New York · NYSED Office of the Professions
Verified: Sept 2026
This guide covers the endorsement path to LMHC: applying based on an independent counseling license you already hold in another state.
Mental health counselors in New York are licensed by the New York State Education Department (NYSED), through its Office of the Professions, not by a standalone counseling board as in most states.
Endorsement is New York's version of what other states call reciprocity. NYSED reviews your degree as part of the process, and the fastest route through that review is a degree accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), the national accreditor for counseling programs.
NYSED contact information
Mental Health Practitioner Unit: 518-474-3817, press 1, then ext. 592, or [email protected]
All forms referenced in this article can be found here: https://www.op.nysed.gov/professions/mental-health-counselors/application-forms
A detailed description of each form's purpose is located in a table at the bottom of this article.
Endorsement Eligibility
Must be confirmed before you file.
Step 1
Allow 15 minutes to review, longer if you need to call NYSED.
Confirm you meet the requirements below.
Existing license in Mental Health Counseling.
You must have been licensed in another jurisdiction by meeting the following requirements:
being at least 21 years of age;
holding a graduate degree in counseling or a related field that at the time of completion qualified you for licensure as a Mental Health Counselor in another jurisdiction;
completing supervised experience in Mental Health Counseling and psychotherapy that qualified you for initial licensure in the other jurisdiction;
passing an examination acceptable to the New York State Education Department for the practice of Mental Health Counseling.
ℹ️ New York accepts only the NCMHCE. If your existing license instead allowed the NCE and that is what you took then you will need to take the NCMHCE in Step 10, regardless of how long you have practiced.
Five years of licensed practice in the last ten years.
You will need to provide a list colleagues who will complete a form stating where you practiced, over what dates, and that the work meets New York's definition of mental health counseling.
Any professional title and any jurisdiction is acceptable, though colleagues licensed outside New York must attach a copy of their license.
→ If met, continue to Step 2. If not, use the standard path instead.
Application Steps
Step 2
Allow 2 hours to complete.
Complete the child abuse identification and reporting training through a NYSED approved provider listed here.
ℹ️ The curriculum was recently updated. Approved providers were required to begin offering the updated version on September 1, 2025. If you completed the training before that date, you may need to take it again.
To confirm whether your course included the updated curriculum, contact the provider who issued your certificate. Their contact information is on the certificate, or on NYSED's approved provider list.
You will report your completion when you file your application in Step 3. Either you upload a certificate from a provider on NYSED's approved list, or that provider reports it to NYSED directly. Ask whether your provider reports electronically. If not, keep your certificate and upload it with your online application.
ℹ️ If you have already submitted your application, upload your certificate here instead: https://eservices.nysed.gov/professions/addl-doc/ using your Application ID and date of birth.
→ Continue to Step 3.
Step 3
Allow 30–45 minutes to complete.
File Form 1 online. This is the application for licensure itself, submitted along with the $371 fee covering licensure and your first registration. Answer every question and provide all requested information, since an incomplete application delays review.
Every other form in this article is supporting documentation attached to this one.
If you need to pause your application partway, you can resume within 30 days using your Application ID, Social Security number, and DOB.
Once Form 1 is filed, you can start Steps 4 through 8 at the same time; none of them depends on another
→ Continue to Step 4.
Step 4
Allow 15 minutes to request, plus school processing time.
Form 2: your school certifies your degree. Fill in Section I, sign and date it, then send the entire form to your school's registrar along with any fee they charge. The registrar fills in Section II, confirming your program and the date your degree was awarded, and mails both pages to NYSED in an official school envelope.
It will not be accepted if you submit it.
Out-of-state registrars will not have a NYSED-specific process, so look for degree verification or a general request to complete a form. Villanova University, for example, asks you to email Form 2 to [email protected] with instructions for where it should be sent, and processes in 3 to 5 business days.
If you cannot find the right process on your school's site, call the registrar and say you need a licensure certification form completed for a state licensing board.
→ If your program was not CACREP-accredited, continue to Step 5.
→ If your program was CACREP-accredited, skip to Step 6.
Step 5
Allow 30 minutes to request, plus school processing time.
Only do this step if your program was not CACREP accredited.
NYSED's Bureau of Comparative Education reviews your coursework against New York's required content areas. Your school sends extra material along with Form 2: your official transcript, course syllabi, and Form 2INT from your program director.
Your school will send everything directly to the Office of the Professions, either by mail to the address printed on the forms or by email to [email protected]. None of it is accepted if it comes from you.
Ask specifically that syllabi be included, since they are not part of a standard transcript request. Call the registrar rather than using an online request form. If you attended more than one graduate school, each sends its own set.
ℹ️ NYSED does not register programs outside New York, so CACREP accreditation is the only route to automatic qualification for an out-of-state degree. This review happens after you have paid, and it is the slowest part of the process.
→ Continue to Step 6.
Step 6
Allow 30 minutes to request, 1–4 weeks for boards to respond.
Verify every license or certificate you hold or have ever held, to practice any profession from those listed here, in any jurisdiction.
You do not need to request anything if your license was issued by NYSED or for Mental Health Counseling licenses issued by the following states:
Alaska
Colorado
Indiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Ohio
Oklahoma
South Dakota
For all other professions and states you will need to contact the relevant licensing authority that issued the license and request a license verification. Most boards will not complete another state's verification and will send their own document instead. NYSED accepts these.
Electronic verifications can be sent directly to [email protected].
Mailed verifications are sent in jurisdiction-sealed envelopes to:
New York State Education Department
Office of the Professions
Division of Professional Licensing Services
Mental Health Counseling Unit
89 Washington Avenue
Albany, NY 12234-1000
For boards that do not have their own verification form, send them Form 3 instead:
Fill in Section I
Sign and date item 10
Send the entire form to the licensing authority along with any fee they charge. They complete Section II and return both pages directly to NYSED.
ℹ️ Whichever route applies, the verification is not accepted if it comes from you. It must come directly from the issuing board.
→ Continue to Step 7.
Step 7
Allow 30 minutes, plus colleague response time.
Document your practice.
Form 4E: your endorsement experience record. You complete both pages, sign and date item 9, and send it to NYSED yourself. This is where you list the licensed colleagues who will attest to your practice, along with the setting address and dates for each. If you applied online, submit it here.
Form 4F: each colleague certifies your licensed experience. Fill in Section I, sign and date item 9, then send the entire form to that colleague. They complete Section II and send it directly to NYSED. It will not be accepted if it comes from you. You need a separate Form 4F for each colleague listed on Form 4E.
ℹ️ Do not apply for a limited permit. It exists to authorize supervised practice while accruing the 3,000 hours, and you are not accruing them.
→ If you already passed the NCMHCE, continue to Step 8.
→ If you haven't already passed the NCMHCE, continue to Step 9.
Step 8
Allow 10 minutes.
Send your NCMHCE score to NYSED.
To order an official copy of your scores for state licensure or a third-party agency, log in to your NBCC Credentialing Gateway account and select Score Verification Request under NCC Options.
If you are unsure if you have any missing documents, you can log in or email [email protected]. All past-due fees must be paid before score verification can be sent.
ℹ️ If you took the NCMHCE under non-standard conditions, such as extra time or a translating dictionary for applicants whose primary language is not English, you must retake the exam under standard conditions.
→ Continue to Step 9.
Step 9
No published processing time.
NYSED evaluates your education, license verification, and attested experience and the endorsement determination is made.
NYSED does not publish a processing time for this stage.
The most common causes of delay are a Form 3 still in transit, a Form 4F a colleague has not returned, and transcript evaluation if your program was not CACREP-accredited.
→ NYSED approves your file, you need to pass the NCMHCE. Continue to Step 10.
→ NYSED approves your file, you already passed the NCMHCE. Continue to Step 11.
→ NYSED requires additional coursework. This happens when transcript review finds gaps against New York's content areas. Complete the missing coursework, have your school send an updated transcript, and return to this step.
→ NYSED does not approve your file. You must use the standard path to apply.
Step 10
Allow a few days to schedule. Allow 4 hours on exam day.
Only do this step if you need to pass the NCMHCE.
NYSED notifies the exam administrators once your education and application are approved who will then email you once you are cleared.
To register, create or log in to a Credentialing Gateway account at my.nbcc.org, complete the registration, and pay the $275 fee. You will then receive an Authorization to Test email from Pearson VUE, which is what lets you schedule.
You can take the exam at a Pearson VUE test center or remotely through their OnVUE platform, and you can schedule online or by calling Pearson VUE at 866-904-4432.
You are allowed 3 hours and 45 minutes. Your Authorization to Test gives you a set window to sit the exam, and the length will be stated in your authorization email. If you miss it or do not pass, you can retake after a 30-day waiting period, and the $275 fee applies each time you register.
→ Once you pass, continue to Step 11.
Step 11
Once NYSED has your education, experience, and passing score on file, the license is issued.
A New York license is valid for life. What you renew is your registration, every three years.
Keep your address current with NYSED.
Costs
Item | Cost |
Child abuse training | Varies by provider |
Application & first registration (Form 1) | $371 |
Form 2 school fee | Varies by school |
Form 3 verification fee | Varies by state board |
NCMHCE exam fee | $0 if already passed; $275 if not |
Time Estimates
NYSED does not publish a processing SLA at any stage, so there is no official benchmark for this path.
The slow pieces are the documents you cannot file yourself: Form 2 from your school, Form 3 from each licensing board you have ever been licensed by, and Form 4F from each colleague. Follow-up is the only lever you have on any of them.
The slowest branch by far is the Bureau of Comparative Education review in Step 5, which only applies if your program was not CACREP-accredited.
Forms
Form | What it is | Who sends it |
Your application for licensure ($371) | You, online | |
Your school certifying your degree | Your registrar | |
Your school certifying your internship (only if your program was not CACREP-accredited) | Your program director | |
Another state's board verifying a license you hold | That licensing board | |
Your record of licensed practice | You | |
A colleague certifying your practice | Each colleague |
Sources
NYS Mental Health Counseling: License Requirements — NYSED
8 NYCRR 79-9.7 — Licensure by endorsement
Application Forms for Mental Health Counselors — NYSED
Child Abuse Identification and Reporting Training — NYSED
Exam Registration — NBCC
Links