Counseling License from Ohio to Connecticut: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Connecticut Department of Public Health, Practitioner Licensing and Investigations Section, Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) ↗
A counseling license transfers from Ohio 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 Ohio 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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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
A counseling license moves from Ohio to Connecticut by endorsement. Connecticut has enacted the Counseling Compact but was not issuing or accepting privileges as of 2026-09-27, so your Ohio license cannot reach it through the compact yet. You apply to the Connecticut Department of Public Health, Practitioner Licensing and Investigations Section, Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), which verifies your Ohio license and standing, matches it to Connecticut's independent tier, and applies its own rule on crediting your national exam score, plus any Connecticut jurisprudence and background requirements.
What changes, Ohio → Connecticut
| Ohio (current) | Connecticut (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Counseling Compact status | Counseling Compact member — compact privilege to practice | Counseling Compact enacted — not yet issuing |
| Application fee | $100 (LPCC reciprocity application fee per OAC 4757-1-05 and the Board's out-of-state page ('$100 + $3.50 processing', re-read 2026-09-27); + $3.50 eLicense processing fee; BCI/FBI fingerprinting paid separately to the vendor; NBCC score-transfer fee separate. NOT the Counseling Compact privilege fee (Ohio charges $25 + $30 commission admin fee = $55 for a privilege, per the commission's fee table).) | $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 | the Board publishes no processing timeframe for reciprocity applications; applicants track status in eLicense (Review Status checklist) | 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 | Ohio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board (CSWMFT) | 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 ($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.)) and allow 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.).
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Connecticut accept an Ohio counseling license?
A counseling license transfers from Ohio 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 Ohio 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..
Do I retake the NCE or NCMHCE moving from Ohio to Connecticut?
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.
What does the move cost?
$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.)
How long will it take?
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.)
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 2026-09-27, 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 2026-09-27.
- Connecticut DPH: Professional Counselor License Requirements (NCE/NCMHCE, out-of-state experience substitution, verification) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Connecticut DPH: Professional Counselor Licensing (fees, 4-year route link, Counseling Compact notice) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Connecticut DPH: Applicants Licensed in Another US State for at Least 4 Years ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Connecticut General Statutes Chapter 383c (CGS 20-195cc fees; 20-195dd(c) endorsement, (d) experience substitution) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Connecticut General Statutes Chapter 368a (CGS 19a-14d, license for persons practicing 4+ years in another U.S. jurisdiction) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Connecticut DPH: Practitioner Licensure General Policies and Procedures (3-4 week eligibility determination) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Ohio CSWMFT Board: Out of State Applicants (counselor reciprocity steps and fees) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Ohio CSWMFT Board: Counselors (LPC/LPCC application instructions, exam policy) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Ohio CSWMFT Board Laws and Rules compilation (ORC 4757.18; OAC 4757-1-05, 4757-13-03, 4757-13-06) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Ohio CSWMFT Board: Counseling Compact Privileges (eligibility, $25 state fee, go-live 2026-01-05) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Counseling Compact: state privilege fees and jurisprudence requirements ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27
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