Academic Credentials for Mental Health Professionals in the USA

Every regulated mental health profession in the United States is licensed state by state, and each state gates its licences at a qualification. This guide sets out those qualifications and where each is written down.

Quick answer: which degree opens which licence

The table pairs each route with the qualification that opens it, the accrediting body, and the credential attached. Every licence is issued by a state board, not by any body named here.

The rule that governs everything: licensure is state-based

There is no national licence to practise any mental health profession in the United States. Each state, plus DC and the territories, has its own board, statute and hour requirements.

The regulators say so themselves. ASWB states that licence requirements are set by individual states, provinces and territories.¹⁴ IC&RC calls its own standards minimum criteria that member boards may exceed.²⁷ NBCOT puts it most plainly: "Certification is not the same as licensure."³¹

Three consequences follow, and they cause most of the confusion in this field.

• The same training carries different titles. A master's-trained counsellor is a Licensed Professional Counselor in one state, a Licensed Mental Health Counselor or Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor in the next⁸
• Hour requirements are not comparable across states. Post-degree supervised experience is set by each board, and the ranges are wide enough that a figure quoted without its jurisdiction is useless
• Accreditation is national, licensure is not. A programme accredited by CACREP, CSWE or COAMFTE meets a single national standard, but whether it satisfies a given board is the board's decision

Two kinds of accreditation, and why only one gates a licence

American higher education carries two layers of quality assurance. Institutional accreditation covers the university as a whole: it governs federal student aid and credit transfer, and says nothing about whether a degree qualifies you for a licence. Programmatic accreditation covers the degree programme itself, against standards written by that profession. That is the layer that gates a licence, and the table above names the one governing each route.

One distinction is worth holding on to. LCME accredits the medical degree; ACGME accredits what a doctor does after it, and does not accredit medical schools.²⁰ Confusing the two matters: most state medical boards require an LCME-accredited programme for licensure, while board certification requires ACGME-accredited residency.¹⁶¹⁹

Psychology: the doctoral norm and the master's-level licence

The doctorate is the standard qualification for licensure with independent practice. It comes in two shapes: the PhD follows a scientist-practitioner model, the PsyD a practitioner-scholar model weighted to clinical training. Both lead to the same licence.

APA accreditation is what a state board looks for, and the Commission accredits doctoral programmes, the internship and postdoctoral residencies separately.⁴ A candidate needs an accredited programme and, in most states, an accredited or board-approved internship, not one or the other.

The master's-level licence, which most guides miss

Doctoral training is the norm, not a universal rule. ASPPB, the alliance of state and provincial psychology boards, records a master's-level psychology licence type in 25 respondent jurisdictions. Nineteen are US states: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming. The Northern Marianas and the US Virgin Islands also appear. Read it as a floor, not a census: seven jurisdictions returned no data.¹

ASPPB gives the title as Psychological Associate, defining the holder as licensed for the independent or supervised practice of psychology holding a master's degree in psychology.¹ Other state titles include Psychological Examiner. Scope is usually narrower than the doctoral licence and supervision is common, so check the title and its scope with the board before enrolling. APA now accredits master's programmes in these areas as well as doctoral ones.⁴

The EPPP, and the change coming in 2027

The Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology is the common written examination across ASPPB member jurisdictions, and has two parts.²

• EPPP Part 1, Knowledge, covering general knowledge of psychology, intervention and assessment, recommended passing score 500
• EPPP Part 2, Skills, applying that knowledge to decision-making in real-world independent practice, also recommended passing score 500

The structure is changing, and the timing matters if you are planning a route now. ASPPB has approved content specifications for an EPPP operational from the fall of 2027, integrating knowledge and skills into a single examination. The two-part format remains available to approved candidates until it takes effect in the fourth quarter of 2027.²

Whether a jurisdiction requires Part 2 today is a board question. Confirm it with the board you intend to license under, not with any secondary summary, this one included.

Practising across state lines: PSYPACT

Because licensure is state-based, working with a client who has moved, or is temporarily elsewhere, is a licensing question before a clinical one. PSYPACT lets psychologists in participating jurisdictions practise across state lines, by telepsychology or temporary in-person practice, on an E.Passport from ASPPB for the former and an interjurisdictional practice certificate for the latter.³

Application is to the PSYPACT Commission.³ The participating list changes as legislatures act, so check the compact's own list, not a figure quoted in an article.

Professional counselling: CACREP and the Counseling Compact

Counselling is where state variation is most visible, because the licence title itself differs: Licensed Professional Counselor, Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor and other variants all describe master's-trained counsellors regulated by their state board.⁸ The academic standard beneath them is more uniform: CACREP's 2024 Standards require entry-level degrees of "a minimum of 60 semester credit hours or 90 quarter credit hours".⁵

The examination layer is more uniform still: NBCC states that all 50 states, DC, Puerto Rico and Guam require one or more of its examinations for licensure, the NCE in some and the NCMHCE in others.²⁹ The practice requirements below are what students most often underestimate.⁶

Doctoral programmes in counsellor education and supervision carry their own standard: a minimum of 48 semester hours or 72 quarter hours beyond the entry-level degree, with internships of at least 600 hours. That minimum is rising, to 60 semester hours or 90 quarter hours for students entering on or after 1 July 2026.⁵

The 2024 Standards took effect on 1 July 2024, and from 1 July 2026 all programmes must comply with them.⁷ A programme still describing itself against the 2016 standards is describing a superseded position.

The Counseling Compact

Counselling now has a working portability mechanism: counsellors meeting uniform licensure requirements can obtain a privilege to practise, which the compact calls equivalent to a licence in another state.⁸

It is live, not prospective: on the compact's July 2026 update, privileges are issued for licensees in Arkansas, Arizona, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota and Ohio, with 31 additional states and DC completing the steps. Two conditions narrow that: you must be both licensed by and resident in the home state, and each live state names one eligible title, LPC in four, LMHC in Indiana, LPCC in Minnesota and Ohio.⁸

One eligibility point is easy to miss: you must be licensed by a member state, whatever title it uses, to independently assess, diagnose and treat behavioural health conditions, so counsellors still accruing post-degree supervised hours are not eligible.⁸

Marriage and family therapy

Marriage and family therapy is regulated in every state. AMFTRB, the association of the state licensing boards regulating LMFTs, has 53 member boards and develops the MFT National Examination used as one licensing requirement.⁹

The academic requirement is a master's or doctoral degree in marriage and family therapy. State rules commonly name COAMFTE, and several also accept CACREP's marriage, couple and family counselling accreditation or a content equivalent, as Alabama does.¹⁰

Post-degree hour requirements are where national summaries go wrong. Read across the state entries in AMFTRB's own comparison, post-degree direct client contact runs from around 1,000 hours to roughly 2,500, inside total supervised experience most commonly of 3,000 to 4,000 hours, though some states set totals as low as 1,500.¹⁰ No single national figure describes this accurately.

New York shows what one state's rule looks like, and sits at the low end of that band. Its supervised experience requirement is 1,500 clock hours, all of which must be direct client contact. The supervisor provides at least one hour per week or four hours per month of in-person individual or group supervision, no supervisor may hold more than five limited permit holders at a time, and the setting cannot be a private practice owned by the applicant.¹¹

Social work: one degree, four licence tiers

Social work has the clearest tier structure here, national in shape even though each board sets the detail.

Those four rows are ASWB's own descriptions. Both advanced tiers require post-degree supervised experience, so the clinical tier is not the only one that does; the distinction ASWB draws is scope, advanced generalist licensees "can usually practice independently" against clinical licensees who "can practice independently and can engage in private practice".¹⁴

What CSWE accreditation actually requires

CSWE accredits baccalaureate and master's programmes against the 2022 Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards. Two provisions are worth knowing.

First, field education is substantial and quantified: a minimum of 400 hours for baccalaureate programmes and 900 for master's.¹² That is the largest embedded practice requirement of any entry-level qualification on this page.

Second, the curriculum is competency-based rather than course-based. The 2022 EPAS set nine competencies, from ethical and professional behaviour through engagement, assessment, intervention and evaluation of practice.¹² Programmes demonstrate that students achieve them, which is why two accredited MSW curricula can look quite different on paper. All accredited programmes have operated under the 2022 EPAS since 1 July 2025.¹³

The Social Work Licensure Compact

Do not plan around this one yet. Established in 2024 by the Council of State Governments with ASWB, the Social Work Licensure Compact has been enacted in at least seven states and reached activation status, but multistate licences are not yet being issued, and its own site describes a 12 to 24 month implementation before they can be.¹⁵ That is a different stage of maturity from the Counseling Compact.

Psychiatry: medicine first

Psychiatrists qualify as physicians first, and everything else follows. Two medical degrees lead there.

The MD is accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, sponsored by the AAMC and AMA. Its accreditation establishes eligibility for the United States Medical Licensing Examination, and most state boards require an LCME-accredited programme for licensure.¹⁶

The DO is accredited by the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation, recognised by the US Department of Education for colleges of osteopathic medicine.¹⁷ That route is larger than most careers guides suggest: 48 accredited colleges at 75 teaching locations in 36 states.¹⁸ Graduates of both enter the same ACGME-accredited residencies.¹⁶

Residency, and how competitive it now is

Psychiatry residency runs four years: a full PGY-1 year followed by three full years, 36 calendar months, in an ACGME-accredited psychiatry programme.¹⁹

Entry runs through the National Resident Matching Program, and the specialty has grown fast. In the 2026 Main Residency Match psychiatry offered 2,516 PGY-1 positions and filled 2,451, out of 41,126 PGY-1 positions across all specialties, and offered 469 more than in 2022, a 22.9 per cent increase.²¹

Board certification

The clinical skills evaluations are a credentialing prerequisite, not part of the examination. All applicants complete three clinical skills evaluations, termed clinical skills verifications in psychiatry, "as part of the credentialing requirements to sit for the Psychiatry Certification Examination", and must hold an active, full, unrestricted medical licence.¹⁹ ABPN's own pages are the authority on the examination's current structure.

Subspecialty training follows. The ACGME accredits nine psychiatry subspecialty fellowships: addiction medicine, addiction psychiatry, brain injury medicine, child and adolescent, consultation-liaison, forensic and geriatric psychiatry, hospice and palliative medicine, and sleep medicine.²⁰

Psychiatric-mental health nursing

Advanced practice psychiatric-mental health nursing runs through a postgraduate specialisation, entered after registered nurse licensure rather than instead of it. The credential employers and boards look for is the ANCC's PMHNP-BC, whose criteria read as a checklist.²²

• A current, active RN licence in a US state or territory, or the legally recognised equivalent in another country
• A PMHNP (across the lifespan) master's, post-graduate certificate or DNP, from a programme accredited by CCNE, ACEN or the NLN CNEA
• A minimum of 500 faculty-supervised clinical hours within the PMHNP programme
• Three graduate-level APRN core courses: advanced physiology and pathophysiology, advanced health assessment, advanced pharmacology
• Clinical training in at least two psychotherapeutic treatment modalities

That last requirement is the one prospective students most often overlook, and it is why a PMHNP programme is not simply a prescribing qualification. The scope a PMHNP holds, prescriptive authority included, is set by the state board.

Occupational therapy in mental health

Occupational therapists work extensively in mental health settings, on the same state-based spine as every profession here. The route has one feature the others lack: two practitioner tiers, each with its own accredited degree and examination.

The Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education accredits four programme types, and the split matters. Occupational therapists enter at master's or doctoral level, assistants at associate or baccalaureate.³⁰ A baccalaureate degree therefore qualifies an assistant, not an occupational therapist.

Fieldwork is measured in weeks, and one placement is reserved for mental health. ACOTE requires "a required minimum of 24 weeks' full-time Level II fieldwork" of master's and doctoral students and 16 weeks of assistants, any part-time route being equivalent in length.³⁰

Standard C.1.6 then binds every accredited programme, at all four levels, to "Ensure at least one fieldwork experience (either Level I or Level II) has a primary focus on the role of occupational therapy practitioners addressing mental health, behavioral health, or psychosocial aspects of client performance". A further standard requires every fieldwork experience to carry a psychosocial objective.³⁰

That guarantee matters if mental health is why you are considering the profession. Note its shape: at least one placement, with length stated in weeks rather than hours, so ACOTE sets no hour minimum for mental health fieldwork and a source quoting one is not quoting the standards. How long it runs is a programme decision, worth asking about.

Certification follows accreditation: OTR candidates must graduate from an ACOTE-accredited occupational therapy programme and COTA candidates from an accredited assistant programme, and both then apply to their board.³¹

Creative arts therapies: four modalities, three shapes

The creative arts therapies are usually grouped together, obscuring how differently they are entered. Art, dance/movement and drama therapy are master's-entry; music therapy is not.

Art therapy

Art therapy education is accredited by CAAHEP on the recommendation of the Accreditation Council for Art Therapy Education, which requires the sponsor to award at least a master's degree.²³

Note the accreditor carefully. The American Art Therapy Association is the profession's membership and standards body and cooperates on the standards, but does not accredit programmes, so sources calling programmes AATA-approved describe an arrangement no longer in operation.²³²⁴

The embedded practice requirement is smaller than in counselling or social work: at minimum 100 hours of supervised practicum and 600 hours of supervised art therapy clinical internship. Graduates can then pursue credentialing through the Art Therapy Credentials Board, starting with the Registered Art Therapist credential, and licensure where the state provides for it.²⁴

Music therapy

Music therapy is the outlier: a professional music therapist holds a bachelor's degree or higher in music therapy, and that degree requires 1,200 hours of clinical training including a supervised internship. Study is through an AMTA-approved programme, and graduates become eligible for the examination leading to the MT-BC credential from the Certification Board for Music Therapists, which may be required for licensing in your state.²⁵ That is an undergraduate entry qualification carrying a clinical load larger than several master's routes here.

Dance/movement therapy

The dance/movement therapy credential is awarded at graduate level, so a master's is required, by one of two routes. Graduates of an ADTA-approved programme meet all professional requirements for the Registered Dance/Movement Therapist credential. The alternate route combines a master's with dance/movement therapy training from qualified instructors, movement observation coursework, psychology classes, fieldwork, internship and dance experience.²⁶

Two credentials follow, both from the Dance/Movement Therapy Certification Board: the R-DMT as first entry, and the BC-DMT, which requires further experience and qualifies practitioners to train, supervise and practise privately. Approved programmes typically run two to three years full time.²⁶

Drama therapy

Drama therapy has two routes to the Registered Drama Therapist credential, both at master's level: a degree in drama therapy from an NADTA-accredited institution, or a related master's or doctorate plus Alternative Training supervised by an RDT who is also a board certified trainer.³²

The experience requirement is substantial: 1,500 hours as a drama therapist, of which at least 1,000 are normally paid, with capped allowances for advanced clinical training, personal therapy and Playback Theatre. Unpaid hours count where the agency confirms the post was professional. Accrual can begin before you qualify: NADTA permits these hours to start before MA graduation, or before Alternative Training completes, once core coursework and the internship are done. Applicants otherwise wait a year after the master's, unless they held it before beginning Alternative Training.³²

Addiction and substance use counselling

Addiction counselling is the only field here with genuine multi-level entry, and the one where a single national statement is least possible. Two credentialing systems run alongside state licensure.

IC&RC

IC&RC credentials include the Alcohol and Drug Counselor and its advanced form, alongside clinical supervisor, prevention and peer recovery credentials. The ADC standards show the field's structure best: supervised work experience scales inversely with the degree held.²⁷

All routes also require 300 hours of education specific to the ADC domains, six of them in ethics, with at least ten supervision hours per domain. Candidates pass the IC&RC ADC examination, sign a code of ethics statement, and recertify with 40 hours of continuing education every two years.²⁷

Read those figures as a floor, not a specification. IC&RC states that its standards are the minimum criteria, and that member boards may require additional standards reflecting local mandates, regulations or best practices.²⁷ The board you certify through is the authority.

NAADAC and the NCC AP

The National Certification Commission for Addiction Professionals, the credentialing body associated with NAADAC, has three foundational credentials: National Certified Addiction Counselor Levels I and II, and Master Addiction Counselor. Each carries different standards, and movement between them is possible. Specialisations sit alongside them, including nicotine and tobacco treatment, peer recovery support and clinical supervision.²⁸

The commission describes its credentials as a standard that exceeds most US state requirements, and notes that NCC AP certification and NAADAC membership are distinct.²⁸

Licensing, regulation and verification

This page covers what you have to study. Which board regulates which title, the statutory scope of practice, and how to verify a licence are answered in our companion guide, mental health licensing and regulation in the USA, which sets out the regulators and the public register searches state by state.

Qualifications earned outside the United States do not convert automatically, and academic recognition is separate from a licence to practise. Each board assesses them against its own statute, and several professions require a credential evaluation first. For how credentials compare across countries, see our international credential equivalency guide for mental health professionals.

Choosing a route, and finding a therapist

Three questions narrow a training route faster than any brochure.

• Which state will you practise in? Ask that board, in writing, whether the programme satisfies its education requirement, and whether its accreditor is the one the board names. Every other question is downstream
• Where do the supervised hours come from? Some routes embed most of them in the degree, as social work and music therapy do; others load them after graduation, as counselling and MFT do, when you are earning less
• Is there a working portability mechanism? Counselling and psychology have compacts issuing privileges now; social work has one enacted but not yet issuing licences⁸³¹⁵

If you are looking for a therapist rather than a training route, the qualifications above are what to ask about, and the state board is where you verify them. TherapyRoute is a clinician-run directory founded by a registered clinical psychologist; start with our guide on how to find the right therapist.

Last reviewed: August 2026. Jurisdiction: United States, with single-state rules flagged as such. Licensure requirements are set by state boards and change, and accreditation standards are revised on their own cycles. Confirm with the board and accreditor before applying.

Team TherapyRoute

References

1. [1] ASPPB Centre, License Type: Master's-Level Psychology Licenses. 25 respondent jurisdictions; title "Psychological Associate", defined as "licensed for the independent or supervised practice of psychology holding a master's degree in psychology". Nineteen US states, two US territories, four Canadian jurisdictions; seven jurisdictions returned no data. asppbcentre.org.
2. [2] ASPPB, Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP): the two parts, each with a recommended passing score of 500; content specifications "to be operational in the Fall of 2027 and forward"; the two-part format available "until the integrated EPPP takes effect in the fourth quarter of 2027". asppb.net.
3. [3] APA Services, PSYPACT (news item, R. A. Clay, 2 July 2021; cited for the mechanics only): "an agreement allowing psychologists in participating jurisdictions to practice across state lines, whether via telepsychology or temporary in-person practice"; the E.Passport and the interjurisdictional practice certificate, both from ASPPB. Its headline state count is five years old and is not used here; psypact.org, which holds the current list, served an expired certificate this session. apaservices.org.
4. [4] APA Commission on Accreditation, About APA Accreditation: it accredits "master's and doctoral graduate programs in clinical psychology, counseling psychology, school psychology" and combinations, plus doctoral internships and postdoctoral residencies. accreditation.apa.org.
5. [5] CACREP, 2024 CACREP Standards (PDF): "a minimum of 60 semester credit hours or 90 quarter credit hours required of all students" for entry-level degrees; the doctoral minimum of 48 semester hours or 72 quarter hours, rising to 60 or 90 "For students entering on or after July 1, 2026"; doctoral internships of at least 600 hours. cacrep.org.
6. [6] CACREP, Section 4: Professional Practice, standards Q to X: practicum of "a minimum of 100 hours over a full academic term that is a minimum of eight weeks" with "at least 40 hours of direct service with actual clients"; internship of "600 hours" with "a minimum of 240 hours of direct service"; supervision "on a regular schedule that averages" one hour a week individual or triadic and 1.5 hours group. cacrep.org.
7. [7] CACREP, Application of the CACREP 2024 Standards: "The 2024 CACREP Standards will go into effect on July 1, 2024"; "Beginning July 1, 2026, all programs must be in compliance". cacrep.org.
8. [8] Counseling Compact: the privilege is "equivalent to a license to practice counseling in another state"; it "is live for licensees in Arkansas, Arizona, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, and Ohio", with "31 additional states and the District of Columbia" completing the steps; eligibility requires a member-state licence "to independently assess, diagnose, and treat behavioral health conditions", and "Recent graduates, who are completing hours under supervision, will not be eligible". Each privilege is also conditioned on home-state residence, with one eligible title per live state (LPC, LMHC or LPCC). Dated July 2026, so the figures will move. counselingcompact.gov.
9. [9] AMFTRB: "the association of state licensing boards governing the regulation of LMFTs"; 53 member boards covering all states, DC and three territories; the MFT National Examination used "as one of the requirements for licensing candidates". amftrb.org.
10. [10] AMFTRB, State Licensure Requirements information sheet (PDF, 17pp, September 2025), a state-by-state table of academic training, internship and supervision requirements. Alabama requires "a master's degree from a COAMFTE... or CACREP Marriage, Couple, & Family Counseling accredit program", or the content equivalent. Read across its entries, post-degree direct client contact runs from about 1,000 to 2,500 hours, within totals most often of 3,000 to 4,000 and as low as 1,500. amftrb.org.
11. [11] NYSED Office of the Professions, Marriage and Family Therapy: License Requirements: "All 1,500 clock hours of the supervised experience must consist of direct contact with clients"; supervision of "at least one hour per week or four hours per month"; "No supervisor can supervise more than five limited permit holders at one time"; the setting "cannot be a private practice owned or operated by the applicant". New York only. op.nysed.gov.
12. [12] CSWE, 2022 Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (PDF): "a minimum of 400 hours of field education for baccalaureate programs and a minimum of 900 hours of field education for master's programs"; and the nine competencies, Competency 1 (Demonstrate Ethical and Professional Behavior) through Competency 9. cswe.org.
13. [13] CSWE, 2022 EPAS accreditation policies and process page: the implementation timeline under which all accredited programmes operate under the 2022 EPAS from 1 July 2025. cswe.org.
14. [14] ASWB, Becoming a licensed social worker: the four categories quoted above, post-degree supervised experience appearing in BOTH the Advanced Generalist and Clinical rows; "Advanced Generalist licensees can usually practice independently" against "Clinical licensees can practice independently and can engage in private practice"; and "license requirements are set by individual states, provinces, and territories". aswb.org.
15. [15] Social Work Licensure Compact: established 2024 by the Council of State Governments with ASWB; "enacted in at least seven states and has reached activation status, however multistate licenses are not yet being issued. The implementation process... will take 12 to 24 months." swcompact.org.
16. [16] LCME, About the LCME: "an accrediting body for medical education programs leading to the MD degree", sponsored by the AAMC and AMA; accreditation establishes USMLE eligibility; "Most state boards of licensure require that programs be LCME-accredited as a condition for licensure of their graduates"; graduates are eligible for ACGME-accredited residencies. lcme.org.
17. [17] American Osteopathic Association, COCA: "COCA is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as the accreditor of colleges of osteopathic medicine", and accredits only US-operating programmes. osteopathic.org.
18. [18] AACOM, US Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine: "There are currently 48 accredited colleges of osteopathic medicine in the United States. These colleges are accredited to deliver instruction at 75 teaching locations in 36 states." aacom.org.
19. [19] ABPN, Taking a Specialty Exam: Psychiatry: "All applicants seeking certification in psychiatry must successfully complete three clinical skills evaluations (CSEs, or CSVs in psychiatry) as part of the credentialing requirements to sit for the Psychiatry Certification Examination"; "three full years (i.e., 36 calendar months) of residency training in a psychiatry program accredited by the ACGME" after a full PGY-1 year; and an "active, full, unrestricted medical license". The page does not characterise the examination's format or its history. abpn.org.
20. [20] ACGME, Psychiatry: Overview: the nine accredited psychiatry subspecialty fellowships, namely addiction medicine, addiction psychiatry, brain injury medicine, child and adolescent psychiatry, consultation-liaison psychiatry, forensic psychiatry, geriatric psychiatry, hospice and palliative medicine, and sleep medicine. acgme.org.
21. [21] NRMP, Results and Data: 2026 Main Residency Match (PDF, May 2026): psychiatry offered 2,516 PGY-1 positions, filled 2,451, 65 unfilled; "The 2026 Match offered 41,126 PGY-1 positions"; "Psychiatry, which offered 469 more positions in 2026 than in 2022, a 22.9 percent increase." nrmp.org.
22. [22] ANCC, PMHNP-BC certification: the criteria listed above, including "A minimum of 500 faculty-supervised clinical hours must be included in the PMHNP (Across the Lifespan) program" and "Clinical training in at least two psychotherapeutic treatment modalities". nursingworld.org.
23. [23] CAAHEP, Committees on Accreditation: Art Therapy: CAAHEP and ACATE cooperate on the standards; the programme sponsor must provide a post-secondary programme "which awards a minimum of a master's degree at the completion". caahep.org.
24. [24] American Art Therapy Association, Becoming an Art Therapist: "Students must also complete, at minimum, 100 hours of supervised practicum, and 600 hours of supervised art therapy clinical internship"; and credentialing "(depending on the state of practice)" through the Art Therapy Credentials Board. arttherapy.org.
25. [25] American Music Therapy Association, Education and clinical training requirements: "A professional music therapist holds a bachelor's degree or higher in music therapy"; "the bachelor's degree requires 1200 hours of clinical training, including a supervised internship"; and the CBMT examination leading to the MT-BC credential, which "may be required for licensing in your state". musictherapy.org.
26. [26] American Dance Therapy Association, Become a Dance/Movement Therapist: "The dance/movement therapy credential is awarded at the graduate level. Therefore, a Master's degree is required"; the approved-programme route, whose graduates "meet all professional requirements for the Registered Dance/Movement Therapist (R-DMT) credential"; the alternate route; and programmes typically "two to three years, full-time". adta.org.
27. [27] IC&RC, Alcohol & Drug Counselor (ADC) credential page and ADC Minimum Standards: the experience and supervision tables above, 300 hours of ADC-domain education including six in ethics, the examination, and 40 hours of CE every two years. Also: "The IC&RC standards represent the minimum criteria for certification/licensure. Member Boards... may require additional standards that reflect local mandates, regulations, and/or best practices." internationalcredentialing.org.
28. [28] NAADAC, Certification (NCC AP): the credentials NCAC I, NCAC II and MAC, "suited to varying degrees of knowledge and formal training"; the NCNTT and NCPRSS specialisations and the Clinical Supervision Endorsement; the aim "to provide a national and international standard that exceeds most U.S. state requirements"; and "NCC AP Certification and NAADAC membership are distinct." naadac.org.
29. [29] NBCC, Exams: "All 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and Guam require one or more of NBCC's examinations for licensure"; the NCE and NCMHCE each "required for licensure in some states". nbcc.org.
30. [30] ACOTE, 2023 Standards and Interpretive Guide (PDF, 55pp, updated 26 April 2026), read this session. C.1.12: "a required minimum of 24 weeks’ full-time Level II fieldwork" in the doctoral and master’s columns, 16 weeks in the two OTA columns. C.1.6, Fieldwork in Mental Health, Behavioral Health, or Psychosocial Factors, identical in all four columns: "Ensure at least one fieldwork experience (either Level I or Level II) has a primary focus on the role of occupational therapy practitioners addressing mental health, behavioral health, or psychosocial aspects of client performance". C.1.3 requires every fieldwork experience to carry a psychosocial objective. Length is stated in weeks throughout; the only fieldwork hour figure in the document is a supervision minimum of 8 hours a week. The four programme types are listed on the standards landing page. acoteonline.org (2023 Standards PDF); acoteonline.org (standards landing page).
31. [31] NBCOT, Eligibility and Get Certified: "OTR candidates must graduate with an entry-level occupational therapy degree from an ACOTE®-accredited occupational therapy (OT) program", COTA candidates from an accredited OTA programme; and "Certification is not the same as licensure". nbcot.org (eligibility); nbcot.org (get certified).
32. [32] NADTA, Registered Drama Therapists (RDT): the two routes, a degree in drama therapy "from an NADTA accredited college/university" or a related degree "AND completion of Alternative Training Education requirements under the supervision of a RDT/BCT"; "1500 hours of professional experience as a drama therapist", of which "A minimum of 1000 and up to 1500" are paid, with capped allowances and unpaid hours admissible on an agency letter. On timing: "You may start to accrue these 1500 hours before you graduate from your M.A. program", or before Alternative Training completes; and the one-year wait is lifted where the applicant "already had your M.A. before beginning alternative training". nadta.org.