Counseling License from Wyoming to Michigan: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Michigan Board of Counseling (Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Professional Licensing) (Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC) ↗
A counseling license transfers from Wyoming to Michigan by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Michigan Board of Counseling (Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Professional Licensing) (Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC), verify your Wyoming license, and meet Michigan's endorsement requirements. National exam is not retaken. Michigan accepts one passing score from the NCE, the CRCC exam or the NCMHCE (R 338.1773). Applicants fully licensed in another state for 5+ years are presumed to meet the degree and exam requirements (R 338.1775(2)) and submit only a Professional Disclosure Statement beyond the common items. Applicants licensed under 5 years must have exam scores sent directly by the testing agency. No Michigan jurisprudence exam..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
A counseling license moves from Wyoming to Michigan by endorsement. Michigan has not enacted the Counseling Compact, so no privilege anchored to your Wyoming license reaches it. You apply to the Michigan Board of Counseling (Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Professional Licensing) (Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC), which verifies your Wyoming license and standing, matches it to Michigan's independent tier, and applies its own rule on crediting your national exam score, plus any Michigan jurisprudence and background requirements.
What changes, Wyoming → Michigan
| Wyoming (current) | Michigan (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Counseling Compact status | Counseling Compact member — compact privilege to practice | Licensure by endorsement |
| Application fee | $375 (LPC by Reciprocity application fee per the Board's reciprocity application; the $419 total due at application also includes a $39 background-check fee and a $5 NPDB continuous-query fee; all fees non-refundable. NOT the Counseling Compact privilege fee (Wyoming's total privilege cost is $280 including the $30 commission fee, with no jurisprudence exam, per the commission's fee table).) | $259.05 ('Professional Counselor By Endorsement - $259.05' per the LARA licensing guide (rev. 4/17/25). This is a combined application fee plus 3-year license fee, paid by card. Fingerprint fees are paid separately under the instructions LARA sends after the application. Michigan has not enacted the Counseling Compact.) |
| Processing time | 5–8 weeks (board-stated: review 'generally takes 2-3 weeks in addition to the 3-5 weeks for the background check') | the LARA licensing guide states no processing timeframe for endorsement applications |
| Licensing authority | Wyoming Mental Health Professions Licensing Board | Michigan Board of Counseling (Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Professional Licensing) (Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Michigan sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Michigan's current requirements on the Michigan Board of Counseling (Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Professional Licensing) (Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Michigan Board of Counseling (Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Professional Licensing) (Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold a full professional counselor license in another U.S. state (5+ years creates a presumption that degree and exam requirements are met).
- If licensed under 5 years, send official master's or doctoral counseling transcripts and exam scores; non-CACREP programs need a CCE or NACES equivalency evaluation.
- Have license verification sent by every jurisdiction where you hold or held a license, showing no pending discipline or sanctions.
- Submit a Professional Disclosure Statement.
- Complete the criminal background check (fingerprints) after the application is submitted.
- Complete one-time human trafficking identification training (R 338.1771) and 2 hours of implicit bias training within 5 years before licensure.
- Pay the fees ($259.05 ('Professional Counselor By Endorsement - $259.05' per the LARA licensing guide (rev. 4/17/25). This is a combined application fee plus 3-year license fee, paid by card. Fingerprint fees are paid separately under the instructions LARA sends after the application. Michigan has not enacted the Counseling Compact.)) and allow the LARA licensing guide states no processing timeframe for endorsement applications.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Michigan accept a Wyoming counseling license?
A counseling license transfers from Wyoming to Michigan by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Michigan Board of Counseling (Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Professional Licensing) (Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC), verify your Wyoming license, and meet Michigan's endorsement requirements. National exam is not retaken. Michigan accepts one passing score from the NCE, the CRCC exam or the NCMHCE (R 338.1773). Applicants fully licensed in another state for 5+ years are presumed to meet the degree and exam requirements (R 338.1775(2)) and submit only a Professional Disclosure Statement beyond the common items. Applicants licensed under 5 years must have exam scores sent directly by the testing agency. No Michigan jurisprudence exam..
Do I retake the NCE or NCMHCE moving from Wyoming to Michigan?
National exam is not retaken. Michigan accepts one passing score from the NCE, the CRCC exam or the NCMHCE (R 338.1773). Applicants fully licensed in another state for 5+ years are presumed to meet the degree and exam requirements (R 338.1775(2)) and submit only a Professional Disclosure Statement beyond the common items. Applicants licensed under 5 years must have exam scores sent directly by the testing agency. No Michigan jurisprudence exam.
What does the move cost?
$259.05 ('Professional Counselor By Endorsement - $259.05' per the LARA licensing guide (rev. 4/17/25). This is a combined application fee plus 3-year license fee, paid by card. Fingerprint fees are paid separately under the instructions LARA sends after the application. Michigan has not enacted the Counseling Compact.)
How long will it take?
the LARA licensing guide states no processing timeframe for endorsement applications.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-09-27.
- LARA: Michigan Professional Counselor Licensing Guide, rev. 4/17/25 (endorsement requirements, $259.05 fee; Internet Archive capture 2026-03-29) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Michigan Admin. Code R 338.1751-R 338.1781, Counseling General Rules (R 338.1773 exams; R 338.1775 licensure by endorsement; Internet Archive capture 2026-02-11 of the official ARS compilation) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- LARA: Counseling licensing page (Internet Archive capture 2026-01-16) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Wyoming MHPLB: Licensed Professional Counselor by Reciprocity Instructions and Application (Board-linked Google Doc) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Wyoming MHPLB: Application and Forms (LPC by reciprocity, processing times) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Wyoming MHPLB: Questions and Answers (reciprocity is state-to-state comparison, no pre-review) ↗ (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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