How to Become a Licensed Psychologist in Michigan: State Board Requirements 2026

Mental illness affects one out of five people in the United States. The American public sees a mental health crisis, with 90% believing we face serious challenges. This growing crisis has created high demand for qualified mental health professionals. Anyone looking to become a licensed therapist in Michigan needs to understand everything in the process to plan their career path.

The Michigan Board of Psychology requires deep commitment from candidates seeking licensure. A licensed psychologist’s journey takes 6-10 years in Michigan, based on your current education level. On top of that, you need a doctoral degree for full licensure. An online master’s degree can qualify you for a limited license. The work to be done includes 4,000 hours of psychology-related training. This training requires at least 20 hours weekly in a qualifying internship.

The career outlook shows great promise for aspiring psychologists. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, psychologist jobs will grow 6% between 2024 and 2034. This growth will create roughly 12,800 new positions during this time frame. In this guide, you’ll find the educational paths, supervised experience requirements, licensing exams, and application steps needed to become a licensed therapist in Michigan.

Educational Pathways

Starting your trip to become a licensed therapist in Michigan requires the right education. The state needs counseling professionals to complete specific academic credentials before they can apply for licensure.

Michigan requires a master’s or doctoral degree in counseling from a program that meets the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) standards or something similar. Programs without CACREP accreditation need to show their coursework covers mental and emotional disorder diagnosis and treatment, plus all other CACREP requirements.

Your counseling program needs 48 semester hours or 72 quarter hours in counseling topics. These programs usually cover:

• Career development
• Counseling techniques and theories
• Professional ethics
• Research methodology
• Multicultural counseling
• Testing procedures and assessment
• Group techniques

Hands-on experience plays a key role in your education. Programs must include both a practicum and internship. The practicum lets you try counseling activities with supervision. The internship runs for at least 600 hours and lets you do everything a licensed counselor does.

Michigan has several universities with CACREP-accredited programs. Eastern Michigan University offers master’s programs in Clinical Mental Health, College, and School Counseling. Wayne State University features Clinical Mental Health, Clinical Rehabilitation, School Counseling, Art Therapy, and combined programs. Their students pass licensure exams at rates between 85% and 95%.

Your career goals help determine which degree path fits best:

• Associate Degrees: Two-year programs for entry positions
• Bachelor’s Degrees: Four-year programs for entry and mid-tier positions
• Master’s Degrees: One to two-year programs that meet licensure requirements
• Doctorate Degrees: Three to six-year programs (Ph.D. or Psy.D.) that open doors to faculty and leadership roles
• Graduate Certificates: Specialized training under a year

The time needed depends on where you start. After getting your bachelor’s degree, Michigan’s counseling license requirements take about two to five years. Master’s degrees usually take 2-3 years, while doctoral programs add 4-6 years.

Programs often focus on specific career paths. Oakland University specializes in mental health and school counseling. Western Michigan University lets you specialize in college counseling, clinical mental health counseling, marriage and family counseling, or school counseling.

Davenport University’s Master of Arts in Mental Health Counseling runs completely online. Some schools help with costs too. The University of Detroit Mercy gives around $45,000 yearly for Graduate Research Assistant scholarships.

Make sure your chosen program meets state requirements to avoid licensure delays. The best programs give you both academic knowledge and practical skills to help people from all backgrounds in different counseling settings.

Supervised Experience Requirements

The next vital phase after completing your degree to become a licensed therapist in Michigan requires supervised clinical experience. This required period helps you develop practical skills with professional guidance.

Professional Counselors start their trip by getting a Limited Licensed Professional Counselor (LLPC) credential. LLPCs must complete 3,000 hours of clinical work experience over not less than two years. You’ll need 100 hours of clinical supervision with your supervisor physically present. Counselors with doctoral degrees need only 1,500 hours over a one-year minimum and 50 hours of supervision.

Live supervision can happen face-to-face or through two-way audiovisual technology that lets you interact directly with your supervisor. Michigan requires all supervised experience after you receive your limited counselor license. Any experience before licensure won’t count toward these requirements.

Your supervisor must be a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) who meets these qualifications:

• Supervisors starting after May 5, 2022 need supervision training and 5 years of post-master’s practice in counseling
• Those who began between January 1, 2013 and May 5, 2022 need supervision training and 3 years of post-master’s practice
• The Approved Clinical Supervisor (ACS) credential from the Center for Credentialing & Education (CCE) also qualifies supervisors

Marriage and Family Therapy licensure has different requirements. You need:

• 1,000 direct client contact hours in supervised marriage and family therapy
• At least half your experience must be with “families, couples, or subsystems of families physically present in the therapy room”
• One hour of supervision for every 5 hours of experience, with no less than 200 hours of face-to-face contact
• A minimum of 100 hours of individual supervision (with at most one other supervisee present)

Michigan’s Behavioral Health Internship Stipend Program (MI-BHISP) helps students complete internships. The program offers up to $15,000 to eligible student interns who pursue degrees in behavioral health professions serving children. Local prepaid inpatient health plans, community mental health service programs, or Indian Health Service facilities qualify as eligible settings.

Quality supervision plays a key role in your professional growth. Working in settings that offer regular interaction with colleagues and supervisors beyond required hours can boost your clinical skills. This shared environment helps prepare you for independent practice.

Licensing Examinations

Getting your therapist license in Michigan requires passing a qualifying exam. This exam marks a key step in becoming licensed. The Michigan Board of Counseling approves specific exams that show your knowledge and skills in counseling.

You need to pass one of these exams to get your counselor license in Michigan:

• National Counselor Examination (NCE) – The National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) created this exam with 200 multiple-choice questions that takes four hours to complete. The exam covers six areas including Professional Practice and Ethics, Intake, Assessment and Diagnosis, Treatment Planning, and Counseling Skills and Interventions.
• National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination (NCMHCE) – The NBCC also offers this exam as another option for counselor licensure.
• Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification (CRCC) Examination – This exam works best for people who focus on rehabilitation counseling.

You only need to pass one of these exams to qualify for your license. Each organization that creates these exams sets its own passing score. The Michigan Board uses these standards instead of creating its own.

After you finish your exam, make sure the testing agency sends your scores straight to the Michigan licensing board. Your application package must include this official verification.

Marriage and Family Therapist candidates have different requirements. They must take the national Marital and Family Therapy exam created by the Association of Marital and Family Therapy Regulatory Boards (AMFTRB). Professional Testing Corporation (PTC) gives this exam electronically during the third full week of each month.

Good preparation makes a big difference. Most candidates create study schedules, take practice tests, and join exam workshops to boost their confidence and find gaps in their knowledge. Your chances of passing improve when you match your study plan to your chosen exam’s content.

Application & Licensure Process

The next significant step after completing your education, supervised experience, and required examination is getting your license. The Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) manages therapist licensure through their online portal.

You must complete an online application through the Michigan Professional Licensing User System (MiPLUS) at www.michigan.gov/miplus. The application needs detailed information about your education, experience, and examination results. This digital platform makes the licensing process smoother.

Here’s the application fee structure:

• Professional Counselor by Examination: $259.05
• Professional Counselor by Endorsement: $259.05
• Professional Counselor Relicensure: $279.05
• Limited Counselor License: $88.10
• Limited Counselor Relicensure: $108.10

You can pay these fees using a credit or debit card (Visa, Mastercard, Discover, or American Express).

The system sends you an Application Confirmation letter after submission. This letter explains how to complete the mandatory criminal background check. You’ll need to answer good moral character questions. Any “yes” answers require documentation to show you can serve the public honestly.

Your application must include these documents:

• Official transcripts sent directly from your educational institution
• Verification of any licenses held in other states
• Certification of examination scores sent directly from the testing organization
• Completed Counseling Work Experience form
• Professional Disclosure Statement
• Proof of human trafficking training completion
• Proof of implicit bias training (minimum 2 hours within five years before licensure)

You must prove English language proficiency. This requirement is met if your educational program was taught in English or you earned at least 60 college-level credits from an English-speaking institution.

Michigan offers licensure by endorsement for counselors licensed in other states. Counselors with five or more years of practice just need to submit their application, professional disclosure statement, license verification, and complete a background check. Counselors with less than five years must meet the same requirements as examination applicants.

Licensed counselors must renew every three years by May 31. Michigan uses an online license renewal system through DIFS Licensing Express Renewal. This system opens annually from February 1 through March 31. Your license status changes to “Inactive” if you miss the renewal deadline.

You can find detailed information about the application process on the Michigan Board of Counseling website.

Continuing Education

Michigan stands out from other states because its continuing education requirements vary substantially by license type. Licensed Professional Counselors (LPCs) and Marriage and Family Therapists (MFTs) don’t need continuing education hours to renew their licenses. Michigan’s counseling law states that professionals must stay competent but don’t have to show specific CE activities for renewal.

Psychologists must meet stricter standards. They need to complete 30 hours of continuing education every two years. The requirements include 3 hours in ethics and 2 hours in pain and symptom management. Social workers face even more demands with 45 hours every three years, including 5 hours in ethics and 2 hours in pain management.

Mental health professionals in Michigan must complete certain mandatory trainings, whatever their license type. Since June 1, 2022, anyone seeking licensure needs 2 hours of implicit bias training within 5 years before getting licensed. After original licensure, professionals complete 1 hour of implicit bias training yearly during their license cycle. This training must happen through interactive sessions, teleconference, or webinar.

On top of that, every professional needs a one-time training to identify human trafficking victims. You’ll need this training before your original license or renewal, based on when you start practicing.

Michigan offers CE Broker to help you track these requirements. This free service monitors your CE compliance status. A simple account lets you check your course history and renewal requirements. The platform has a complete course search to find CE options.

CE Broker has upgraded accounts that give you customized tracking tools and dedicated account managers if you need extra support.

Special State Variations

Michigan stands out from other states with its distinctive licensing pathways and variations. The state doesn’t accept out-of-state counselor licenses directly, but provides licensure by endorsement. Counselors with more than five years of experience need minimal paperwork, while those with less experience must submit their official transcripts and exam scores.

Michigan’s marriage and family therapist licensing system includes both full licenses and Educational Limited MFT licenses. The limited license serves as a stepping stone that helps practitioners complete supervised experience on their way to full licensure. The state also provides a Limited Licensed Professional Counselor (LLPC) credential, which lets counselors practice under a fully licensed professional counselor’s supervision.

School counselors from other states can get a Temporary School Counselor License (TSCL). This one-year non-renewable license lets them work in Michigan schools while they prepare for the Michigan Test for Teacher Certification.

Each profession has different renewal schedules. Counselors and marriage family therapists must renew their licenses every three years. School counselors need to renew every five years and complete 150 hours of education-related professional learning.

Michigan currently stays outside the Professional Counseling Licensure Compact (PCLC). The 2025 reports show that Michigan, along with Alaska, California, Hawaii, and other states, has no active participation in counseling reciprocity agreements. Licensed therapists in Michigan cannot practice across state lines without getting separate licenses in each state.

Your path to becoming a licensed therapist in Michigan depends on your chosen discipline. Each profession follows its state board’s unique requirements.