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LicenseReciprocity

Counseling License from Ohio to Delaware: Does It Transfer? (2026)

Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Delaware Board of Mental Health and Chemical Dependency Professionals, Division of Professional Regulation, Licensed Professional Counselor of Mental Health (LPCMH) ↗

A counseling license transfers from Ohio to Delaware by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Delaware Board of Mental Health and Chemical Dependency Professionals, Division of Professional Regulation, Licensed Professional Counselor of Mental Health (LPCMH), verify your Ohio license, and meet Delaware's endorsement requirements. National exam is not retaken: NCE or NCMHCE scores are requested from NBCC and sent to the Board, and scores from another exam the Board accepts as equivalent are sent by that organization. An applicant from a state whose standards are not substantially similar must have held the license 5 years and passed the NCE or another exam the Board accepts (24 Del. C. 3034(b)). No Delaware jurisprudence exam..

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Verdict

Licensure by endorsement

Delaware 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. The route is endorsement through the Delaware Board of Mental Health and Chemical Dependency Professionals, Division of Professional Regulation, Licensed Professional Counselor of Mental Health (LPCMH): your Ohio license is verified, your NCE or NCMHCE score is credited under Delaware's own exam rule, and Delaware applies any jurisprudence and background checks it requires. Check which Delaware tier corresponds to your Ohio license before you file, because the titles do not map one to one.

What changes, Ohio → Delaware

Side-by-side: Ohio vs Delaware (Counseling (LPC / LMHC)), verified 2026-09-27
Ohio (current)Delaware (destination)
Counseling Compact statusCounseling Compact member — compact privilege to practiceCounseling 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).)$272 (Professional Counselor (LPCMH) application fee per the Board's Fee Schedule, paid in DELPROS; the same fee applies by examination or reciprocity. Fingerprinting (State and FBI background check) is paid separately to IdentoGO; NBCC score-report fee separate.)
Processing timethe Board publishes no processing timeframe for reciprocity applications; applicants track status in eLicense (Review Status checklist)the Board publishes no processing timeframe for reciprocity applications; applicants track status with 'View Application Status' in DELPROS
Licensing authorityOhio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board (CSWMFT)Delaware Board of Mental Health and Chemical Dependency Professionals, Division of Professional Regulation, Licensed Professional Counselor of Mental Health (LPCMH)

The destination column is what you must satisfy — Delaware sets the rules for this move.

Step by step

  1. Confirm Delaware's current requirements on the Delaware Board of Mental Health and Chemical Dependency Professionals, Division of Professional Regulation, Licensed Professional Counselor of Mental Health (LPCMH) website (linked below) — rules change.
  2. Submit the endorsement application to the Delaware Board of Mental Health and Chemical Dependency Professionals, Division of Professional Regulation, Licensed Professional Counselor of Mental Health (LPCMH) (application linked below).
  3. Arrange license verification from your current state.
  4. Hold a current Professional Counselor of Mental Health (or equivalent independent) license in good standing in another state, DC or U.S. territory.
  5. If licensed under 5 years in every jurisdiction, submit the other states' licensing laws and rules so the Board can decide whether any has substantially similar standards.
  6. Complete a State of Delaware and FBI fingerprint criminal background check through IdentoGO using the Board's service code.
  7. Have license verification sent directly from every jurisdiction where a license is or was held.
  8. Submit NCE or NCMHCE scores through NBCC score reporting.
  9. Pay the fees ($272 (Professional Counselor (LPCMH) application fee per the Board's Fee Schedule, paid in DELPROS; the same fee applies by examination or reciprocity. Fingerprinting (State and FBI background check) is paid separately to IdentoGO; NBCC score-report fee separate.)) and allow the Board publishes no processing timeframe for reciprocity applications; applicants track status with 'View Application Status' in DELPROS.

Official links

Delaware Board of Mental Health and Chemical Dependency Professionals, Division of Professional Regulation, Licensed Professional Counselor of Mental Health (LPCMH) ↗Delaware application ↗

Related guides

Reverse: Delaware → OhioCounseling in OhioCounseling in DelawareAll counseling statesThe Counseling Compact explained

Frequently asked questions

Does Delaware accept an Ohio counseling license?

A counseling license transfers from Ohio to Delaware by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Delaware Board of Mental Health and Chemical Dependency Professionals, Division of Professional Regulation, Licensed Professional Counselor of Mental Health (LPCMH), verify your Ohio license, and meet Delaware's endorsement requirements. National exam is not retaken: NCE or NCMHCE scores are requested from NBCC and sent to the Board, and scores from another exam the Board accepts as equivalent are sent by that organization. An applicant from a state whose standards are not substantially similar must have held the license 5 years and passed the NCE or another exam the Board accepts (24 Del. C. 3034(b)). No Delaware jurisprudence exam..

Do I retake the NCE or NCMHCE moving from Ohio to Delaware?

National exam is not retaken: NCE or NCMHCE scores are requested from NBCC and sent to the Board, and scores from another exam the Board accepts as equivalent are sent by that organization. An applicant from a state whose standards are not substantially similar must have held the license 5 years and passed the NCE or another exam the Board accepts (24 Del. C. 3034(b)). No Delaware jurisprudence exam.

What does the move cost?

$272 (Professional Counselor (LPCMH) application fee per the Board's Fee Schedule, paid in DELPROS; the same fee applies by examination or reciprocity. Fingerprinting (State and FBI background check) is paid separately to IdentoGO; NBCC score-report fee separate.)

How long will it take?

the Board publishes no processing timeframe for reciprocity applications; applicants track status with 'View Application Status' in DELPROS.

Delaware joined the Counseling Compact. Can I use a privilege there?

Not yet. Delaware had enacted the compact but was not issuing or accepting privileges as of 2026-09-27, so counseling clients located in Delaware takes Delaware's own authorization, normally a Delaware license.

Sources

Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-09-27.

Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27

How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]