If you have a Texas license you can provide services remotely to clients in Texas, but you will need to contact the other state or country to determine whether you can deliver services from within that jurisdiction to a client in Texas.
A Texas license only grants authority to practice in Texas. If you have a client in another state or country you may have to meet the practice requirements of both Texas and the state or country where the client is located. You will need to contact the other state to determine whether you can deliver services in that jurisdiction with your Texas license.
Texas does not have jurisdiction on Federal ground. As long as the client is on Federal ground, Federal laws and regulations apply. You will need to contact the Federal government to determine if care can continue. If the client is on Texas ground (off-base residence, for example), a Texas license is required for care to continue.
Yes. Texas law requires a provider to hold a Texas license to administer services to an individual in Texas.
Yes. A Texas license is only required to provide services if the client is within the borders of Texas at the time services are delivered.
Each state has it’s own rules regarding who is or isn’t considered a client. With that being the case, it is always advised to obtain approval from any state or jurisdiction where a participant is located.
To be eligible to become an LPC Associate in Texas, you must have graduate degree in counseling or a counseling-related field from an accredited program and pass the National Counseling Exam (NCE) or the National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination (NCMHCE) administered by the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC). Applicants who have not yet taken the licensing exam should contact NBCC. Information on that process is available on NBCC’s webpage (you do not need pre-approval from BHEC to take the exam). The LPC Associate license allows you to begin accruing the supervised clinical experience necessary to become a full Licensed Professional Counselor. All applicants for LPC Associate must:
• submit a complete application and fee (fee covers both Associate license and upgrade to full LPC)
• submit a signed supervisory agreement form with a board approved supervisor
• submit passing scores from the NBCC
• submit an official transcript that shows the conferral date of your graduate counseling degree
• complete the Texas Jurisprudence Examination
• submit a self-query report from the National Practitioner Data Bank
• submit electronic fingerprints for a nationwide criminal history search.
After passing the exam, the applicant should contact a board-approved supervisor to set up a supervisory relationship by completing the Supervisory Agreement Form found on the BHEC forms webpage. Applicants for licensure who have passed the licensing exam and have set up supervision with a board-approved supervisor should submit their application and supporting documents via our online licensing system.
-In State:
To be eligible to be a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) you must hold a license as an LPC-Associate in Texas and complete supervised training under a board approved supervisor. All in-state candidates must complete the following in no less than 18 months and no more than 60 months:
• 1,500 or more hours of supervised direct counseling practice
• 3,000 or more hours of supervised practice (direct and indirect combined)
Upon completion of the required supervised experience, the LPC Associate submits an application for upgrade along with supporting documents via our online licensing system.
All applicants for upgrade to full LPC must:
• submit a complete application (fee was imbedded in the Associate fee)
• complete the Texas Jurisprudence Examination
• submit a self-query report from the National Practitioner Data Bank
• submit Supervised Experience Documentation form(s)
-Out of State:
Licensed Professional Counselors from out of state must submit the online application and fee along with the same documentation as that required for obtaining an LPC Associate license as shown above. Additionally, verifications from each state in which an LPC license was held must be submitted directly to this office by the issuing agency.
All fees are found in Chapter 885 of the Texas Administrative Code. A link to the rules is available on the BHEC website. The link to Chapter 885 is found toward the middle of the page under the heading: Relevant Administrative Rules.
A list of active supervisors is available on the BHEC website.
If you took the exam for another state’s licensing authority you will need to contact NBCC to have the scores transferred to Texas. For more information please visit NBCC's webpage.
Electronic transcripts should be sent to transcripts@bhec.texas.gov .
Hardcopy transcripts should be mailed to:
BHEC LPC Transcripts
1801 Congress Suite 7.300
Austin, TX 78701
The jurisprudence exam is administered online by a third-party vendor. To register visit our Jurisprudence Exam webpage.
Instructions for obtaining a self-query can be found at the NPDB webpage.
Upon submission of your application, you will be sent guidance on fingerprint submission. The fingerprinting is done electronically and locations all over the country. There is a fee paid to the fingerprint facility. Typically, it takes approximately 15 minutes to complete the process of getting fingerprinted.
BHEC has a verification form that an applicant should submit to the verifying state. Some states will complete the form while others will provide verification on their own form. A small number of states use their online verification for this purpose. The verification request form can be found on our forms webpage.
BHEC has a Clinical Supervision Verification Form available on our forms webpage. This form should be filled out by and signed by the supervisor.
There are many variables that impact application processing times. Typically, one can expect the process to take several weeks. BHEC provides a chart that shows the receipt date of the applications staff is currently processing here.
Yes. There are various waivers and advantages provided for active duty military, veterans and military spouses. For more information review Council rule 882.60 and 882.61.
House Bill 2059 (86R) requires all licensed healthcare providers to complete a course in Human Trafficking Awareness approved by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. A list of available training courses is provided on HHSC’s Human Trafficking Resource Center webpage.
Similar to continuing education, an approved human trafficking course must be completed every renewal cycle.
The Council does not approve continuing education courses. Instead, the Council has adopted rules that outline what is considered appropriate continuing education. This means a licensee can receive continuing education from any person or organization that provides the education in accordance with the Council’s rules. No approval by the Council is needed for the individual or organization to engage in the delivery of continuing education and no approval of specific courses are required. Licensees are still audited for continuing education compliance and during those reviews, staff evaluate the continuing education documentation submitted. The rules on continuing education course requirements can be found in each profession's consolidated rule book found here.
The Council does not approve continuing education providers. Instead, the Council has adopted rules that outline what is considered appropriate continuing education. This means a licensee can receive continuing education from any person or organization that provides the education in accordance with the Council’s rules. No approval by the Council is needed for the individual or organization to engage in the delivery of continuing education. Licensees are still audited for continuing education compliance and during those reviews, staff evaluate the continuing education documentation submitted. If you were an “approved provider” with HHSC, you may continue to provide continuing education without having to renew. The rules on continuing education course requirements can be found in each profession's consolidated rule book found here.
Licensees under CE audit receive a renewal notification letter while those not under audit receive a renewal notification postcard.
Staff cannot provide guidance on which type of business entity is best for your situation. You should consult either a CPA or an Attorney with experience in these matters. Additionally, if you do set up a business entity, you do not need to register it with the board as we do not collect that data.
Self-study refers to activities undertaken by a licensee that are informal and do not involve a CE provider. Reading professional journal articles is an example of self-study. A good rule of thumb is, “If you get a certificate at the completion of the endeavor, it’s NOT self-study.”
There is nothing in the rules that prohibits a licensee from providing life-coaching services. However, a client might file a complaint against your BHEC license for life-coaching services. The complaint will be investigated and if the services provided overlap with your licensed scope of practice disciplinary action may result. In short, though life-coaching does not require a license in Texas, that doesn’t automatically exempt a BHEC licensee from discipline should there be a complaint regarding services provided as a life-coach.
The board is not involved with the administration of these Federal programs. Please direct any Medicare/Medicaid questions to the Center for Medicare/Medicaid Services
Unless there is a court order, divorce decree, etc. with language to the contrary, treatment can be authorized by either parent.