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Division of
Professional Regulation

Professional Counselor of Mental Health Licensure



General Information

You may apply for a license as a Professional Counselor of Mental Health by examination or reciprocity.

  • If you hold a current Professional Counselor of Mental Health license in another jurisdiction (state, District of Columbia or U.S. territory) that is in good standing, apply by reciprocity.
  • If you do not hold a current Professional Counselor of Mental Health license in another jurisdiction, apply by examination.


Information on How to Apply for a License in DELPROS

All applications are submitted our online system DELPROS. We no longer accept paper applications.


PRIOR TO APPLYING

In order to apply for a license or submit a service request, you must first have a DELPROS user account. To LOG IN or CREATE a DELPROS (Delaware Professional Regulation Online Services) user account:

  1. Go to: https://delpros.delaware.gov/OH_HomePage.
  2. Click GO on the Apply/Manage a License and Service Requests tile.
  3. If you do not have a DELPROS user account, click the REGISTER button on the left side of page for NEW USERS.
  4. If you already have a DELPROS user account, enter your email address and password on the right side for EXISTING USERS and click the LOGIN button.

DELPROS allows you to save your incomplete application and return to it later to finish the process. You only have six (6) months to submit your application once you begin.

  • If you do not submit your application within six months of starting it, you will be required to restart the entire online application again.

You may check the status of your application online throughout the entire application process by using the “View Application Status” feature in DELPROS on your e-License dashboard.


KNOW YOUR REQUIREMENTS AND COLLECT YOUR DOCUMENTS

  1. Know the requirements for the license you are pursuing.
  2. Request and gather all documents required to upload on the Attachments page. All information and forms are located on your profession’s webpages.


ATTACHING AND ACKNOWLEDGING DOCUMENTS

On the ATTACHMENTS page of your application, you may be instructed to:

  • either “attach” or “upload” the required document(s) directly to your application. This means you will find the document(s) saved on your computer or device and upload it to your application, or .
  • click “acknowledge” . This means you will either mail the documents yourself or request the “third-party” to mail the document(s) directly to the Board office.
    • Examples of “third-party forms” are transcripts from schools, employment verifications from a supervisor, or license verifications from another state.
  • Forms requiring a supervisor signature, seal, or notary may have to be MAILED to the Board office directly UNLESS the document specifically indicates to UPLOAD the document.


Requirements for All Applicants

These items are required for all applications, regardless of whether you are applying by examination or reciprocity. In addition to submitting the application and fee in DELPROS, you must submit:
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  • A State of Delaware and Federal Bureau of Investigation criminal background check (CBC). Go to the Criminal Background Check Process page to find the Service Code required to obtain a State of Delaware and Federal Bureau of Investigation criminal background check. Once you have your Service Code, you will be directed to the IdentoGO website for instructions to complete the fingerprinting process.
    • Criminal background checks completed for any other purpose (e.g., employment, licensure in other states) will not meet this requirement.
  • State/Jurisdiction Licensure Verification sent directly to the Board office from each state or jurisdiction in which you currently hold or have ever held a license.
  • National Counselor Examination scores (NCE), National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination (NCMHCE), or other examination acceptable to the Board as follows:
    • If you have passed the NCE or NCMHCE, follow the instructions for requesting a score report on the National Board Certified Counselors (NBCC) website at nbcc.org/Exams.
    • If you have passed another exam equivalent to the NCE or NCMHCE, arrange for the organization to send your score report directly to the Board office.


Requirements for Exam Applicants

In addition to submitting the application, fee, and supporting documentation required in the previous section, in DELPROS, you must also submit:

  • An Evaluation of Coursework form and a course catalog or course description when:
    • your graduate program of studies is not from a regionally accredited institution of higher education or
    • your degree is in a discipline other than clinical mental health counseling.
    • you do not have a Master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling with at least 60 graduate semester hours or its equivalent.

If you do not have 30 post-Master credit hours in the field of counseling, also submit:

  • A Direct Supervision Reference form(s) completed and signed by each of your approved clinical supervisor(s) to verify the minimum 1,600 hours of direct supervision.
  • A Counseling Experience Verification-Self-Employment form from each professional colleague, supervisor, or other individual who has personal knowledge of your professional practice while self-employed. The person who attests to your experience while self-employed cannot be your spouse, former spouse, parent, step-parent, grand-parent, child, step-child, sibling, aunt, uncle, cousin or in-law.
  • All Counseling Experience Verification forms must clearly state the total number of post-Master’s mental health counseling hours that you have provided. Giving only the dates of your employment or self-employment is not sufficient.


Requirements for Reciprocity Applicants

Whether or not you need to submit any more documentation depends on how long you’ve been licensed in the jurisdictions where your currently hold a license.

In addition to submitting the application, fee, and supporting documentation required in the Requirements for All Applicants section in DELPROS, you must also submit:

  • If you have been licensed at least five years in any one jurisdiction, no further documentation is needed. You may be licensed by reciprocity.
  • If you have been licensed less than five years in each of jurisdiction, submit copies of the licensing law/rules and regulations from each jurisdiction where you hold a current license in good standing. The Board will review the licensing standards of the other jurisdictions and determine if any of them is substantially similar to Delaware’s standards.
    • If any of the jurisdictions has substantially similar standards, you may be licensed by reciprocity. No further documentation is needed.
    • If none of the jurisdictions has substantially similar requirements, the Board office will notify you that you cannot be licensed by reciprocity. However, you may apply for an Associate Counselor of Mental Health license.

 


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