Register early so your post-degree hours count
To register as an LPCC in Colorado, pass the Colorado jurisprudence exam, gather your transcript or education documentation, and submit the Professional Counselor Candidate application through DORA. Register early, because DORA says post-degree hours will only count toward licensure if you’re registered as a candidate. Colorado LPC Supervision, part of My Denver Therapy, works with LPCCs across the state. This page covers registration, and our Colorado LPC requirements page covers the full path to licensure.
Get started
What do you need before you apply?
DORA’s application tells you not to apply until you have the required documents. Have these ready:
- Proof you’re at least 21
- A passing Colorado Mental Health Jurisprudence Exam Results Report that’s less than a year old
- An official transcript showing your degree and conferral date
- A Certification of Education form if you’re applying before graduation
- An education review from the Center for Credentialing and Education if your program isn’t CACREP-approved or otherwise accepted
- Verification of any other health care license you hold or have held
Registration sources: C.R.S. 12-245-604 and DORA’s Professional Counselor applications page.
What are the steps to register as an LPCC?
- Read DORA’s Test Taker Information Bulletin and take the jurisprudence exam.
- Download your passing Results Report.
- Gather your transcript and any education forms.
- Choose “Professional Counselor Candidate – Initial by Original Method” in DORA’s online application system.
- Upload your documents, answer the screening questions and complete your health care profile.
- Pay the application fee shown in the application. DORA doesn’t transfer or refund fees if an application is rejected.
What is the Colorado jurisprudence exam like?
The Colorado Mental Health Jurisprudence Exam is an online, open-book test with 45 multiple-choice questions. Each attempt costs $25. If you don’t pass, you’ll wait 10 days before you can enroll and pay for another attempt.
- You have 60 days from the date you pay to finish the exam.
- Results are valid for one year from the date of your Results Report.
- During that year, the same passing result can be used for more than one application.
Do you need a supervisor before you register as an LPCC?
DORA’s application preview doesn’t ask you to name a supervisor, so you can register before you’ve chosen one. You’ll want to have someone lined up before you start counting practice hours. DORA says it’s solely the applicant’s responsibility to verify that a potential supervisor is qualified and has completed the required education and training. Colorado’s supervisor rule spells out those qualifications.
When do your hours start counting?
Your hours can start counting after all degree requirements are met and you’re registered as a candidate. Your practice and supervision also need to happen at the same time, since DORA says experience and supervision must be done concurrently. When you apply for your LPC, you’ll submit a Post-Degree Experience and Supervision Form for each supervisor and each place of employment. It’s easier to track those details from your first month than to rebuild them later.
How long does LPCC registration last?
LPCC registrations expire on December 31 every three years, so check your renewal date when you register. If you haven’t met the licensure requirements within three years of registering, your registration becomes subject to the state’s renewal, expiration and reinstatement provisions. Before a second or later renewal, you’ll need to complete continuing professional competency hours.
Common questions about LPCC registration
Can I apply before I graduate?
DORA’s application asks whether you’re applying before graduation and requires a Certification of Education form if you are. Your supervised experience hours still have to come after all degree requirements are met.
Do I also need to join the unlicensed psychotherapist database?
No. Colorado statute says a registered LPCC may, but isn’t required to, register with the database of unlicensed psychotherapists.
What if my degree isn’t from a CACREP program?
You’ll need an education review. DORA no longer processes equivalency packets, and the Center for Credentialing and Education handles those reviews.
Is the process different for MFTCs?
MFTCs also need the jurisprudence exam and a DORA candidate application, using their own form set. Our Colorado LMFT requirements page covers that path.
Ready to line up your supervisor?
Tell us when you expect to register and whether you want group, individual supervision or both. We have online groups at $50 per supervision hour and supervisors who are all working therapists at My Denver Therapy, one of the largest therapy practices in Colorado.
Get started
This page explains DORA’s process. DORA decides every application, so check the current steps on the Colorado Professional Counselor page before relying on them.