Arizona LPC Requirements: Your Step-by-Step Path to Counseling Licensure

Did you know it takes about eight years of education and supervised practice to meet the Arizona LPC requirements?

The path to becoming a Licensed Professional Counselor in Arizona needs a bachelor’s degree, a master’s with at least 60 semester credit hours, and 3,200 hours of post-master’s counseling experience. You’ll also need to pass a national exam like the NCE or NCMHCE to get your Arizona counseling license.

The process is demanding, but the payoff can be substantial. Mental health counselors in Arizona earn approximately $67,890 annually, which sits above the national average. You’ll start as a Licensed Associate Counselor (LAC) and work under supervision. This valuable experience prepares you for full licensure.

Looking to become a counselor in Arizona? This detailed guide will take you through each step of Arizona’s counseling licensure requirements. From education to examination, we’ll help direct your professional path with confidence.

Education Requirements in Arizona

Your path to an Arizona counseling license starts with meeting specific education requirements. The Arizona Board of Behavioral Health Examiners has set clear educational criteria that you must complete to become a licensed counselor.

A graduate degree in counseling or a related field is mandatory for Arizona licensure. The simplest route leads through a master’s program accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). These programs naturally meet state requirements and include supervised practicum experience.

Your degree must include at least 60 semester credit hours. CACREP-accredited programs come pre-approved to meet Arizona’s standards. Notwithstanding that, students in non-CACREP programs must earn their degree from an institution with regional accreditation recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).

Non-CACREP programs must include 24 credits covering eight core areas:

• Ethical practice and professional orientation
• Research and program evaluation
• Group work
• Assessment
• Career development
• Helping relationships
• Cultural and social diversity
• Human growth and development

The practicum component becomes crucial especially when you have to complete 700 clock hours in a professional counseling setting. This includes 240 hours of direct client contact. Your hands-on experience should cover all activities a professional counselor performs under proper supervision.

Additional post-graduate coursework can fill any gaps in your transcript. Several Arizona universities, including Northern Arizona University, offer 60-credit hour programs that align with state licensure requirements.

The Arizona Board offers special evaluation procedures for candidates with foreign degrees. You should check the Board’s website for foreign equivalency rules before submitting your application.

Your application package needs official transcripts in sealed envelopes after completing your education. The Board’s website features a list of qualifying education programs for easy reference.

Counseling Programs in Arizona

Selecting the right counseling program is a significant step toward getting your license in Arizona. The state has several CACREP-accredited and board-approved options that meet Arizona’s counseling licensure requirements.

There are 17 approved programs for LAC or LPC credentials that the Arizona Board of Behavioral Health Examiners recognizes. These programs help students meet educational requirements to become Licensed Professional Counselors in the state.

Students can choose from these CACREP-accredited options:

• University of Arizona’s Master of Arts in Counseling (Clinical Mental Health and Clinical Rehabilitation specialties)
• Northern Arizona University’s MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
• Arizona State University’s Master of Counseling program

Arizona’s job market looks bright for counselors. Mental Health Counselors should increase by approximately 54% by 2030. This makes it an excellent time to start your career in counseling.

Students usually complete their counseling programs in 2-3 years. Many schools offer flexible learning options, including online master’s programs. You can balance your education with other responsibilities this way.

These programs are foundations for state licensure requirements. Arizona State University’s 60-credit hour Master of Counseling program prepares graduates to qualify for professional counselor licenses in Arizona. The University of Arizona’s CACREP-accredited curriculum also readies students to become Licensed Professional Counselors.

Each program offers unique specializations. The University of Arizona focuses on clinical mental health counseling or clinical rehabilitation counseling. Northern Arizona University prepares counselors to work in a variety of settings – from outpatient facilities to specialty agencies and private practices.

Graduates start as Licensed Associate Counselors (LACs) and progress toward becoming independent Licensed Professional Counselors (LPCs). This path will give a solid foundation to build your counseling career in Arizona.

Internship and Other Requirements

Your journey to become an Arizona LPC continues after graduation with supervised work experience. The Arizona Board of Behavioral Health Examiners requires 3,200 hours of supervised work experience spread across at least 24 months. You’ll need to document your progress carefully to include:

• At least 1,600 hours of direct client contact with psychotherapy (all but one of these 400 hours must be non-psychoeducation)
• At least 100 hours of clinical supervision
• No more than 1,600 hours of indirect client contact that relates to psychotherapy services

You must receive at least one hour of clinical supervision each month when providing direct client services. The Board must approve your clinical supervisor who will confirm your competency in clinical documentation, consultation, collaboration, and care coordination.

Clinical supervision helps you develop crucial skills under expert guidance. Your supervisor will monitor your work to ensure safe and competent service delivery. They review ethical and legal requirements for your practice and guide you through assessment, diagnosis, treatment planning, and delivery.

The supervised experience requirement is substantial, but there’s good news for professionals with doctoral degrees. They can use up to one year of doctoral-clinical internship to meet this requirement, which speeds up the path to licensure.

The Associate Counselor license works differently. LAC credential doesn’t need supervised work experience. It serves as your first step toward full licensure while you gather the required supervised hours under Board-specified limitations.

Once you complete this supervised experience and meet other requirements, you’ll be ready to get your full professional counseling license in Arizona.

Examinations

A national examination becomes your next major milestone after completing supervised practice hours to get your Arizona counseling license. The Arizona Board of Behavioral Health Examiners (AZBBHE) accepts three qualifying examinations for counselor licensure.

These approved options include:

• National Counselor Examination (NCE) – Features 200 multiple-choice questions with 3 hours and 45 minutes allowed for completion
• National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination (NCMHCE) – Consists of multiple-choice questions where one or several answers can be selected, with 3 hours testing time
• Certified Rehabilitation Counselor Examination (CRCE) – Contains 175 multiple-choice questions with 3.5 hours allotted

The AZBBHE must approve your Licensed Associate Counselor (LAC) status application before you can start the testing process. The Board will notify you when you become eligible to test. They will then reach out to the appropriate testing organization directly.

You need to send your completed Licensure Examination Registration Form to the Center for Credentialing and Education (CCE). Remember to include the examination fee of $275 and your eligibility letter copy. Testing slots fill up quickly, so register as soon as possible.

Test dates usually fall within the first two to three full weeks each month. Your approval window lasts six months to complete the exam. If you need to retake the exam after failing, you must wait three months from your original test date.

You can take the exam at three Arizona locations – Chandler, Phoenix, and Tucson. The exam is also available at more than 446 Pearson professional centers worldwide.

Successfully passing one of these examinations and meeting all other requirements qualifies you for full licensure as a professional counselor in Arizona. This marks the beginning of your professional practice trip.

Licensing Fees

The Arizona counseling license comes with specific costs you need to know about. The Arizona Board of Behavioral Health Examiners has a well-laid-out fee schedule that covers every step of your professional experience.

You’ll need to pay $250 as your original application fee for an Arizona counseling license, whether you choose the examination or endorsement route. This fee kicks off your professional journey when you submit your completed application. A $50 fee applies if you want temporary licensure while working on other requirements.

Your license needs renewal every two years. Here’s what you’ll pay:

• First area of licensure: $325
• Each additional area (if renewed at the same time): $163
• Late renewal penalty on top of regular fee: $100

Your professional career might involve these additional costs:

• Criminal history background check: $40
• Inactive status request: $100
• Duplicate license issuance: $25
• License verification (per discipline): $20

The Board lets you pay through several methods. You can use a cashier’s check, money order, or debit/credit card. The Board won’t accept cash payments. Personal checks work for fees under $40, but larger amounts need certified checks or money orders.

Most fees can be paid online through the Board’s website using a credit card. This makes license renewals and routine transactions much easier.

If you have multiple licenses with different expiration dates, you can align them by paying a prorated fee. The License Synchronization Request form on the Board’s website explains this process. This alignment can make your renewals simpler and reduce paperwork.

These fees support the administrative work needed to maintain professional counseling standards across Arizona.

Counseling Salaries in Arizona

Licensed counselors in Arizona have compelling reasons to choose this career path. The potential earnings can help you plan your professional future as you complete the Arizona LPC requirements.

A Licensed Professional Counselor in Arizona earns an average of $77,749 per year, according to Indeed. This salary puts Arizona counselors in a strong position in the national digital world. Looking at detailed salary information shows the range varies by a lot based on location and experience.

Arizona’s highest-paying cities for Licensed Professional Counselors include:

• Scottsdale, where counselors earn approximately $102,680 annually
• Florence, with earnings around $101,047 per year
• Glendale, offering about $95,168 annually

Mental health professionals in Arizona face an exceptionally bright future. The number of Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors grew from 6,840 employees in 2020 and will reach 10,550 by 2030. This growth rate of 54% is nowhere near the national projection of 19% for the same profession.

The field will create about 1,170 annual job openings in Arizona through 2030. This strong demand shows the value of getting an Arizona counseling license.

Experience leads to higher salaries. Phoenix counselors start at around $73,584 and can earn up to $112,695 with more experience. The total package often has additional pay components of about $14,963 annually on top of the base salary.

Licensed Professional Counselors in the Phoenix area earn a median total pay of $90,603 per year. Health care systems and specialized counseling services offer particularly competitive compensation.

These salary prospects show the financial benefits waiting for those who complete their Arizona counseling licensure requirements. The mix of strong growth projections and competitive pay makes counseling an attractive career choice in Arizona.

Counseling Organizations in Arizona

Professional organizations can substantially boost your counseling career after completing Arizona LPC requirements. These associations give you great resources, networking chances, and ongoing professional development throughout Arizona.

The Arizona Counseling Association (AzCA) is the state branch of the American Counseling Association. AzCA helps develop individual professional counselors and advances the counseling profession. This organization strives to improve Arizona citizens’ quality of life through counseling.

The Annual Counseling Conference stands out as AzCA’s signature event. This statewide gathering brings together notable speakers and offers networking chances and continuing education credits you need to maintain your Arizona counseling license. The conference welcomes members and non-members from Arizona and beyond, making it a great chance for professional development.

The Arizona School Counselors Association works with AzCA to help school counselors. This organization strengthens the profession through:

• Resources and professional networking chances
• Ethical practices and professional collaborations
• Evidence-based national model implementation
• Support for students’ academic experiences and social/emotional development

The Arizona Association of Addiction Professionals (AAAP) helps addiction counselors as the state affiliate of NAADAC (The National Association for Addiction Professionals). AAAP supports licensure standards and certification of qualified counselors to ensure competency among addiction counseling providers.

AAAP represents more than 100,000 addiction counselors, educators, and other addiction-focused healthcare professionals in the United States and internationally. They work to promote awareness of addiction issues in Arizona.

These professional organizations are a great way to get support as you complete your Arizona counseling licensure requirements and grow professionally. Their support work, educational chances, and professional networks will benefit your entire counseling career.

Counseling Scholarships in Arizona

Getting financial support plays a vital part in your journey toward an Arizona counseling license. Students pursuing counseling in Arizona have several scholarship options available to them.

Future counseling professionals can benefit from the Arizona School Counselors Association’s financial support programs. The association gives three $2,000 non-renewable scholarships to high school seniors who plan to attend post-secondary institutions. Graduate students can receive one $2,000 scholarship when they pursue a master’s degree in school counseling. Graduate applicants must enroll in an Arizona educational counseling program and work as counselors within the state to qualify.

Students at the University of Arizona can access millions in scholarship funding each year through the Scholarship Universe platform. The Psychology Department’s targeted scholarships help undergraduates who are:

• First-generation college students majoring in Psychology
• Non-traditional students with financial needs
• Psychology or Psychological Science majors who can’t get Federal Financial Aid

Graduating seniors can receive special recognition awards like the Kathryn Anne Governal Perseverance Award ($220.50) and the William Owen Nugent Award ($1,000).

The Maricopa Community Colleges offer the Behavioral Health Scholarship through American Rescue Plan Act funding. This scholarship helps students who want certificates or degrees in behavioral science. Students receive complete coverage for tuition, course fees, books, and other needed resources.

Students can find various grants and scholarships through the Arizona Commission for Postsecondary Education’s centralized website. Mental health grants are also available to nonprofits, schools, and faith-based organizations that run educational programs and mental health services across Arizona.

These financial opportunities help reduce your Arizona LPC requirement costs and make the path to licensure available to more people.

Get Started on Your AZ Counseling Path Today

Getting your counseling license in Arizona takes dedication and perseverance. The path spans about eight years through education, supervised practice, and examination. The rewards that await make this professional path worth every effort.

Arizona’s counseling profession offers great benefits beyond meeting your personal goals. A strong salary potential of $77,749 annually and a projected 54% growth rate through 2030 create a stable career path. You can practice anywhere in the state, and cities like Scottsdale and Florence offer attractive compensation packages.

Don’t let financial hurdles stop your counseling dreams. Many scholarships for counseling students help with educational costs. Professional organizations provide great support networks throughout your career development. These resources prove valuable during your licensing process and after you get your credentials.

Arizona’s licensing process builds competence step by step. It starts with proper education, moves through supervised practice as an LAC, and leads to full LPC status. This gradual approach helps you develop skills systematically as you progress toward independent practice.

Getting your Arizona LPC license opens doors to a rewarding career where you’ll help others through life’s challenges while enjoying professional stability. Your work through this process will build a foundation for a meaningful career serving Arizona communities that need qualified mental health professionals.