What are the Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (LCMHC) Requirements in North Carolina?

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You’re probably here for one of two reasons: either your license renewal deadline’s creeping up, or you’re just trying to stay ahead of it without turning CE into another headache. Either way, we’ve built this page to help you sort through it - quickly and clearly.

We’ve pulled together what North Carolina requires, how our platform fits into that, and the options available.

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CE That Meets North Carolina Requirements

If you’re a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (LCMHC) in North Carolina, the requirements are:

renewal requirements

A minimum of forty (40) contact hours of continuing education (CE) is required for renewal of LCMHC license (every two years).

Requirements in ethics

At least three (3) contact hours of the forty (40) must be devoted to ethics.

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The mandatory Jurisprudence Exam, which counts as five (5) contact hours of ethics CE, must be completed each renewal period.

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Our CE certificates are designed to meet North Carolina continuing education standards through our NBCC & ASWB approved provider status.

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If you’re looking to go beyond CE checkboxes and build true clinical expertise, our Certificate Programs are designed for exactly that.

Each Cert Program is built to deepen your skillset in a targeted area of therapy delivery - while also granting a nationally recognized post-nominal credential upon completion.

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Just Need One or Two Courses?

Not everyone wants or needs a full subscription. Below are a few of our most commonly completed CE courses for North Carolina counselors:

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A Quick Note About Approvals —
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We're a nationally recognized CE provider—approved by both the NBCC and the ASWB, which means our courses are accepted by licensing boards in all 50 states, including North Carolina.

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Frequently Asked Questions

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Yes, our courses are accepted by the North Carolina Board of Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselors for a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (LCMHC).
Once you complete a course (and associated quiz and evaluation), your certificate is instantly available for download. It includes everything your board needs.
You can take as few or as many courses as you need—it's flexible!
North Carolina LCMHC applicants generally begin with the Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor Associate (LCMHCA) credential. Current applicants must meet the Board’s graduate education requirements, pass an approved national counseling examination and the North Carolina Jurisprudence Exam, and complete the required supervised professional practice before applying for the full LCMHC license.
North Carolina requires 3,000 hours of supervised professional practice, including at least 2,000 hours of direct counseling. Applicants must also complete at least 100 hours of clinical supervision, with at least 75 hours provided as individual supervision.
An LCMHCA, or Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor Associate, practices under qualified supervision while completing the experience required for full licensure. An LCMHC has completed the required 3,000 supervised practice hours, clinical supervision, examination, and other licensing requirements for an unrestricted counseling license.
North Carolina accepts the NCE, NCMHCE, or CRC as the national examination requirement for LCMHCA and LCMHC licensure. Applicants must also complete the North Carolina Jurisprudence Exam, which is required at each licensure level and again during every renewal period.
If a newly issued LCMHC license has an initial renewal period of less than two full years, 30 CE contact hours are required instead of the standard 40. For subsequent full renewal periods, the normal requirement is 40 hours, including the applicable ethics requirement and Jurisprudence Exam.

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Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB)

Mind Works Professional Education, Inc. DBA Online CE Credits, #1974, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: July 23, 2025 - July 23, 2028.

National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC)

Online CE Credits has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 6795. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Online CE Credits is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.

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