Resources · Path to Licensure

Step-by-step licensure pathways in Arkansas.

Arkansas spreads behavioral-health licensure across four boards. Notably, counselors and MFTs share one board (ABEC), and the LAC requires the NCE plus an Arkansas Jurisprudence Exam, with the NCMHCE used later as an optional hour-reducing exam toward the LPC. Arkansas is one of the states that genuinely state-licenses addiction counselors (LAADAC/LADAC via SBEADAC) in addition to the separate voluntary IC&RC certifications issued by the Arkansas Substance Abuse Certification Board (ASACB). Psychology has a distinctive master’s ladder — Psychological Examiner to Independent Psychological Examiner to doctoral Licensed Psychologist. Arkansas does not issue a standalone behavior-analyst license; under Act 432 (2025) behavior analysts merely register with the Psychology Board on the strength of their national BACB credential, so behavior analysis is not represented here as a state license.

Want the one-line summary instead? See the Arkansas licensure overview →
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Professional CounselingAddiction & Substance Use CounselingSocial WorkMarriage & Family TherapyPsychology

Professional Counseling

Prep for the NCMHCE / NCE →
LAC

Licensed Associate Counselor

Required exam: National Counselor Examination (NCE) through NBCC, plus the Arkansas Board of Examiners in Counseling Jurisprudence Exam.

Scope: Entry-level counseling license issued by the Arkansas Board of Examiners in Counseling (ABEC) under Ark. Code § 17-27-301 and Agency Rule 122.00. Authorizes counseling practice while accruing supervised hours toward the LPC; the associate must practice under a board-approved supervisor.
  1. EducationEarn a master’s or doctoral degree of at least 60 graduate semester hours in counseling from a regionally accredited program (CACREP preferred), including a supervised practicum and internship.
  2. Supervision / experienceNo post-degree hours are required to obtain the LAC itself; the LAC is the credential under which you then accrue the 3,000 supervised client-contact hours required for the LPC.
  3. ExamPass the NCE and the Arkansas Jurisprudence Exam before the LAC is granted.
  4. ApplicationSubmit the ABEC application with official transcripts, exam score verification, a Statement of Intent naming a board-approved supervisor, background check, and fees.
LPC

Licensed Professional Counselor

Required exam: National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination (NCMHCE) is the higher-level exam; a passing NCMHCE score also reduces the client-contact-hour requirement by 500 hours. (The NCE/Jurisprudence exams were already passed at the LAC stage.)

Scope: Independent, full counseling license issued by ABEC under Ark. Code § 17-27-301. Authorizes autonomous practice and, once qualified as a supervisor, supervision of LACs.
  1. EducationHold the qualifying 60+ semester-hour graduate counseling degree used for the LAC; additional graduate coursework can reduce required hours (up to 2,000 client-contact hours per 60 extra graduate semester hours).
  2. Supervision / experienceComplete a minimum of 3,000 supervised client-contact hours over at least three years as an LAC, including roughly 175 hours of supervision (about one hour individual/triadic per week plus group supervision); no applicant may be licensed with fewer than 1,000 supervised hours after reductions.
  3. ExamPetition the Board (with supervisor recommendation) to sit for and pass the NCMHCE; a passing score is credited as 500 client-contact hours toward the total.
  4. ApplicationSubmit a revised Statement of Intent, documentation of completed hours, NCMHCE score, and the LPC license fee; supervision may cease once the LPC is issued.

Official Professional Counseling resources

Addiction & Substance Use Counseling

Prep for the MAC / NCAC exam →
LAADAC

Licensed Associate Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselor

Required exam: International Certification & Reciprocity Consortium (IC&RC) Alcohol and Drug Counselor (ADC) examination, administered through the Arkansas Substance Abuse Certification Board (ASACB).

Scope: State addiction-counseling license issued by the Arkansas State Board of Examiners of Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Counselors (SBEADAC) under Ark. Code § 17-27-501 et seq. This is a genuine state license (not a private certification), for bachelor’s-level practitioners.
  1. EducationHold a baccalaureate degree in a health or behavioral-sciences field (or another appropriate field) from an accredited college or university, plus required addiction-specific clock hours of training (270 clock hours across the IC&RC performance domains, including ethics).
  2. Supervision / experienceComplete three years (approximately 6,000 hours) of supervised experience in an alcoholism/drug-abuse counseling setting (reductions may apply based on degree level).
  3. ExamPass the IC&RC ADC written examination administered through ASACB.
  4. ApplicationSubmit the SBEADAC license application with transcripts, training documentation, supervised-experience verification, exam score, and fees.
LADAC

Licensed Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselor

Required exam: IC&RC Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor (AADC) examination (administered through ASACB).

Scope: Full master’s-level state addiction-counseling license issued by SBEADAC under Ark. Code § 17-27-501 et seq. Authorizes independent alcohol- and drug-abuse counseling.
  1. EducationHold a master’s degree in a health or behavioral-sciences field (or another appropriate field) from an accredited institution, plus the required addiction-specific education hours.
  2. Supervision / experienceComplete the required supervised experience — on the order of three years/6,000 hours, with the advanced (AADC) track generally requiring substantial post-master’s supervised experience in addictions counseling.
  3. ExamPass the IC&RC AADC examination administered through ASACB.
  4. ApplicationSubmit the SBEADAC application with graduate transcripts, supervised-experience documentation, exam verification, and fees.
ADC / AADC (cert.)

Alcohol and Drug Counselor / Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor (ASACB certification — not a state license)

Required exam: IC&RC ADC examination (for ADC) or IC&RC AADC examination (for AADC).

Scope: Voluntary IC&RC reciprocal credentials issued by the Arkansas Substance Abuse Certification Board (ASACB), Arkansas’s IC&RC member board. These are certifications, NOT state licenses, but are commonly held and provide national IC&RC reciprocity; the ASACB also administers the IC&RC exams that SBEADAC licensees must pass.
  1. EducationADC: high-school/associate level entry with 300 clock hours of addiction education (including six hours of ethics); AADC: master’s degree in a behavioral-health field plus required education hours.
  2. Supervision / experienceADC requires roughly 6,000 hours of supervised addictions-counseling work experience (reducible by degree, from about 1,000 to 4,000 hours of reduction); AADC requires roughly 2,000 hours of post-master’s experience.
  3. ExamPass the applicable IC&RC examination (ADC or AADC) administered by ASACB.
  4. ApplicationApply directly to ASACB with documentation of education, supervised hours, and exam results; certification renews on the ASACB cycle.

Official Addiction & Substance Use Counseling resources

Social Work

Prep for the ASWB exam →
LSW

Licensed Social Worker

Required exam: ASWB Bachelors examination.

Scope: Bachelor’s-level (generalist) social work license issued by the Arkansas Social Work Licensing Board (SWLB) under Ark. Code § 17-103. Authorizes generalist social work practice in an organized setting under supervision.
  1. EducationEarn a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) from a CSWE-accredited program.
  2. Supervision / experienceNo pre-license post-degree hours required; practice must be under supervision by an LMSW, LCSW, or other qualified professional (recommended at least weekly) in an organized setting.
  3. ExamPass the ASWB Bachelors examination (an application is valid for one year / up to three attempts).
  4. ApplicationSubmit the SWLB application with transcripts, ASWB exam registration/score, background check, and fees via the SWLB AccessGov portal.
LMSW

Licensed Master Social Worker

Required exam: ASWB Masters examination. Note: effective August 3, 2026 the ASWB Masters exam moves to a revised 3-area blueprint (122 questions, three answer options), a national change that applies to Arkansas LMSW candidates testing on or after that date.

Scope: Master’s-level non-clinical social work license issued by the SWLB under Ark. Code § 17-103. Authorizes master’s social work services in a recognized organized setting under supervision.
  1. EducationEarn a master’s degree in social work (MSW) from a CSWE-accredited program.
  2. Supervision / experienceNo additional pre-license post-MSW hours required for the LMSW; practice must be supervised by an LCSW or other qualified professional (recommended at least weekly).
  3. ExamPass the ASWB Masters examination.
  4. ApplicationSubmit the SWLB application with MSW transcripts, ASWB exam score, background check, and fees.
LCSW

Licensed Certified Social Worker

Required exam: ASWB Clinical examination.

Scope: Independent clinical social work license issued by the SWLB under Ark. Code § 17-103. Authorizes autonomous clinical social work, including diagnosis and psychotherapy.
  1. EducationEarn an MSW from a CSWE-accredited program.
  2. Supervision / experienceComplete post-MSW supervised clinical experience — typically about 4,000 hours over at least 24 months under approved clinical supervision, including at least 100 hours of direct supervision.
  3. ExamPass the ASWB Clinical examination.
  4. ApplicationSubmit the SWLB application with MSW transcripts, documentation of supervised clinical hours, ASWB Clinical score, background check, and fees.

Official Social Work resources

Marriage & Family Therapy

Prep for the National MFT Exam →
LAMFT

Licensed Associate Marriage and Family Therapist

Required exam: Association of Marital & Family Therapy Regulatory Boards (AMFTRB) National MFT Examination, plus the Arkansas Jurisprudence Exam.

Scope: Entry-level MFT license issued by the Arkansas Board of Examiners in Counseling (ABEC) under Ark. Code § 17-27-301 and Agency Rule 122.00. Authorizes MFT practice while accruing supervised hours toward the LMFT, under a board-approved supervisor.
  1. EducationEarn a graduate degree in marriage and family therapy (or a closely related field with equivalent coursework) totaling at least 60 graduate semester hours, from a COAMFTE- or CACREP-accredited (or equivalent) program.
  2. Supervision / experienceComplete at least 300 hours of direct client contact in an approved practicum/internship as part of (or following) the degree; the LAMFT is then the credential under which the post-degree LMFT hours are accrued.
  3. ExamPass the AMFTRB National MFT Examination and the Arkansas Jurisprudence Exam.
  4. ApplicationSubmit the ABEC application with transcripts, exam verification, a Statement of Intent naming a board-approved supervisor, background check, and fees.
LMFT

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist

Required exam: AMFTRB National MFT Examination (passed at the associate stage); no additional national exam is required to upgrade.

Scope: Full, independent MFT license issued by ABEC under Ark. Code § 17-27-301. Authorizes autonomous marriage and family therapy practice and supervision.
  1. EducationHold the qualifying 60-semester-hour graduate MFT degree used for the LAMFT.
  2. Supervision / experienceComplete a minimum of 3,000 hours of post-master’s supervised clinical experience, including at least 1,500 hours of direct client contact and 200 hours of clinical supervision by a board-approved supervisor.
  3. ExamAMFTRB exam already passed for the LAMFT; verify the passing score on file with ABEC.
  4. ApplicationSubmit a revised Statement of Intent, documentation of completed supervised hours, and the LMFT license fee to ABEC.

Official Marriage & Family Therapy resources

Psychology

Prep for the EPPP →
LPE

Licensed Psychological Examiner

Required exam: Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP) and the Arkansas Jurisprudence Exam (Board administers state-law/ethics requirements).

Scope: Master’s-level psychology license issued by the Arkansas Psychology Board under Ark. Code § 17-97. Authorizes psychological practice under the supervision of a licensed doctoral psychologist (not independent).
  1. EducationEarn a master’s degree in psychology or a closely related field from an approved program.
  2. Supervision / experienceComplete at least 600 clock hours of supervised experience, related to the intended use of the license, under a licensed psychologist (or doctoral psychology instructor).
  3. ExamPass the EPPP and the Arkansas Jurisprudence/ethics requirements set by the Board.
  4. ApplicationSubmit the Arkansas Psychology Board application with transcripts, supervised-hour verification, exam scores, background check, and fees.
LPE-I

Independent Licensed Psychological Examiner

Required exam: EPPP and Arkansas Jurisprudence Exam (carried from LPE; the upgrade is supervision-based, not a new national exam).

Scope: Independent master’s-level psychology license issued by the Arkansas Psychology Board under Ark. Code § 17-97. Allows a current Psychological Examiner to practice independently after Board-approved supervised practice.
  1. EducationHold the qualifying master’s degree used for the Licensed Psychological Examiner credential.
  2. Supervision / experienceAfter Board approval of a Plan of Supervision, complete 3,000 hours of supervised practice (minimum standard: one hour of individual, face-to-face supervision weekly) with a Board-approved supervising psychologist; hours do not count until the Board approves the request.
  3. ExamEPPP and jurisprudence requirements already satisfied at the LPE stage.
  4. ApplicationSubmit the request for Independent status plus the Licensee Supervision Plan—PE Independent Practice and, on completion, the Licensee Supervision Completion—PE Independent Practice forms to the Board.
LP

Licensed Psychologist

Required exam: EPPP (minimum passing score of 500) and the Arkansas Jurisprudence Exam.

Scope: Doctoral-level, fully independent psychology license issued by the Arkansas Psychology Board under Ark. Code § 17-97. Authorizes the full scope of psychological practice.
  1. EducationEarn a doctoral degree in psychology, including at least 80 semester hours of coursework through a psychology department or taught by a qualified psychologist.
  2. Supervision / experienceComplete at least two years of professional experience, with at least 2,000 hours earned after the doctoral degree is granted (e.g., internship plus postdoctoral supervised experience).
  3. ExamPass the EPPP with a minimum scaled score of 500 and pass the Arkansas Jurisprudence Exam.
  4. ApplicationSubmit the Arkansas Psychology Board application with doctoral transcripts, supervised-experience documentation, EPPP and jurisprudence scores, background check, and fees.

Official Psychology resources

All licenses

Arkansas licensing portals & background checks.

How to use this page. Each card shows the education, supervised experience, exam, and application steps for one Arkansas license, plus its scope of practice. Licensing rules change — always confirm current requirements with the official board before you apply. Verified against the official state boards in June 2026.

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