Alabama Licensed Professional Counselor License Requirements
State-board requirements, fees, and renewal cycle drawn from official regulator records.
Provides mental health counseling and therapy services.
What the Alabama data shows for Licensed Professional Counselors
To practice as a licensed professional counselor in Alabama, the state licensing board requires 2,811 documented education or training hours, a passing score on NCE (National Counselor Exam) or NCMHCE, and 2 years of supervised work experience. A criminal history background check is also part of the application. Applicants must be at least 18 years old. The regulation sits under Alabama's professional licensing framework, which classifies the training track as "Masters Degree in Counseling".
Budget $119 to get started, plus $104 at each renewal on a 2-year cycle. Maintaining the license requires 30 hours of continuing education per 2-year cycle, an ongoing cost applicants often underestimate when budgeting the career.
Reciprocity for this profession works like this: Counseling Compact: 40+ states.
Licensing Ease Score
A higher score means this specific license is LESS burdensome to obtain and maintain here than the national requirement corpus, based on education hours, fees, continuing education, and experience requirements, not an overall judgment of the profession or the state.
Licensing Requirements in Alabama
Compare & Explore
Frequently Asked Questions
What license do I need for Licensed Professional Counselor in Alabama? ▼
How do I get certified as a Licensed Professional Counselor in Alabama? ▼
Can I transfer my Licensed Professional Counselor license to Alabama from another state? ▼
Does Alabama require a background check for Licensed Professional Counselor licensing? ▼
What are the continuing education requirements for Licensed Professional Counselor in Alabama? ▼
Related Guides
What to do with this licensed professional counselor license
Licensed Professional Counselor in Alabama, with a documented reciprocity path, is one requirement row in a licensed professional counselor-wide, 50-state comparison.
- See how Alabama's licensed professional counselor requirements compare to every other state before relocating. Licensed Professional Counselor in every state
- Confirm whether your out-of-state licensed professional counselor license transfers under an interstate compact before starting a new application. Reciprocity guide
- See how Alabama's overall licensing burden compares to other states, not just this one profession. Alabama overview
Requirements shown are compiled from NCSL and Institute for Justice research; verify current rules with the Alabama licensing board before making career decisions.
Source: NCSL Occupational Licensing Database, Institute for Justice License to Work (3rd Ed.), state licensing board websites
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures and the Institute for Justice, the PlainCredential comparison corpus (current as of May 15, 2026) maps 4,947 state licensing requirement records; see the methodology.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.