor in Indiana, but it is only one step in the larger licensure process. Before candidates reach the testing stage, they must first complete the required graduate education and supervised clinical experience. Once those requirements are met, they can apply to take the exam corresponding to the license level they are pursuing.

For the LMHCA, Indiana requires the National Counselor Examination (NCE). For the full LMHC license, Indiana requires the National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination (NCMHCE) instead, so students should understand early on that the exam requirement changes as they move from associate to independent licensure. In practical terms, licensure is a sequence: earn the degree, complete supervised training, pass the appropriate exam, and then qualify for the next stage of practice.

For prospective grad students, it helps to know that the NCMHCE is designed to measure clinical judgment and applied decision-making, not just memorization. The exam is built around 11 case studies, with one case study and some items unscored for future test development. Candidates have 255 minutes to complete the exam, and the full test form includes 130 to 150 items, with 100 scored. According to the current outline, the cases are meant to reflect the real work of an entry-level clinical mental health counselor and assess the ability to identify concerns, analyze information, make diagnoses, and develop treatment plans. 

The exam content is organized around six domains, not five: Professional Practice and Ethics; Intake, Assessment, and Diagnosis; Areas of Clinical Focus; Treatment Planning; Counseling Skills and Interventions; and Core Counseling Attributes. The outline also shows that the heaviest emphasis falls on Counseling Skills and Interventions (30%) and Intake, Assessment, and Diagnosis (25%), which gives students a better sense of where to focus their preparation.

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LMHCs in Indiana can expect to pay the following fees for their application and renewal:

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In Indiana, licenses issued under the Behavioral Health and Human Services Board renew on April 1 of even-numbered years. Once renewed, the license remains valid for two years. To renew, licensees must pay the required renewal fee and complete all continuing education requirements. After renewing, counselors should confirm that their license status has updated through their Access Indiana account or the state’s Free Search and Verify system.

LMHCs in Indiana must complete 40 hours of continuing education during each 24-month renewal cycle to renew their licenses. If a license has been held for less than 24 months, 20 hours are required; if it has been held for less than 12 months, no continuing education is required. Indiana also requires at least 20 Category I hours and 2 hours of ethics during each renewal cycle. Category I includes formally organized learning such as courses, workshops, seminars, symposia, and approved home-study programs. Category II includes self-directed activities such as journal clubs, office in-services, training case conferences, teaching or presenting, research and publication, peer review, and service on professional boards, commissions, or organizations. No more than 20 Category II hours may be counted during a renewal cycle.

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For Counselors Licensed in Other States

Indiana offers a reciprocity pathway for counselors who hold an active equivalent license in another state. Applicants must provide official license verification from the state where they are licensed. They must also arrange for an official exam score report to be sent to the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency. For LMHC reciprocity, the NCMHCE is the key exam standard, so applicants who have only taken the NCE will need to apply to take the NCMHCE in Indiana. Other exams may be reviewed by the Board to determine equivalency.

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According to wage data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) Maps: Indiana, the following counselor occupations in Indiana report the following median annual wages:

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The following scholarships and loan repayment programs are available to aspiring LMHCs in Indiana:

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Licensure information, including requirements, salaries, renewals, scholarships, and fees, was retrieved as of March 2026. Information may have changed since; check with the state’s board of licensing for more information.