27., 28: NCE and NCMHCE

I cannot believe it. I can’t freaking believe it! In this day and age, I want important information at my fingertips. I do NOT want to be rooting around in confusing websites and scrounging for the information I need to plan my future!

*Deep breath* Ok, I think I’ve got it out of my system. You see, much like teachers, counselors need to be certified in the state where they practice. One of the many requirements to getting a license is to take a big hairy test. The problem is this; different states usually require one of two tests: the National Counselor Examination for Licensure and Certification (NCE) or the National Certified Mental Health Counselor Examination (NCMHCE).

So how do you find out which state requires which? You go to their website! Then you spend ten minutes trying to find the right page, application form, pdf, or link to actually find out what test they take. I refuse to believe that after years, no one has made a word document to just list the states in order and say what test they take?

The closest I found to a reliable source is this: http://nbcc.org/directory/. It’s an infographic, which is O.K. but I want to be able to see at a glance which states need which test. If one test is used in a majority of the country I don’t want to waste my time with the other. And so, in my efforts to improve the internet, here’s that simple list of all 50 states (and Puerto Rico and Guam) and what exam they need.

Alabama: NCE

Alaska: NCE

Arizona: NCE

Arkansas: NCE for the Licensed Associate Counselor, NCMECE for the Licensed Professional Counselor

California: NCMHCE

Colorado: NCE

Connecticut: Either the NCE or the NCMHCE

D.C.: NCE

Delaware: NCE

Florida: NCMHCE

Georgia: Either the NCE or the NCMHCE

Hawaii: NCE

Idaho: NCE to become a Licensed Professional Counselor, NCMHCE for a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor

Illinois: NCE for the Licensed Professional Counselor, NCMHCE for a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor

Indiana: NCE for the Licensed Mental Health Counselor – Associate, NCMHCE for the Licensed Mental Health Counselor

Iowa: I believe either NCE or NCMHCE?

Kansas: NCE for Licensed Professional Counselor, NCMHCE for the Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor

Kentucky: NCE

Louisiana: Both NCE and NCMHCE

Maine: NCE for the Licensed Professional Counselor, NCMHCE for the Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor

Maryland: NCE for Licensed Clinical professional councilor, EMAC for Certified Professional Counselor

Massachusetts: NCMHCE

Michigan: NCE

Minnesota: Both NCE and NCMHCE for Licensed Professional Counselor, NCMHCE for Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor

Mississippi: NCE

Missouri: NCE

Montana: I believe both NCE or NCMHCE?

Nebraska: NCE for the Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, NCMHCE for the Certified Professional Counselor

Nevada: NCMHCE

New Hampshire: NCMHCE

New Jersey: NCE

New Mexico: NCE for the Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor, NCMHCE for the Licensed Professional Clinical Mental Health Counselor

New York: NCMHCE

North Carolina: Either NCE or NCMHCE

North Dakota: NCE for Licensed Professional Counselor, NCMHCE for Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor

Ohio: NCE for the Professional Counselor, NCMHCE for the Professional Clinical Counselor

Oklahoma: NCE

Oregon: NCE

Pennsylvania: Either the NCE or the EMAC

Rhode Island: NCMHCE

South Carolina: Either the NCE or the NCMHCE

South Dakota: NCE for Licensed Professional Counselor, NCMHCE for Licensed Professional Counselor-Mental Health

Tennessee: NCE for the Licensed Professional Counselor, NCMHCE for the Licensed Professional Counselor-Mental Health Service Provider

Texas: NCE

Utah: NCE for Clinical Mental Health Counselor and NCMHCE for the Associate Clinical Mental Health Counselor

Vermont: NCE for Licensed Mental Health Counselor, NCMHCE for Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor

Virginia: NCMHCE

Washington: NCE or NCMHCE

West Virginia: NCE

Wisconsin: I believe both NCE or NCMHCE

Wyoming: NCE (and for Provisional Licensed Professional Counselor, the EMAC)

Puerto rico/Guam: no credentials listed

16 states exclusively use the NCE, with 9 using only the NCMHCE. 15 states use different tests for mental health counselors and clinical mental health counselors. And 9 can use either test for the same license. 2 states allowed the NCE along with the EMAC, a test I hadn’t heard of before. It’s The Examination for Master Addictions Counselors, which is obviously a very important subfield of counseling psych.

 
Overall just seeing the lay of the land, which areas accept which tests, have been very useful to me. I wouldn’t take this list as a final word- I couldn’t actually find all of the information I was looking for just on this one website. But this is a pretty good starting point for someone looking to take one of these tests. I think if I don’t come to any solid decision to live in Nevada or Florida, I’ll just take the NCE.