How to Become a Clinical Mental Health Counselor in Nebraska

Looking to become a clinical mental health counselor in Nebraska? The state ranks as the 25th richest in the nation but sits at 44th for mental health care access. This gap shows a pressing need for qualified mental health professionals throughout Nebraska.

Licensed mental health clinical counselors in Nebraska can expect a median salary of $64,410 annually. The experience takes 3-4 years after completing your master’s degree. During this time, you’ll need to accumulate 3,000 hours of supervised experience, with 1,500 hours spent in direct client contact. On top of that, you must finish a practicum or internship that includes at least 300 hours of client contact.

In this guide, you’ll discover each step to becoming a mental health counselor in Nebraska. You’ll learn about getting a CACREP-accredited master’s degree with at least 48 semester hours of coursework, and keeping your license current. The state’s mental health services remain out of proportion to what residents need, making this career path both challenging and rewarding.

Types of Licensure in Nebraska

Nebraska takes a unique approach to mental health counselor licensure with its tiered licensing structure. You need to understand these credential types to plan your career path.

The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services offers three main mental health practitioner credentials:

Provisionally Licensed Mental Health Practitioner (PLMHP)This starter credential lets you practice under supervision while you complete your 3,000 hours of supervised experience. You must have a master’s or doctoral degree in a therapeutic mental health field from a CACREP, COAMFTE, CSWE, or APA accredited program. Your degree should include a practicum or internship with at least 300 clock hours of direct client contact.

Licensed Mental Health Practitioner (LMHP) You can apply for this full license after completing your supervised experience. LMHPs can provide psychotherapy and counseling services independently to individuals, couples, families, and groups. You’ll need to consult with a licensed independent mental health practitioner, qualified physician, or licensed clinical psychologist when diagnosing major mental illnesses.

Licensed Independent Mental Health Practitioner (LIMHP)This advanced license lets you diagnose and treat major mental illnesses independently without supervision or consultation. You’ll need extra supervised experience specifically in diagnosing major mental illnesses.

Nebraska also offers certification options that protect professional titles without changing your scope of practice:

Certified Professional Counselor (CPC)You can add this certification to your LMHP license for $50. This combination lets you use the title “Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)”. When you combine CPC with LIMHP, you can use the title “Licensed Independent Professional Counselor (LIPC)”.

Nebraska’s licensing structure makes sure practitioners meet detailed standards in both general mental health practice and specialized counseling skills. The dual-credential system needs more steps than single-license states but gives you better preparation for clinical practice.

Both LMHP and LIMHP licenses cost $155.00. These credentials expire every two years on September 1 of even-numbered years. You’ll need continuing education to renew them.

Earn Your Degree

A master’s degree from an accredited program will start your trip to becoming a clinical mental health counselor in Nebraska. The state wants education from programs accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), Commission of Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE), or American Psychological Association (APA).

Nebraska has several CACREP-accredited clinical mental health counseling programs. The University of Nebraska Kearney (UNK) runs a blended 60-credit program that works well for professionals. The University of Nebraska Omaha (UNO) also provides a 60-credit CACREP-accredited master’s degree. Students can choose Doane University’s Master of Arts in Counseling or Bellevue University’s Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling—both CACREP-accredited 60-credit programs.

These programs cover eight key areas:

• Counseling theory and techniques
• Human growth and development
• Social and cultural foundations
• Group dynamics and counseling
• Career development
• Assessment and appraisal
• Research and evaluation
• Professional ethics and orientation

Hands-on experience plays a vital part in your education. Programs need a practicum or internship with at least 300 hours of direct client contact. CACREP standards require 100 practicum hours (40% direct client contact) and 600 clinical internship hours (40% direct client contact).

This educational investment should pay off well. Clinical mental health counselors’ employment will grow 23% from 2016 to 2026. Nebraska’s clinical mental health counselors earned an average annual salary of $56,070 as of May 2017. People with master’s degrees earn 16% more than those with bachelor’s degrees.

Many programs fit well with work schedules. UNK combines evening campus courses with online options. Doane’s Lincoln campus offers evening classes with 16-week fall and spring semesters, and shorter 9-week summer terms.

Graduates can take the National Counselor Exam (NCE) or National Clinical Mental Health Counselor Exam (CMHCE) needed for Nebraska licensure. UNK’s program includes optional courses for dual licensure as both a Licensed Mental Health Practitioner and Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor.

Get Licensed

Nebraska has a unique approach to counseling licensure that starts after you complete your master’s degree. The state requires a dual-license requirement that sets it apart – you need both a Licensed Mental Health Practitioner (LMHP) license and a Certified Professional Counselor (CPC) certification to practice as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC).

Your journey begins with a Provisional Licensed Mental Health Practitioner (PLMHP) credential after graduation. This provisional license lets you work under supervision and collect your supervised hours. You’ll need to submit your PLMHP application with official transcripts, proof of your CACREP-accredited program, and a supervisory plan.

The next phase requires 3,000 hours of supervised professional experience, which you must complete within five years of getting your provisional license. Direct client contact must account for at least 1,500 of these hours. Your clinical supervisor should have an independent LMHP license or equivalent credential with at least two years of post-licensure experience.

The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services needs your detailed supervisory plan before you start your supervised hours. Your plan should detail the supervision arrangement, your supervisor’s qualifications, how often supervision occurs, its format, and your professional development goals.

You’ll then face either the National Counselor Examination (NCE) or the National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination (NCMHCE) from the National Board for Certified Counselors. The NCE features 200 multiple-choice questions covering eight core CACREP content areas. The NCMHCE tests your counseling skills through 10 realistic clinical simulations.

After completing supervision hours and passing your exam, you can apply for your full LMHP license. The fee is $155.00. Your LPC designation comes after securing your LMHP license and applying for CPC certification, which costs an additional $50.00.

Licensed Independent Mental Health Practitioner (LIMHP) credential costs another $50.00. This advanced license requires specialized experience – you must spend half of your supervised hours diagnosing major mental illnesses.

Most people complete the licensure process in 3-4 years after their master’s degree. Your timeline might vary based on your work schedule and how quickly you accumulate supervised hours.

Find Employment

The job market looks promising for newly licensed counselors in Nebraska. Mental health counselors can expect excellent career prospects, with job growth projected at 23% from 2016 to 2026. This is a big deal as it means that the growth rate surpasses many other careers. The expansion shows no signs of slowing down – substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselor positions should increase from 1,830 in 2022 to 2,220 by 2032, showing a 21% growth.

Money-wise, the outlook is positive. The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ 2024 data shows Nebraska’s mental health counselors earn a median annual salary of $64,410, higher than the national median of $59,190. You can expect to earn between $37,660 and $100,090 depending on your experience and expertise.

Your earnings depend on several key factors. The place you work makes a difference – hospitals, residential facilities, and private practices usually pay more than community centers or schools. Location plays a role too, with cities like Omaha and Lincoln offering better salaries than rural areas. You can also boost your income by specializing in areas like substance abuse treatment or trauma therapy.

Mental health counselors in Nebraska can work in various settings:

• Community mental health centers
• Private practices
• Hospitals and medical centers
• Substance abuse treatment facilities
• Schools and universities
• Government agencies
• Residential treatment programs

Job opportunities pop up regularly at places like the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, community health centers, and private counseling services statewide. Current job boards list over 300 mental health counseling positions in Nebraska, with rural areas facing the greatest shortages.

Nebraska’s mental health system faces ongoing workforce pressures, which creates stable career opportunities in all specialties. Professionals who work in underserved areas might qualify for student loan repayment help, making a career in clinical mental health counseling even more attractive in Nebraska.

Remain Compliant

You need to pay attention to renewal requirements for your Nebraska counselor license. All mental health practitioner licenses and certificates in Nebraska expire biennially on September 1 of even-numbered years. The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services will notify you about renewal approximately 30 days before your license expires.

Your active licensure status requires 32 hours of continuing education during each 24-month renewal period. The continuing education must include:

• 4 hours focused on ethics
• LIMHP license holders must complete 6 hours about diagnosis and treatment of major mental disorders
• Multiple credential holders (LMHP plus certifications) don’t need additional continuing education hours for each certificate

Academic coursework, teaching experiences, supervision activities, home study programs, peer-reviewed publications, and interactive webinars count as acceptable continuing education formats. In spite of that, leadership training, business technology, and association meetings don’t qualify for continuing education credit.

The license renewal costs $155.00. Whatever your career stage, missing the renewal deadline brings serious consequences. Your license expiration means you can’t legally practice until reinstatement. Practice with an expired license results in administrative penalties of $10.00 per day up to $1,000.00.

You can place your license on inactive status without charge either online or through paper renewal before it expires. This pause in your practice authority continues until you complete the reinstatement process.

An expired license requires a reinstatement application with necessary documentation and applicable fees to resume practice. The licensure unit needs processing time, so plan ahead to avoid practice interruptions.

Next Steps

Your path as a Nebraska clinical mental health counselor doesn’t end with getting your license. Professional development and specialized training will shape your future success.

The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services Division of Behavioral Health workshops will help improve your clinical skills. These training sessions cover everything from understanding psychosis to working with justice-involved populations. You’ll develop expertise in specialized treatment approaches as your career progresses.

The Behavioral Health Education Center of Nebraska (BHECN) has excellent programs that support your professional growth:

• The Lifelong Learning fund helps pay for educational opportunities that expand your clinical knowledge
• The Behavioral Health Leadership Academy builds your leadership skills within your organization and community
• Mentorship programs guide you through career advancement in Nebraska’s behavioral health system

BHECN provides telehealth practice resources that help you connect with clients whatever their location. This allows you to serve rural communities across Nebraska.

The Nebraska Counseling Association and American Counseling Association are great ways to get networking opportunities. They provide resources and professional development specific to your field. You can also find job openings and learn about industry trends at state-sponsored career fairs and mental health programs hosted by the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.

Once you reach advanced practice status, specialized certifications will boost your employability. The Project PEACE program gives you the skills needed to work with behavioral health concerns effectively.

Advanced educational programs have application deadlines of October 1 for spring sessions and March 1 for summer and fall sessions in 2026. This timeline lets you plan your educational advancement. Staying current with these development opportunities will keep you competitive in Nebraska’s growing mental health field.

Final thoughts

Clinical mental health counseling in Nebraska provides rewarding chances for people who want to help others. A critical shortage of mental health professionals exists throughout the state. Your career choice will meet vital needs in cities and rural areas alike.

The state’s mental health workforce needs exceed available professionals. This creates excellent long-term job stability. Mental health professionals experience lower burnout rates at 36% compared to other healthcare roles. This suggests you’ll find lasting career satisfaction.

Professional organizations like the Nebraska Mental Health Association help you connect with peers and mentors who guide your growth. These connections often reveal hidden job opportunities that never make it to job boards.

After getting your original license, several career paths open up:

• Teaching at counseling program institutions
• Managing mental health facilities
• Specializing in trauma therapy or addiction counseling
• Researching at the University of Nebraska Medical Center

Your choice to pursue clinical mental health counseling means more than picking a career – it helps improve public health in Nebraska. The experience from education through licensure prepares you for work where demand keeps growing. You’ll earn competitive pay and make a difference every day.

Starting this path builds toward a stable professional life. Each step you take, from choosing your graduate program to keeping your credentials current, helps serve Nebraska’s mental health needs better.