Washington LMHC Requirements & Hours Tracker

Becoming a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) in Washington State involves meeting statutory requirements in RCW 18.225 and detailed rules in WAC 246‑809, administered by the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) with input from the “Washington state mental health counselors, marriage and family therapists, and social workers advisory committee.” (doh.wa.gov)

Below is a structured guide with emphasis on the specific hour requirements and how the state defines them.

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1. Who regulates LMHCs in Washington?

• Statute: Chapter 18.225 RCW – Mental health counselors, marriage and family therapists, social workers. (app.leg.wa.gov)
• Rules: Chapter 246‑809 WAC – details for licensed counselors and associates. (app.leg.wa.gov)
• Advisory body: The Washington state mental health counselors, marriage and family therapists, and social workers advisory committee is established in RCW 18.225.060 to advise the DOH secretary on rules and standards. (app.leg.wa.gov)

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2. Education requirement

To qualify for LMHC or LMHC Associate:

• You must hold a master’s or doctoral degree in:
  • Mental health counseling, or
  • A behavioral science field “relating to mental health counseling” from an approved school. (doh.wa.gov)

For “behavioral science” degrees, the program must:

• Contain a core of study in counseling theory and philosophy.
• Include a counseling practicum and/or internship with supervised direct client contact.
• Cover at least seven specified content areas (e.g., assessment/diagnosis, ethics/law, counseling individuals, counseling groups, couples/families, developmental psychology, psychopathology, research/evaluation, multicultural concerns, etc.). (doh.wa.gov)

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3. Key definitions the Board uses for LMHCs

From WAC 246‑809‑210 (mental health counselor definitions): (app.leg.wa.gov)

• Approved educational program: A college or university accredited by a body recognized by CHEA or the U.S. Department of Education.
• Approved setting: A facility, agency, or private practice where you work with individuals, couples, families, or groups under the supervision of an approved supervisor.
• Approved supervisor (for LMHC):
  A licensed mental health counselor or “equally qualified licensed mental health practitioner” who has been licensed without restrictions for at least two years.
• Equally qualified licensed mental health practitioner (for LMHC supervision):
  A licensed marriage and family therapist, licensed clinical social worker (Washington uses LICSW/LASW), licensed psychologist, licensed physician practicing as a psychiatrist, or licensed psychiatric nurse practitioner.
• Group supervision: A face‑to‑face or virtual supervision meeting with one supervisor and no more than six licensure candidates.
• Immediate supervision: A meeting with an approved supervisor involving one supervisor and no more than two licensure candidates.
• Licensure candidate: Any individual accruing supervised clinical experience required for licensure (this includes LMHC Associates).

These definitions are important because the state counts only hours done in an “approved setting” under an “approved supervisor” toward the required supervised experience.

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4. The supervised experience requirement: hours and types

4.1. Total supervised experience

The core LMHC experience requirement is spelled out in WAC 246‑809‑230 and mirrored on the DOH “Licensing Requirements – Mental Health Counselor” page:

• You must complete a minimum of 36 months of full-time counseling OR 3,000 hours of postgraduate mental health counseling.
• All 3,000 hours must be post‑degree and under the supervision of an approved LMHC or equally qualified licensed mental health practitioner, in an approved setting. (doh.wa.gov)

In other words, Washington does not split hours into “supervised” vs “unsupervised” experience the way some states do. All 3,000 hours are supervised postgraduate experience.

4.2. Required sub‑categories within the 3,000 hours

Within those 3,000 supervised hours, the WAC and DOH specify three distinct components: (doh.wa.gov)

1. Immediate supervision hours (supervision meetings)

   • At least 100 hours must be in “immediate supervision” with an approved LMHC or equally qualified practitioner.
   • “Immediate supervision” = supervision meetings with no more than two candidates per supervisor (small‑group or one‑on‑one).

2. Direct counseling hours (direct client contact)

   • At least 1,200 hours must be “direct counseling with individuals, couples, families, or groups.”
   • These are the hours where you are actually providing psychotherapy/counseling services – i.e., direct clinical contact (including telehealth, when permitted) with clients.

3. Remaining supervised experience

   • The remaining 1,700 hours (3,000 total – 1,200 direct counseling – 100 immediate supervision) may consist of other postgraduate mental health counseling activities in an approved setting, still under appropriate supervision.
   • Typical examples: clinical assessment, case consultation, treatment planning, documentation, coordination with other providers, indirect services related to client care, additional direct client contact beyond the 1,200‑hour minimum.

In short, the Board‑language structure of your LMHC hours in Washington is:

• 3,000 hours of postgraduate mental health counseling
  • including 100 hours in immediate supervision with an approved supervisor,
  • and at least 1,200 hours of direct counseling with individuals, couples, families, or groups. (app.leg.wa.gov)

4.3. Timeframe requirement

• The rules state this experience must cover a minimum of 36 months of full‑time counseling (or the part‑time equivalent) while accumulating the 3,000 supervised hours. (doh.wa.gov)

There is no single statewide definition of “full‑time” hours per week in the WAC; instead, DOH evaluates whether you have both the 3,000 hours and the 36‑month span of supervised practice.

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5. Special adjustments and credits to the 3,000 hours

5.1. Credit for Substance Use Disorder Professionals (SUDP)

If you have worked as a Substance Use Disorder Professional (SUDP):

• Washington law (RCW 18.225.090 and WAC 246‑809‑230) directs DOH to reduce the total required supervised hours from 3,000 to 2,700 if you can show you have practiced as an SUDP for at least three years within the 10 years before your LMHC application. (doh.wa.gov)

DOH’s LMHC page explains this as a 10% reduction of the supervised experience requirement.

5.2. CACREP program credit

If your counseling degree is from a program accredited by CACREP (Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs):

• WAC 246‑809‑230 states that you are credited with 50 hours of postgraduate supervision and 500 hours of postgraduate experience toward the 3,000 hours. (app.leg.wa.gov)

You still must meet the 1,200 direct counseling hours and 100 immediate‑supervision hours within your total, but this credit can shorten how long it takes to complete the requirement.

5.3. Out‑of‑state license and proof of hours

For applicants already licensed elsewhere:

• If you have held a full LMHC‑type license in another state for at least one year with no disciplinary record or disqualifying criminal history, WAC 246‑809‑230 deems you to have met Washington’s supervised experience requirements. (app.leg.wa.gov)
• Separately, DOH’s LMHC licensing page says that if you have been licensed in another state for more than five years in good standing and without disqualifying criminal history, the department usually does not require you to provide proof of supervised hours. If less than five years or you have adverse history, DOH will require supervisor verification forms. (doh.wa.gov)

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6. The supervised‑practice status: LMHC Associate

Before you can earn LMHC hours, you typically practice under the Licensed Mental Health Counselor Associate credential:

• An associate is a graduate‑level pre‑licensure candidate working under an approved supervisor to gain the required supervised experience. (doh.wa.gov)
• Associates may not independently provide mental health counseling for a fee; they must always be under supervision.
• An LMHC Associate does not need supervised postgraduate experience before obtaining the associate license, but must then declare they are working toward full licensure and accrue the 3,000 hours under supervision. (doh.wa.gov)

WAC 246‑809‑020 sets general supervision standards (e.g., minimum supervision frequency: at least one hour of supervision for every 80 hours of clinical practice time, required review of assessments/diagnoses for candidates practicing on a pending associate credential). (app.leg.wa.gov)

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7. Examination requirement

Washington uses nationally recognized counseling exams:

• You must pass either:
  • The National Counselor Examination (NCE), or
  • The National Clinical Mental Health Counselor Examination (NCMHCE),
    administered by the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC). (doh.wa.gov)
• DOH must receive your official passing scores directly from NBCC.

Passing one of these exams, combined with education and post‑graduate supervised experience, satisfies the exam portion of RCW 18.225.090 for LMHCs. (app.leg.wa.gov)

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8. Application, background, and other requirements

For full LMHC licensure, the DOH process includes:

• Application and fees to DOH.
• Official graduate transcripts sent directly to DOH.
• Supervisor verification of your 3,000 hours (unless waived due to long‑standing out‑of‑state licensure as noted above). (doh.wa.gov)
• Personal data questions regarding professional liability history and criminal background, with documentation if you answer “yes” to any. (doh.wa.gov)

Continuing education and suicide‑prevention training requirements apply after you are licensed, under WAC 246‑809‑600+ and WAC 246‑809‑630 (e.g., a set number of CE hours per renewal cycle and periodic suicide assessment/treatment training). (app.leg.wa.gov)

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9. Hour requirements summarized in Board terminology

Putting the Washington language together, the supervised experience requirement for LMHCs is:

• “A minimum of 36 months full‑time counseling or 3,000 hours of postgraduate mental health counseling under the supervision of a qualified licensed mental health counselor or equally qualified licensed mental health practitioner in an approved setting,” which includes:
  • At least 100 hours of “immediate supervision” with the approved supervisor (no more than two candidates in the supervision meeting), and
  • At least 1,200 hours of **“direct counseling with individuals, couples, families, or groups.” (doh.wa.gov)

All 3,000 hours are supervised; 1,200 of those must be direct client counseling, and 100 must be face‑to‑face or virtual immediate supervision meetings with your approved supervisor, as defined in Washington’s WAC 246‑809‑210 and 246‑809‑230.