Counseling License from New York to Connecticut: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Connecticut accept a New York counseling license?
A counseling license transfers from New York to Connecticut by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Connecticut Department of Public Health, Practitioner Licensing and Investigations Section, Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), verify your New York license, and meet Connecticut's endorsement requirements. National exam is not retaken: Connecticut accepts a passed NCE or NCMHCE (NBCC), and applicants who already passed either do not sit again. There is no Connecticut jurisprudence exam. Under the 4-year universal route (CGS 19a-14d) the Department's page says applicants are not required to complete an examination, although the statute lets the Department require all or part of the licensing exam.
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Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Neither state gives you a working compact route here: a state that has enacted the Counseling Compact but is not yet operational behaves like a non-member. The route is endorsement through the Connecticut Department of Public Health, Practitioner Licensing and Investigations Section, Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC): your New York license is verified, your NCE or NCMHCE score is credited under Connecticut's own exam rule, and Connecticut applies any jurisprudence and background checks it requires. Check which Connecticut tier corresponds to your New York license before you file, because the titles do not map one to one.
What's different between New York and Connecticut
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Connecticut. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
New York to Connecticut (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
Connecticut to New York (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from New York matter?
Coming from New York does not change the answer: every origin (the other 49 states and DC) gets the same result for a move into Connecticut.
- Counseling Compact membership
New York is not in the Counseling Compact; Connecticut has enacted the Counseling Compact but is not issuing under it yet.
Because they are not both active members, the Counseling Compact does not cover this move.
- Application fee
Connecticut lists $200 for an out-of-state applicant and New York lists $371 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Processing time
Connecticut lists 3–4 weeks; New York has no verified processing-time figure on file, so the two cannot be compared here.
- Exam rules on record
Connecticut and New York carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Connecticut (this move): National exam is not retaken: Connecticut accepts a passed NCE or NCMHCE (NBCC), and applicants who already passed either do not sit again. There is no Connecticut jurisprudence exam. Under the 4-year universal route (CGS 19a-14d) the Department's page says applicants are not required to complete an examination, although the statute lets the Department require all or part of the licensing exam.
- New York (the reverse move): NCMHCE only: the endorsement applicant has NBCC send passing NCMHCE scores directly to NYSED; the NCE is not acceptable. An exam passed elsewhere under non-standard conditions may have to be retaken. No New York jurisprudence exam.
What changes, New York → Connecticut
| New York (current) | Connecticut (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Counseling Compact status | Licensure by endorsement | Licensure by endorsement · Counseling Compact enacted — not yet issuing |
| Application fee | $371 (fee for licensure and first registration, paid with Form 1; no fingerprint requirement listed; the separate LMHC diagnostic privilege costs $175 to issue. New York has not enacted the Counseling Compact.) | $200 (Professional Counselor initial application fee per CGS 20-195cc(a) and the Department's Professional Counselor Licensing page. The Department's LPC requirements page also says 'There is no application fee for this license', which conflicts with both the statute and the licensing page, so the statutory $200 is recorded here. Out-of-state license-verification fees are charged separately by the other states.) |
| Processing time | NYSED publishes no processing timeframe for LMHC endorsement applications | 3–4 weeks (DPH general licensing policy: once an application is complete, an eligibility determination is made 'within three to four weeks'. The clock starts only when the application file is complete.) |
| Licensing authority | New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions (State Board for Mental Health Practitioners) (Licensed Mental Health Counselor, LMHC) | Connecticut Department of Public Health, Practitioner Licensing and Investigations Section, Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Connecticut sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Connecticut's current requirements on the Connecticut Department of Public Health, Practitioner Licensing and Investigations Section, Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Connecticut Department of Public Health, Practitioner Licensing and Investigations Section, Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold a current professional counselor license (or equivalent) in another U.S. state or jurisdiction, with no disciplinary action or unresolved complaints.
- Show the other state's requirements are substantially similar to or higher than Connecticut's (CGS 20-195dd(c)), or have practiced under that license for at least 4 years under CGS 19a-14d.
- Have license verification sent directly from every state licensing authority where a counselor license is or was held.
- Show passage of the NCE or NCMHCE, unless applying through the 4-year route.
- Complete a state and national fingerprint-based criminal history records check (CGS 20-195ii).
- Apply online through eLicense.
- Pay the fees listed above, and allow for the processing time shown there.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Connecticut joined the Counseling Compact. Can I use a privilege there?
Not yet. Connecticut had enacted the compact but was not issuing or accepting privileges as of 2026-10-29, so counseling clients located in Connecticut takes Connecticut's own authorization, normally a Connecticut license.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-10-29.
- Connecticut DPH: Professional Counselor License Requirements (NCE/NCMHCE, out-of-state experience substitution, verification) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Connecticut DPH: Professional Counselor Licensing (fees, 4-year route link, Counseling Compact notice) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Connecticut DPH: Applicants Licensed in Another US State for at Least 4 Years ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Connecticut General Statutes Chapter 383c (CGS 20-195cc fees; 20-195dd(c) endorsement, (d) experience substitution) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Connecticut General Statutes Chapter 368a (CGS 19a-14d, license for persons practicing 4+ years in another U.S. jurisdiction) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Connecticut DPH: Practitioner Licensure General Policies and Procedures (3-4 week eligibility determination) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- NYSED Office of the Professions: Mental Health Counseling License Requirements (licensure by endorsement, NCMHCE only, $371 fee) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- NYSED: Form 4E Endorsement Applicant Experience Record ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- NYSED: Commissioner's Regulations Subpart 79-9 (79-9.7 licensure by endorsement; diagnostic privilege) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-10-29
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