Resources · Path to Licensure

Step-by-step licensure pathways in Rhode Island.

Rhode Island is unusual in that the Department of Health (RIDOH) — not a separate professional-regulation department — licenses essentially every behavioral-health profession through boards housed inside RIDOH (all rules live under 216-RICR-40-05). Two quirks matter here: RIDOH groups Clinical Mental Health Counselors and Marriage & Family Therapists under one shared board, and both now have an associate (pre-license) tier added by 2023 rulemaking; and Rhode Island has temporarily suspended the ASWB exam requirement for the entry clinical social-work license — the national exam is not required for that tier until at least August 15, 2030. All six professions here are state-licensed by RIDOH, including chemical dependency (LCDP) and behavior analysis (LBA/LABA).

Want the one-line summary instead? See the Rhode Island licensure overview →
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Professional CounselingAddiction & Substance Use CounselingSocial WorkMarriage & Family TherapyPsychologyBehavior Analysis

Professional Counseling

Prep for the NCMHCE / NCE →
CMHC Associate

Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor Associate

Required exam: None required to obtain the Associate (NCMHCE is required only at the full-license stage).

Scope: Entry/pre-independent tier allowing accrual of the post-graduate supervised hours required for full licensure; practices counseling under board-recognized supervision. Valid three years (one one-year extension possible).
  1. EducationMaster’s or higher from a CACREP-accredited program, or a master’s/CAGS/doctorate in mental health counseling (or an allied graduate degree with equivalent coursework meeting the eight-category Core Curriculum); at least 60 semester credit hours.
  2. Supervision / experienceCompleted the educational practicum/internship (at minimum 12 semester credits of supervised practicum plus a one-year supervised internship, no fewer than 600 hours).
  3. ExamNot required at this tier.
  4. ApplicationApply on RIDOH forms to the Board at least 30 days before the Board meeting, with the nonrefundable fee.
CMHC

Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor

Required exam: National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination (NCMHCE), NBCC.

Scope: Independent practice of clinical mental health counseling — psychotherapy, diagnosis, assessment, and treatment of behavioral, emotional, addiction, and mental disorders for individuals, couples, groups, and families. (RI styles the license “Clinical Mental Health Counselor”; the legacy term is LMHC.)
  1. EducationMeets all Associate-tier education requirements (CACREP master’s / at least 60 credits / Core Curriculum).
  2. Supervision / experienceAt least two years of postgraduate experience including at least 2,000 hours of direct client contact, plus at least 100 hours of post-degree supervised case work over a two-year period under a board-approved supervisor.
  3. ExamPass the NCMHCE.
  4. ApplicationApply to the Board on RIDOH forms at least 30 days before the Board meeting, with transcripts, course worksheet, references, and the fee.

Official Professional Counseling resources

Addiction & Substance Use Counseling

Prep for the MAC / NCAC exam →
LCDP

Licensed Chemical Dependency Professional (state license)

Required exam: No separate RIDOH exam; the IC&RC examination is embedded in the prerequisite RIBCCDP (ICRC/AODA) certification.

Scope: Practice of substance-abuse counseling — prevention, education, and treatment in the recovery process across the continuum of care, including referrals to medical, social, psychological, psychiatric, and legal resources.
  1. EducationHeld at the certification level — ACDP certification requires 270 hours of education (120 hours substance-abuse specific).
  2. Supervision / experienceHeld at the RIBCCDP certification level — defined in regulation as 6,000 hours of supervised chemical-dependency counseling in a licensed/approved facility during the 60 months before application (reduced for higher education).
  3. ExamAchieved via ACDP / ACDP II certification through RIBCCDP / IC&RC.
  4. ApplicationApply to the RIDOH Board on RIDOH forms with verification of current ACDP or ACDP II certification sent from the RIBCCDP member board.
LCDCS

Licensed Chemical Dependency Clinical Supervisor (state license)

Required exam: Embedded in certification (must meet the IC&RC member-board CDCS standards).

Scope: Practices and supervises substance-abuse counseling; the advanced supervisory state license.
  1. EducationAs required by ACDP/ACDP II certification plus the CDCS standards.
  2. Supervision / experienceMust be currently certified as ACDP or ACDP II and have completed the IC&RC member-board chemical-dependency clinical-supervisor (CDCS) standards.
  3. ExamVia certification (CDCS pathway).
  4. ApplicationApply to RIDOH with verification of current CDCS-level certification from RIBCCDP.

Official Addiction & Substance Use Counseling resources

Social Work

Prep for the ASWB exam →
CSW

Licensed Clinical Social Worker (Clinical Social Worker)

Required exam: Currently waived — the ASWB exam is not required for this tier until at least August 15, 2030 (when required, the ASWB Masters level).

Scope: Clinical social work — diagnosis, assessment, psychotherapy, and counseling for individuals, couples, families, and groups, plus client-centered advocacy and consultation. (RI uses “CSW,” not the common “LCSW.”) Typically practiced under supervision toward independent licensure.
  1. EducationDoctorate in clinical social work, or an MSW from a CSWE-accredited school of social work.
  2. Supervision / experienceNo post-graduate experience requirement for the CSW tier itself (new MSW graduates may work up to 18 months as a supervised intern before licensing).
  3. ExamNone currently (ASWB exam suspended through at least 8/15/2030).
  4. ApplicationApply on RIDOH forms with official transcripts sent directly from the school and the fee.
LICSW

Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker

Required exam: ASWB Clinical examination (the waiver applies only to the entry CSW tier).

Scope: Independent (unsupervised) clinical social work — full diagnosis, psychotherapy, and treatment; may supervise other social workers.
  1. EducationCSWE-accredited MSW or doctorate in clinical social work.
  2. Supervision / experienceFirst hold the RI CSW license, then complete 3,000 hours of post-master’s clinical social work over 24 to 72 months, of which at least 1,500 hours are direct clinical services, under defined RI LICSW supervision.
  3. ExamPass the ASWB Clinical examination.
  4. ApplicationApply on RIDOH forms with the CSW prerequisite, documentation of supervised hours, transcripts, and the fee.

Official Social Work resources

Marriage & Family Therapy

Prep for the National MFT Exam →
MFT Associate

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Associate

Required exam: None at this tier (the AMFTRB exam is required only at the full-license stage).

Scope: Pre-independent tier for accruing post-graduate supervised hours under board-recognized supervision. Valid three years (one one-year extension for good cause).
  1. EducationMaster’s/CAGS/doctorate in MFT, or an allied graduate degree with coursework equivalent to a master’s in MFT including the MFT Core Curriculum; at least 60 semester credit hours.
  2. Supervision / experienceCompleted the educational practicum/internship including the program’s supervised clinical practice (about 500 face-to-face client hours with at least 100 hours of supervision).
  3. ExamNot required at this tier.
  4. ApplicationApply on RIDOH forms to the Board at least 30 days before the Board meeting, with the fee.
MFT

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist

Required exam: Marital and Family Therapy National Examination (AMFTRB).

Scope: Independent practice of marriage and family therapy — applying systemic principles and therapeutic techniques to resolve emotional conflict and modify behavior among family members, with appropriate psychiatric referral.
  1. EducationMeets all Associate-tier education requirements (at least 60 credits plus MFT Core Curriculum).
  2. Supervision / experienceAt least two years of postgraduate experience including at least 2,000 hours of direct client contact, plus at least 100 hours of post-degree supervised case work over two years under a board-approved supervisor.
  3. ExamPass the AMFTRB national MFT examination.
  4. ApplicationApply to the Board on RIDOH forms at least 30 days before the Board meeting, with transcripts, references, and supervision documentation.

Official Marriage & Family Therapy resources

Psychology

Prep for the EPPP →
Licensed Psychologist

Licensed Psychologist

Required exam: Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP), ASPPB.

Scope: Independent practice of psychology — diagnosis and treatment of emotional, mental, and behavioral disorders; psychological testing and evaluation; counseling, psychotherapy, psychoanalysis, hypnotherapy, biofeedback, and behavior analysis/therapy. Rhode Island licenses psychologists at the doctoral level only.
  1. EducationDoctoral degree (PhD or PsyD) in psychology from a regionally accredited institution with an APA-accredited program (or an equivalent doctorate meeting board equivalency of at least 72 graduate semester hours of psychology coursework).
  2. Supervision / experienceAt least two years of supervised experience totaling a minimum of 3,000 hours, of which 1,500 must be post-doctoral; the other year includes a 1,500-hour supervised pre-doctoral internship.
  3. ExamPass the EPPP at ASPPB’s recommended passing score.
  4. ApplicationApply to the Board of Psychology with official transcripts, internship affidavits, pre- and post-doctoral supervised-practice forms, and EPPP results sent directly by ASPPB.

Official Psychology resources

Behavior Analysis

Prep for the BCBA exam →
LABA

Licensed Applied Behavior Assistant Analyst

Required exam: Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst (BCaBA) examination, BACB.

Scope: Practices applied behavior analysis under the supervision of a licensed applied behavior analyst (LBA). (In RI regulation, LABA is the assistant credential and LBA is the full analyst.)
  1. EducationABA coursework consistent with BACB requirements at the BCaBA (bachelor’s-degree) level.
  2. Supervision / experienceSupervised experience as required by BACB and acceptable to the Board; must practice under the supervision of a licensed LBA.
  3. ExamPass the BACB BCaBA examination and maintain active certification.
  4. ApplicationApply on RIDOH forms with verification of current BACB certification, out-of-state good-standing verification, a full RI BCI background check, and fee.
LBA

Licensed Applied Behavior Analyst

Required exam: Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) examination, BACB.

Scope: Independent practice of applied behavior analysis — design, implementation, and evaluation of environmental modifications to produce socially significant behavior change. Expressly excludes psychological testing, psychotherapy, psychoanalysis, hypnotherapy, and long-term counseling.
  1. EducationABA coursework consistent with BACB requirements at the BCBA (master’s-degree) level.
  2. Supervision / experienceSupervised experience meeting BACB requirements and acceptable to the Board.
  3. ExamPass the BACB BCBA examination and maintain active certification.
  4. ApplicationApply on RIDOH forms with verification of current BACB certification, out-of-state good-standing verification (if applicable), a full RI BCI background check, and fee.

Official Behavior Analysis resources

All licenses

Rhode Island licensing portals & background checks.

How to use this page. Each card shows the education, supervised experience, exam, and application steps for one Rhode Island 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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