Hawaii MHC Requirements & Hours Tracker

Licensure as a Mental Health Counselor (MHC) in Hawaii is governed by Chapter 453D, Hawaii Revised Statutes, and administered by the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA), Professional & Vocational Licensing Division’s Mental Health Counselor Licensing Program.(cca.hawaii.gov)

Below is a structured guide focused on the hours of practicum and supervised post‑graduate experience, using the language and numbers the state itself uses.

---

1. Big‑picture overview of hour requirements

To qualify for a Hawaii MHC license, you must complete:

1. Graduate practicum (while in your degree program)

   • At least 2 academic terms of supervised mental health practicum intern experience.
   • At least 6 graduate semester hours or 10 graduate quarter hours of practicum.
   • A “minimum total of 300 hours of supervised client contact” in a mental health counseling setting.(cca.hawaii.gov)

2. Post‑graduate supervised clinical experience (after the degree)

   • “3,000 hours of post‑graduate experience in the practice of mental health counseling”
   • With “100 hours of face‑to‑face clinical supervision”,
   • Completed “in no less than two years and in no more than four years”,
   • All “under the clinical supervision” of specified licensed mental health professionals (see Section 4).(cca.hawaii.gov)

These requirements are not split into things like “1,500 direct / 1,500 supervised” hours. Instead, Hawaii uses:

• 300 supervised client contact hours in a graduate practicum; and
• 3,000 post‑graduate practice hours, within which you must have at least 100 face‑to‑face supervision hours.

---

2. Educational groundwork (degree and coursework)

Hawaii requires a counseling‑related graduate degree with specific coursework before it will count your practicum or post‑grad hours.

Required degree

You must have “a master’s degree or doctoral degree from an accredited educational institution in counseling or in an allied field related to the practice of mental health counseling”.(cca.hawaii.gov)

Required graduate coursework

Your graduate program must include (or be supplemented by) at least 48 semester hours or 72 quarter hours of graduate‑level counseling coursework, with a minimum of 3 semester or 5 quarter hours in each of these areas:(cca.hawaii.gov)

1. Human Growth and Development
2. Social and Cultural Foundations
3. Counseling Theories and Applications
4. Group Theory and Practice
5. Career and Lifestyle Development
6. Appraisal of Human Behavior
7. Tests and Measurements
8. Research and Program Evaluation
9. Professional Orientation and Ethics

The DCCA “Coursework Form” must be completed to map your courses into these areas, and all courses must appear on official transcripts.(cca.hawaii.gov)

---

3. Graduate practicum: hours and supervision

Required practicum hours and credits

The state’s Practicum Verification – Mental Health Counselor form and the DCCA requirements document specify:

• You “must complete at least 2 academic terms of supervised mental health practicum intern experience of a total of at least 6 graduate semester hours or 10 graduate quarter hours in a mental health counseling setting, with a minimum total of 300 hours of supervised client contact.”(cca.hawaii.gov)

In other words:

• Direct client work during practicum:
  • 300 hours of supervised client contact (these are direct clinical hours with clients).
• Duration and credit load:
  • Spread across at least 2 academic terms,
  • And totaling 6 semester / 10 quarter graduate credits of practicum.

Nature of the setting

The practicum must occur in “a mental health counseling setting” where mental health counseling services are provided. The Practicum Verification form requires your supervisor to describe the setting and “mental health services provided” and to attach a brief summary of your duties.(cca.hawaii.gov)

Who can supervise the practicum

Your practicum supervisor must, for the entire supervised period, be one of the following license types:(cca.hawaii.gov)

• Licensed Mental Health Counselor
• Licensed Psychologist
• Licensed Clinical Social Worker
• Advanced Practice Registered Nurse with a specialty in mental health
• Physician with a specialty in psychiatry
• Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist

This same list of qualifying professions appears in HRS §453D‑7 for practicum supervision.

---

4. Post‑graduate supervised experience: 3,000 hours + 100 hours of supervision

Once the degree and practicum are done, Hawaii requires substantial supervised post‑graduate clinical experience.

Required total practice hours

The Post‑graduate Verification – Mental Health Counselor form states you “must complete at least 3000 hours of post‑graduate experience in the practice of mental health counseling with 100 hours of face‑to‑face clinical supervision in no less than two years and in no more than four years.”(cca.hawaii.gov)

HRS §453D‑7 uses nearly identical language:

• “three thousand hours of post‑graduate experience in the practice of mental health counseling, with one hundred hours of face‑to‑face clinical supervision that shall be completed in no less than two years and in no more than four years”, under the same classes of licensed supervisors listed above.(data.capitol.hawaii.gov)

Key points:

• Total practice hours required: 3,000
• Supervision hours required: at least 100 face‑to‑face clinical supervision hours
• Timeframe: at least 2 years but no more than 4 years

The forms and statute do not subdivide the 3,000 hours into “direct client” vs. “indirect” components; they simply require 3,000 hours in “the practice of mental health counseling” plus 100 hours of face‑to‑face supervision during that period.

What counts as “face‑to‑face” supervision

Hawaii law explicitly allows some or all of the 100 hours of face‑to‑face supervision to be conducted via secure videoconference, if it complies with all applicable privacy and security laws (including HIPAA). The statute states that the supervision requirement may be fulfilled through “face‑to‑face supervision that is conducted electronically through a videoconference service”, provided it meets federal and state privacy requirements.(data.capitol.hawaii.gov)

Who can supervise post‑graduate experience

For post‑graduate hours, your “clinical supervisor” must be, throughout the supervised period, a:(cca.hawaii.gov)

• Licensed Mental Health Counselor
• Licensed Psychologist
• Licensed Clinical Social Worker
• Advanced Practice Registered Nurse with a specialty in mental health
• Physician with a specialty in psychiatry
• Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist

The Post‑graduate Verification form requires the supervisor to attest under notary that they provided this supervision and that your hours and dates are accurate.(cca.hawaii.gov)

Documentation of duties

For post‑grad hours, the DCCA instructions specify that your supervisor must attach “a brief summary of the duties performed during the post‑graduate period.”(cca.hawaii.gov)

The form itself collects:(cca.hawaii.gov)

• Total hours of post‑graduate experience in mental health counseling
• Total hours of face‑to‑face supervision
• Dates (from–to) of the supervised period
• Description of the counseling setting and mental health services provided

---

5. How the hours fit into the overall licensure path

Putting the state’s requirements into a sequence:

Step 1 – Complete an approved graduate degree

• Earn a qualifying master’s or doctoral degree in counseling or a closely allied field, from an accredited institution.(cca.hawaii.gov)
• Ensure your program (or supplements) includes 48 semester / 72 quarter hours of graduate counseling coursework covering the 9 specified content areas.(cca.hawaii.gov)

Step 2 – Complete the required graduate practicum

• During the degree, complete at least 2 academic terms of practicum, totaling 6 semester or 10 quarter credits, in a mental health counseling setting.
• Accumulate at least 300 hours of supervised client contact during this practicum.
• Make sure your practicum supervisors hold one of the required licenses and can later complete and notarize the Practicum Verification – Mental Health Counselor form.(cca.hawaii.gov)

Step 3 – Obtain post‑graduate supervised experience

After graduation:

• Work in roles where you are practicing mental health counseling under an approved supervisor.
• Over 2–4 years, accumulate:
  • 3,000 hours of post‑graduate experience in the practice of mental health counseling, and
  • 100 hours of face‑to‑face clinical supervision with your supervisor(s).(cca.hawaii.gov)
• Have each supervisor complete and notarize the Post‑graduate Verification – Mental Health Counselor form documenting hours, supervision, and duties.

Step 4 – Pass the National Counselor Examination (NCE)

Hawaii requires all MHC applicants to pass the National Counselor Examination for Licensure and Certification (NCE). The DCCA requirements state that “All applicants shall pass the National Counselor Examination for Licensure and Certification (NCE).”(cca.hawaii.gov)

Once the DCCA has determined you’re eligible (education, practicum, post‑grad hours all documented), it will authorize you to register for the NCE through NBCC.

Step 5 – Submit the license application to DCCA

Using DCCA’s “Requirements & Instructions – Mental Health Counselor License Application” packet, you must:(cca.hawaii.gov)

• Complete the application form.
• Arrange for official graduate transcripts to be sent directly to DCCA.
• Submit the completed:
  • Coursework Form,
  • Practicum Verification Form, and
  • Post‑graduate Verification Form (or, in limited pre‑July 2007 graduation situations, institutional/agency certifications as allowed by Act 252).(cca.hawaii.gov)
• Pay the application and licensing fees specified in the packet.(cca.hawaii.gov)

---

6. Summary of hour‑based requirements in plain terms

• Graduate practicum (while in school)

  • 2+ academic terms
  • 6 semester / 10 quarter practicum credits
  • ≥ 300 hours of supervised client contact in a mental health counseling setting
  • Supervised by a qualifying licensed mental health professional

• Post‑graduate supervised experience (after degree)

  • 3,000 hours of post‑graduate experience in the practice of mental health counseling
  • 100 hours of face‑to‑face clinical supervision (in person or HIPAA‑compliant videoconference)
  • Completed over 2–4 years
  • Under the clinical supervision of a licensed MHC, psychologist, clinical social worker, APRN (psych), psychiatrist, or LMFT

Those are the specific hour requirements and statutory/board language used by Hawaii’s DCCA Mental Health Counselor Licensing Program as of late 2025.