Become a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor in Mississippi
A career in clinical mental health counseling in Mississippi opens up many career paths with different salary levels. Mental health counselors in the state typically earn $42,830 per year, while school counselors can expect around $51,990 annually, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The path to professional practice requires you to meet Mississippi’s clinical mental health counselor license requirements. You’ll need a 60-semester-hour master’s or doctoral degree from an accredited institution. The state’s counselor licensure requirements also include 3,000 supervised practice hours and 600 hours of planned clinical experience during your graduate program. Licensed counselors must complete 24 hours of continuing education every two years to stay certified, and six of those hours must focus on ethics or legal issues.
This page will guide you through every step to become a licensed counselor in Mississippi. You’ll learn about educational requirements, license maintenance, and job opportunities in the field.
Types of Licensure in Mississippi
Mississippi offers several paths to become a licensed clinical mental health counselor. These licenses suit professionals at different career stages, from new graduates to experienced counselors moving from other states.
The State Board of Examiners for Licensed Professional Counselors manages the licensing process in Mississippi. You need to understand your license options to practice in the state.
Here are the available license types in Mississippi:
Provisional Licensed Professional Counselor (P-LPC)
This starter credential works well for counseling graduates who meet initial requirements but need supervised practice. P-LPC holders can provide professional counseling and psychotherapy services under a Licensed Professional Counselor-Supervisor (LPC-S). This temporary license helps you build up the supervised hours you need for full licensure.
Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)
The LPC credential becomes available once you complete all requirements and get enough supervised experience. This license lets you practice independently without supervision. Most mental health professionals aim to get their LPC as their main goal in Mississippi.
Licensed Professional Counselor by Universal Recognition
Counselors who already have an LPC license in another state with similar practice scope can use this path. You need to have managed to keep your license active for at least one year without any validated complaints or disciplinary actions. You must also live in Mississippi.
Licensed Professional Counselor by Comity
You might qualify for this license if you’ve worked independently as a licensed counselor in another state for five or more years. This option needs you to meet initial requirements and hold an equivalent independent counseling license from another state.
Licensed Professional Counselor – Supervisor (LPC-S)
This advanced credential suits experienced counselors who want to mentor new professionals. You need five years of mental health counseling practice, a Mississippi LPC license in good standing for at least two straight years within that period, and special supervisor training.
The Mississippi Department of Mental Health (DMH) also runs additional programs through its Division of Professional Licensure and Certification (PLACE). These include:
- DMH Mental Health Therapist Program
- DMH Addictions Therapist Program
- DMH Community Support Specialist Program
Organizations that provide mental health services work with the DMH Division of Certification. This division reviews applications, monitors compliance, and conducts site visits. Certified providers must follow DMH Operational Standards and go through regular site visits to stay compliant.
Your experience level, career goals, and location history will help determine which license type works best for you. Whatever path you choose, clinical mental health counselor licenses in Mississippi share similar educational foundations.
The next section will get into the educational requirements you need for these license types.
Earn Your Degree
A master’s or doctoral degree in counseling or a related field from a regionally or nationally accredited institution is the foundation of clinical mental health counseling licensure in Mississippi. You need to complete 60 semester hours of applicable coursework. Mississippi universities offer programs that meet these requirements. Students who work can attend evening classes that start at 4:30 PM or later.
Clinical mental health counselor license requirements in Mississippi must include these core content areas:
- Human Growth and Development
- Social and Cultural Foundation
- Counseling and Psychotherapy Skills
- Group Counseling
- Lifestyle and Career Development
- Testing and Appraisal
- Research and Evaluation
- Professional Orientation to Counseling or Ethics
- Theories of Counseling Psychotherapy and Personality
- Marriage and/or Family Counseling/Therapy
- Abnormal Psychology and Psychopathology
Your program must include an internship component. Mississippi asks for at least 600 supervised, planned practice hours during your graduate program. These internship hours count toward your total supervised experience requirements to get licensed.
Programs accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) are a great way to get several advantages. These programs guarantee alignment with state licensure requirements, provide wider employment opportunities, and give you an edge when applying to doctoral programs.
Mississippi universities offer flexible program formats. Delta State University has both hybrid and fully online formats. Students who live beyond 100 miles from campus can opt for the online option. Mississippi State University combines face-to-face, live online, and asynchronous components in their hybrid course delivery.
Most programs need a bachelor’s degree with a minimum GPA (usually 2.75-3.0), official transcripts, personal statements, and letters of recommendation. Application deadlines vary by school. Mississippi State University’s priority deadline falls on March 1, while Mississippi College reviews applications throughout the year.
You can choose between full-time or part-time enrollment after admission. Full-time students usually finish their programs in two years including summers, taking three classes per semester. Many programs use cohort models where students move through coursework together, which builds peer support and professional networking opportunities.
The right program choice is vital to meet counselor licensure requirements in Mississippi. Think over factors like accreditation status, program flexibility, faculty expertise, and clinical placement opportunities before making your decision.
Get Licensed
The next significant step after graduate school is to get your clinical mental health counseling license. You need supervised practice and must complete the application process. The Mississippi State Board of Examiners for Licensed Professional Counselors manages this process and ensures practitioners meet high standards.
Your licensure experience starts with getting a Provisional Licensed Professional Counselor (P-LPC) credential. This provisional license lets you collect supervised hours while working under an approved supervisor. The P-LPC requirements are:
- Be at least 21 years of age
- Reside in or pay income taxes in Mississippi
- Demonstrate good moral character
- Submit to a background check
- Pass the Mississippi Jurisprudence Examination
A P-LPC must complete 3,500 supervised hours in a clinical setting. These hours should have at least 1,167 hours of direct client counseling services. You also need 100 hours of individual face-to-face supervision. Up to 50 of these hours can be through group supervision.
Your P-LPC license is valid for four years but needs annual renewal by June 30. Each renewal needs six hours of continuing education with two hours focused on ethics.
The National Clinical Mental Health Counselor Examination (NCMHCE) comes after completing your supervised hours, which take at least 18 months. The Mississippi Board has accepted only this qualifying examination since July 2015.
The next step is applying for full LPC status through the Board’s online portal. Your application should have:
- A non-refundable application fee of $100
- Official transcripts from your educational institution
- Supervision verification forms documenting your clinical hours
- Examination scores
- Background check results
The Board reviews complete applications during their scheduled meetings. Approval means you’ll get your LPC license to practice independently in Mississippi.
Regular communication with your supervisor and the State Board is vital during this process. The Board won’t review incomplete applications, so organize and submit all documents carefully. Report any changes in your practice setting or supervision arrangements to the Board right away.
Applications stay active for one year after submission. Missing this window means paying a re-application fee to keep your status active.
Find Employment
Your Mississippi counseling license opens up exciting job options in a field that’s growing fast. Mental health counselors in Mississippi can look forward to a projected growth rate of 17% from 2020 to 2030. This matches up well with the nationwide projection of 18% growth from 2022 to 2032, showing just how much qualified professionals are needed.
Licensed counselors in Mississippi typically earn around $47,500 per year. Your actual pay can vary quite a bit based on where you work, your experience, and what you specialize in. Some counselors earn as much as $73,100. Here’s what counselors make in Mississippi’s top-paying cities:
- Jackson: $101,102 per year
- Natchez: $57,236 per year
- Hattiesburg: $55,447 per year
Pay rates change depending on the region. Counselors in the Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula area earn about $54,090, while those in Southwest Mississippi’s rural areas make around $50,250.
Once you have your clinical mental health counseling license, you can work in many different settings:
- Healthcare facilities (outpatient mental health centers, hospitals)
- Educational institutions (schools, colleges, universities)
- Government agencies
- Private practice
- Community mental health centers
- Telehealth services
The Mississippi Department of Mental Health is one of the biggest employers. They hire people as Behavioral Health Specialists, Psychologists, and Program Coordinators. The Veterans Health Administration also offers great opportunities, with salaries between $89,000 and $115,000.
Mississippi really needs more mental health professionals. About 2.4 million residents live in areas that don’t have enough mental health support. This means you’ll likely find steady work, but you’ll need to watch out for burnout because of the high workload.
Many new counselors find jobs through connections they make during their practicum. The counseling field should grow by 28% over the next decade as more people seek help with mental health.
Your career can take you in many directions once you start working. You might practice in different healthcare settings or even go for a doctoral degree later. This field gives you plenty of room to grow and make a real difference in people’s lives.
Remain Compliant
You must comply with specific renewal requirements to keep your clinical mental health counselor license active in Mississippi. After you get your LPC credential, you need to renew it every two years to practice legally in the state.
LPC renewal in Mississippi happens every two years, and your renewal deadline falls on June 30 of your designated year. Staying current with these deadlines matters a lot. The responsibility to renew on time stays with you, even if you don’t receive any reminders.
The renewal process involves completing:
- 24 total continuing education hours during the two-year period since your last renewal
- 6 hours specifically in professional ethics or legal issues in counseling services
- 2 hours in telemental health counseling (only if you’re registered as a Distance Professional Services provider)
- The Mississippi Jurisprudence Examination with each renewal
LPC-S (Supervisor) credential holders need to complete 2 extra hours in supervision training per renewal period (1 hour annually).
CE Broker serves as the official continuing education tracking system through the Mississippi Board. This platform helps you document and verify your completed CEH hours throughout your renewal period.
Most counselors keep their active practice status, but you can choose a non-practicing option. This status frees you from continuing education requirements but stops you from practicing, supervising, providing distance services, or billing for counseling services. Non-practicing licensees must renew yearly instead of every two years.
Your license status changes to “lapsed” if you don’t renew by the June 30 deadline. You’ll need to pay a $100 reapplication fee to get your credential back.
The Board’s website lets you complete the renewal process online. You can submit your application, report CE hours from CE Broker, and pay renewal fees. You can pay by credit card, electronic check, or mail a check/money order. Online payments include a small processing fee.
These renewal requirements are the foundations of keeping your clinical mental health counseling license valid in Mississippi. Following them helps you practice without interruption.
Next Steps
Your professional trip in clinical mental health counseling licensure starts with understanding financial help and growth opportunities that advance your career. The path beyond your original license offers several ways to grow your practice and deepen your expertise.
We found various financial support options that help with educational and professional costs. The National Health Service Corps has loan repayment assistance ranging from $25,000 to $100,000 when you work in designated Health Professional Shortage Areas. The Junior Auxiliary Scholarships gives funds to counselors who plan to work with children, and the organization decides award amounts. Students facing disadvantages can get help through the Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students program that works with participating schools.
Your practice needs continuing education resources to grow. The Mississippi Department of Mental Health runs year-long virtual training series that focus on crisis response skills. Their 2025 program helps crisis professionals with technical assistance and monthly virtual trainings. These cover mobile crisis response, peer advocacy, and work with law enforcement.
The field offers these specialized training opportunities:
- Mental Health First Aid certification teaches you to spot and respond to mental health challenges
- “Shatter the Silence” suicide prevention training comes at no cost
- Cultural competency education through National CLAS Standards programs helps you serve diverse populations
New counselors grow faster by joining the Mississippi Counseling Association or the Mississippi Licensed Professional Counselors Association. These groups connect you with peers, offer education events, and support advocacy efforts.
The Mississippi Department of Mental Health offers specialized credentials in addiction therapy or community support to boost your expertise. After five years of practice, experienced counselors can move into supervisory roles by getting the Licensed Professional Counselor-Supervisor (LPC-S) designation.