Vermont requirements

LCMHC requirements in Vermont

What it takes to become a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor in Vermont: 3,000 supervised hours over at least 2 years, plus supervision, time limits, exams and whether you can be supervised by video. Every figure is sourced to the state board and dated.

Sourced to Vermont Board of Allied Mental Health Practitioners (Office of Professional Regulation)Checked September 25, 2026Not individually reviewed by a clinicianAbout this site

Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (professional counselor) · Vermont · regulated by Vermont Board of Allied Mental Health Practitioners (Office of Professional Regulation) · high confidence

Pre-license credentialRoster of Non-Licensed, Non-Certified Psychotherapists (registration, not an associate license)
Supervised experience3,000 hours of supervised practice over a period of no less than 2 years
Direct client contact2,000 hours direct service; remaining 1,000 clinical practice or related services
Supervisionno fewer than 100 hours of face-to-face supervision; ≥50 individual
Minimum time2 years
Time limitonly hours acquired within 5 years of the final licensure decision count
ExamsNCMHCE and NCE (results within 5 years of final licensure decision)

Supervision

  • How much: no fewer than 100 hours of face-to-face supervision; ≥50 individual
  • How often: no more than thirty hours of practice without at least one hour of face-to-face supervision
  • Group supervision: group = supervisor plus up to six trainees; at least 50 of the 100 hours individual
  • Who may supervise: psychiatrist, psychiatric NP, psychologist, LCMHC, LICSW or LMFT (or Board-deemed equivalent) with unencumbered license ≥3 years

When hours count and what to keep

  • Before your degree: not counted; supervised practice is post-master's
  • Paperwork: Mental Health Counselor Supervision Form; Verification of Supervisor Licensure Form

Can you be supervised remotely in Vermont?

Mostly, with some limits. What shapes this: video limited.

  • Video supervision: Board policy (Dec 1, 2025): supervision in person, by telephone, or by videoconference until December 31, 2026. The underlying Rule 3.18(c) still describes face-to-face supervision 'in the formal setting of an office, clinic, or institution'; after 12/31/2026 remote supervision has no stated basis unless the policy is renewed.
  • Phone only: allowed (telephone expressly permitted by policy through 12/31/2026)
  • In-person minimum: none while the policy runs (through 12/31/2026); rule text otherwise contemplates office/clinic/institution setting
  • Supervisor licensed in Vermont? other: supervisor must hold an unencumbered license 'in the jurisdiction where the supervised practice occurs' (VT license for VT practice); out-of-state license accepted with direct verification when practice occurred elsewhere
  • Supervisor credential: none; license ≥3 years in a listed profession (psychiatrist, psychiatric NP, psychologist, LCMHC, LICSW, LMFT). Optional OPR Mental Health Supervisor Registry is not an approval.
  • Supervisee cap: group supervision = supervisor plus up to six trainees; no per-supervisor total cap found
  • Board approval first: Roster of Nonlicensed and Noncertified Psychotherapists entry required before any supervised practice in Vermont; no supervision plan approval; OPR verifies supervisor qualifications only after supervision reports are received

The client’s location decides which state’s rules apply. This is not legal advice; confirm with the board before building a program. Compare every state on the remote-supervision map.

Recent and pending changes

Remote-supervision policy (dated Dec 1, 2025) expires December 31, 2026. OPR's December 2024 Mental Health Licensing Study proposed restructuring; no enacted change found.

Where the rules are unclear

Vermont’s own documents disagree or are silent on these points. Ask the board if they affect you:

  • Rule 3.19(a) keys supervisor licensure to 'the jurisdiction where the supervised practice occurs'; for telehealth, does practice occur where the client is (26 V.S.A. §3053 treats services to a client located in Vermont as Vermont practice) or where the associate/supervisor sits?
  • Rule 3.18(c) (office/clinic/institution setting) vs. the Dec 2025 policy allowing telephone/video supervision through 12/31/2026: will the policy be extended or codified?

In the board’s own words

“An applicant must complete 3,000 hours of supervised practice over a period of no less than 2 years.” — AMH Rule 3.15(a)✓ matched in the source
“Supervised practice must be accompanied by no fewer than 100 hours of face-to-face supervision.” — AMH Rule 3.18(b)✓ matched in the source
“Under no circumstances may any person in supervised practice accumulate more than thirty hours practice without a minimum of one hour face- to-face supervision.” — AMH Rule 3.18(b)✓ matched in the source
“only supervised practice hours acquired within 5 years of a final decision on licensure may be accepted” — AMH Rule 3.15(b)✓ matched in the source
“supervisors may provide supervision to supervisees by meeting in-person, by a telephone, or by videoconference until December 31, 2026.” — AMH Board Policy Regarding Remote Pre-Degree Internships and Practicums, and Post-Degree Supervision (Dec 1, 2025), 'Post-Degree Supervised Practice', p. 2✓ matched in the source
“Applicants acquiring supervised practice hours may provide services over the telephone or by videoconference.” — AMH Board Policy Regarding Remote Pre-Degree Internships and Practicums, and Post-Degree Supervision (Dec 1, 2025), 'Post-Degree Supervised Practice', p. 2✓ matched in the source
“supervisors may provide supervision to supervisees by meeting in-person, by a telephone, or by videoconference until December 31, 2026.” — AMH Board Policy Regarding Remote Pre-Degree Internships and Practicums, and Post-Degree Supervision (Dec 1, 2025), 'Post-Degree Supervised Practice', p. 2✓ matched in the source
“Face-to-face supervision is conducted in the formal setting of an office, clinic, or institution” — Administrative Rules of the Board of Allied Mental Health Practitioners (eff. Feb 16, 2015), Rule 3.18(c)✓ matched in the source
“an individual who possesses an unencumbered license in one of the following professions in the jurisdiction where the supervised practice occurs” — Administrative Rules of the Board of Allied Mental Health Practitioners (eff. Feb 16, 2015), Rule 3.19(a)✓ matched in the source
“A person who commences supervision must have possessed an unencumbered license for no fewer than three years in a permitted supervisory profession” — Administrative Rules of the Board of Allied Mental Health Practitioners (eff. Feb 16, 2015), Rule 3.19(b)✓ matched in the source
“Being listed on the Registry is not an indication that a licensee is qualified to be a supervisor or that OPR has approved” — OPR Mental Health Supervisor Registry page and FAQs✓ matched in the source
“in a group setting, including the supervisor and up to six trainees. Of the 100 hours, at least 50 must be in an individual setting.” — Administrative Rules of the Board of Allied Mental Health Practitioners (eff. Feb 16, 2015), Rule 3.18(c)✓ matched in the source

6 more quotes are in the state explorer.

Other licenses in Vermont

Sources

Checked against Vermont Board of Allied Mental Health Practitioners (Office of Professional Regulation)’s rules, statutes and publications on September 25, 2026. The board decides; if your situation is unusual, confirm with them.

Track your hours as you earn them

Practice Harbor is free while you are pre-licensed. It counts your clinical hours from the sessions you mark as attended, and you can add outside hours by hand.

General information, not legal advice. Requirements are summarized from each state’s licensing board, statutes and regulations on the date shown; the board decides, and rules change. Becoming Licensed is not affiliated with any licensing board.