Counseling License Requirements in Colorado

Colorado is home to spectacular mountain settings and vibrant urban settings. Amidst the natural beauty and thriving cities, the state also faces pressing mental health care challenges. According to the Colorado Behavioral Health Administration’s 2022-2023 annual report, behavioral health job openings in Colorado increased by 152% between 2019 and 2022.

The Centennial State offers counselors three licensure options for master’s degree-holders and higher-than-average salaries in many parts of the state. Learn about Colorado counseling licensure requirements, potential salaries, and Colorado counseling organizations.

Colorado licenses counselors according to the type of counseling they provide. Licensed professional counselors (LPCs) offer counseling and psychotherapy to individuals, groups, couples, and families. LPCs help clients with behavioral, emotional, and mental health issues and are licensed by the Colorado State Board of Professional Counselor Examiners.

Marriage and family therapists help families and couples work through relationship issues and obtain licensure from the Colorado State Board of Marriage and Family Therapist Examiners. The Colorado Department of Education oversees school counselor licensing for professionals who work with K-12 students and advise on academic and social issues.

LPCs and MFTs spend 2-3 years earning their master’s degree and two years gaining post-master’s supervised training. It takes 8-9 years to become an LPC or MFT, including the time it takes to complete a four-year bachelor’s degree and pass the necessary exams.

School counselors also need a four-year bachelor’s degree and can expect to spend 2-3 years completing their master’s programs. Licensure also requires an additional year to complete 700 hours of supervised experience and the Praxis exam.

Doctoral degrees take additional time to earn, generally 2-5 years. LPCs and MFTs with a doctorate only need 18 months of post-degree supervised experience.

LPCs and MFTs who hold licenses in other states can qualify for licensure by endorsement in Colorado. Requirements include a passing score on the relevant national or state examination and two years of practice experience in psychotherapy or professional counseling for graduates of master’s programs (one year for doctorate-holders).

Colorado does not have a formal reciprocity process for school counselors from other states. However, the state does offer flexibility for out-of-state applicants already licensed in another state with equivalent licensure requirements.

In Colorado, LPCs and MFTs must renew their licenses in odd-numbered years. Renewal requires continuing professional competency demonstrated by completing 40 professional development hours during each two-year renewal period. LPCs pay a $193 renewal fee and MFTs pay $150.

School counselors in Colorado renew their initial license after three years and then every seven years. School counseling continuing professional competency requires logging 90 hours of continuing education during each renewal cycle and paying a $90 fee.

Colorado counselor salaries rank favorably compared to those in other states and overall wages nationwide. According to 2023 Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data, Colorado’s average salaries exceeded the national average for four of the occupations listed in the table below. The one exception was educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors.

The Boulder metropolitan area posted the highest average salaries in the state for educational counselors at $70,900, and substance use, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors at $87,030. Marriage and family therapists earned the highest average salaries in the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood metropolitan area at $75,200.