As in many other states, licensed counselors in South Carolina are known as Licensed Professional Counselors (LPCs), and aspiring counselors in the supervision portion of the licensure process are known as Licensed Professional Counselor Interns (LPCIs). The state’s premier professional organization for LPCs and LPCIs is the South Carolina Counseling Association, whose mission is to “enhance human development and to advance the counseling and human development profession.”

Licensure for South Carolina LPCs is managed by the state Board of Examiners for Licensure of Professional Counselors, Marriage and Family Therapists, Addiction Counselors and Psycho-Educational Specialists, a division of the South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation. Licensure requirements for counselors in South Carolina, including education, supervision, examination, fees, renewal and “licensure by endorsement,” are examined in further detail below, along with salary information from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics as well as scholarships and loan repayment programs available to LPCs in the state.

In South Carolina, the educational requirement for licensure begins with qualifying to become a Professional Counselor Associate. Applicants can meet the education requirement by earning either (1) a 60-semester-hour Clinical Mental Health Counseling degree from a CACREP-accredited program at the time of graduation or (2), for non-CACREP applicants, a master’s, specialist’s, or doctoral degree with at least 60 graduate semester hours primarily in counseling from a program accredited by a national educational accrediting body such as CACREP or one with substantially similar standards, along with qualifying institutional accreditation.

For applicants who graduated from a program that was not a CACREP-accredited Clinical Mental Health Counseling program, the board requires at least one three-semester-hour graduate-level course in each of the following areas:

South Carolina requires non-CACREP applicants to complete a 100-hour practicum and a 600-hour internship as part of the graduate degree program. The internship must be supervised by a qualified licensed mental health practitioner and include experience assessing and treating clients with more serious problems as categorized in standard diagnostic nomenclature. These graduate training requirements are separate from the post-master’s supervised experience required for full LPC licensure.

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In South Carolina, supervision refers to post-master’s clinical experience and supervision completed after licensure as a Professional Counselor Associate. To qualify for full LPC licensure, an associate must complete at least 1,500 hours of post-master’s clinical experience and supervision over a period of not fewer than two years. Of those 1,500 hours, at least 1,380 hours must be documented as direct client contact, and at least 120 hours as supervision. At least 60 of the supervision hours must be individual or triadic supervision, and the remaining 60 hours may be individual, triadic, or group supervision.

Supervision must be provided by a licensed professional counselor supervisor or another qualified licensed mental health practitioner approved by the board. South Carolina also requires a Plan for Clinical Supervision of Post-Master’s Clinical Experience in Counseling to be submitted to and approved by the board before a Professional Counselor Associate may provide professional counseling services.

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South Carolina requires applicants to pass a board-accepted exam before associate licensure. The board currently accepts either the National Counselor Examination (NCE) or the National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination (NCMHCE). After licensure as a Professional Counselor Associate, the applicant completes the required post-master’s supervised clinical experience before applying for full LPC licensure.

National Counselor Examination for Licensure and Certification (NCE)

 The NCE is a 200-item multiple-choice examination administered by the National Board for Certified Counselors. It is designed to assess the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to provide effective counseling services.

National Clinical Mental Health Counselor Exam (NCMHCE)

The NCMHCE is administered by the National Board for Certified Counselors and is designed to assess the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to provide effective counseling services. The NCMHCE also fulfills the examination requirement for the Certified Clinical Mental Health Counselor (CCMHC) specialty certification.

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South Carolina LPCs can expect to pay the following fees for their license, application and renewal:

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South Carolina professional counselor licenses must be renewed every two years. Renewal requires payment of the required renewal fee and completion of the continuing education requirements established by the board. South Carolina law also requires at least one hour of continuing education in suicide assessment, treatment, and management as part of the total continuing education required for renewal.

The South Carolina Board currently requires LPCs to complete 40 hours of continuing education during each two-year renewal period. According to the board’s current continuing education guidance, the reporting period runs from September 1 to August 31 biennially, with a renewal deadline of August 31 in odd-numbered years. CE Broker is the board’s continuing education tracking system, and licensees who have not yet registered must create a free account to report and track CE hours.

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For Counselors Licensed in Other States

South Carolina offers licensure by endorsement for counselors who already hold a current, active, and unrestricted license in good standing in another state. Endorsement applicants must not have any current or pending investigations in the state where they are licensed, must submit a board-approved application and required fee, and must provide any other documentation required by the board. Applicants are eligible for endorsement only at an equivalent credential level.

South Carolina also offers a separate reciprocity pathway for applicants who hold a current, active, and unrestricted North Carolina LCMHC license in good standing.

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The following types of South Carolina counselors can expect to earn the respective mean hourly and mean annual wages, according to May 2024 data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.

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The following scholarships and loan repayment programs are available to South Carolina LPCs and LPCIs:

National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program 

National Health Service Corps Rural Community Loan Repayment Program

Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students

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*Licensure information, including requirements, renewals, scholarships, and fees, was retrieved as of April 2026. Information may have changed since; check with the state’s board of licensing for the most up-to-date information.