National Mental Health Counseling Exam

The benefits of certification as a Certified Clinical Mental Health Counselor (CCMHC) include use of the CCMHC certification mark and recognition as a professional who has met high national standards for the practice of clinical mental health counseling.

Join the more than 1, 500 CCMHCs, and show your dedication to the practice of clinical mental health counseling.

Application Requirements

You must meet the following requirements in order to obtain certification as a CCMHC. Some requirements may differ if you hold a state counseling license. For more information, log in and start your application. If you are not already an NCC, you can apply for both the NCC and CCMHC together.

Education

You must hold a master’s degree with a major study in counseling including at least 60 semester or 90 quarter hours of graduate-level academic credit in counseling. There is an equivalent entry option available if you have completed less than 60 semester or 90 quarter hours.

Coursework

Your coursework must cover the following 10 content areas plus clinical training:

• Theories of counseling psychotherapy and personality
• Counseling and psychotherapy skills
• Abnormal psychotherapy and psychopathology
• Human growth and development
• Group counseling and psychotherapy
• Career development
• Professional orientation to counseling
• Research
• Testing and appraisal
• Social and cultural foundations

Supervision

You must document at least 100 hours of clinical supervision.

Work Experience

You must document having completed at least 3, 000 hours of clinical client contact.

Examination Requirement

You must obtain a passing score on the National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination (NCMHCE).

Tape Review

You must provide a video or audio recording of a clinical session.