Oregon gives LPC applicants three competency exams to choose from: the National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination (NCMHCE), the NCE or the Certified Rehabilitation Counselor Examination (CRC). Whichever you take, the Board of Licensed Professional Counselors and Therapists also requires the Oregon Law and Rules Exam and at least 36 months of supervised clinical experience, including 1,900 direct client contact hours.
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One of three: the NCE, the NCMHCE or the CRC, plus the Oregon Law and Rules Exam. The competency exam must have been passed within 10 years before you apply, and you pay its fee directly to the exam provider rather than to the board.
How many supervised hours does Oregon require?
At least three years (36 months) of qualified supervised clinical counseling experience, including at least 1,900 supervised direct client contact hours, of which up to 400 may be pre-degree hours. The requirement fell from 2,400 to 1,900 hours on July 1, 2023.
What degree does Oregon require?
The board’s education requirements include a graduate degree, master’s or doctorate, from a counseling program accredited by CACREP or CORE, which must have held that accreditation on the date the degree was conferred.
What does it cost to apply in Oregon?
A non-refundable $175 licence application fee plus $48 for the required fingerprint-based criminal background check — $223 in total, paid when you submit the online application. Exam fees go to the exam provider separately.
How do I apply in Oregon?
Through the board’s Applicant Portal: open the portal, click Apply Now, then Start New Application to complete and submit your licensure application.
Test yourself: 3 NCMHCE practice questions
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Question 1
A colleague asks how you know this is panic disorder and not simply someone who has had a few panic attacks. Which feature most establishes the diagnosis of panic disorder specifically?
▸ Why D is the answer
Panic disorder requires recurrent unexpected attacks plus at least a month of persistent worry about more attacks or their consequences, or a meaningful maladaptive change in behavior to avoid them. It is that month or more of anticipatory 'fear of fear' and its behavioral footprint, her avoidance and safety moves, that turns having panic attacks into panic disorder.
Question 2
To decide whether generalized anxiety disorder better accounts for Daniela's picture, which line of assessment most directly tests that possibility?
▸ Why A is the answer
Generalized anxiety disorder is defined by excessive, difficult-to-control worry, more days than not, for at least six months, across multiple domains, with at least three of six associated symptoms. Asking directly about that duration, breadth, controllability, and symptom cluster is what tells you whether her picture is genuinely generalized worry or worry that is really anticipatory of panic.
Question 3
Daniela keeps returning to 'it feels like my heart.' You decide to start with psychoeducation. Which explanation best helps her understand what is happening during a panic attack?
▸ Why B is the answer
The panic cycle, sensation, catastrophic interpretation, fear, adrenaline, stronger sensation, speaks directly to her 'it's my heart' misreading and reframes the attack as a self-perpetuating false alarm. It is the core cognitive-behavioral psychoeducation for panic, and it hands her a model she can actually work with rather than just a fact to accept.
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