The board shall issue a license as a professional clinical mental health counselor to a person who files a completed application and, except as provided in Section 61-1-34 NMSA 1978, pays any required fees and who submits satisfactory evidence that the applicant:

1. A. has reached the age of twenty-one;
2. B. holds a master's or doctoral degree in a counseling or counseling-related field, as defined by rule, from an accredited institution. The applicant shall have a master's degree and a total of no less than forty-eight graduate semester hours or seventy-two quarter hours in the mental health clinical core curriculum;
3. C. demonstrates professional competency by passing the required examination as prescribed by the board;
4. D. has a minimum of two years of professional clinical counseling experience, including at least three thousand clinical contact hours and at least one hundred hours of appropriate supervision. One thousand client clinical contact hours may be submitted from the applicant's internship or practicum; and
5. E. observes the code of ethics.

History: Laws 1993, ch. 49, § 11; 1999, ch. 161, § 9; 2003, ch. 422, § 9; 2005, ch. 210, § 8; 2020, ch. 6, § 26; 2021, ch. 93, § 8.

ANNOTATIONS

Delayed repeals. — For delayed repeal of this section, see 61-9A-30 NMSA 1978.

The 2021 amendment, effective June 18, 2021, revised the qualifications for an applicant for licensure as a professional clinical mental health counselor; in Subsection D, after "one hundred hours of", deleted "face-to-face" and added "appropriate"; and in Subsection E, deleted "is of good moral character with conduct consistent with" and added "observes".

The 2020 amendment, effective July 1, 2020, provided an exception to the licensure fee for qualified military service members, their spouses and dependent children, and for certain veterans, and made certain technical amendments; in the introductory clause, after "completed application", deleted "accompanied by the" and added "and, except as provided in Section 61-1-34 NMSA 1978, pays any"; and in Subsection B, after "The applicant", deleted "must" and added "shall".

The 2005 amendment, effective June 17, 2005, provided that the applicant's degree may include a degree in counseling and deleted the requirement that the applicant's degree be from a regionally accredited institution.

The 2003 amendment, effective June 20, 2003, rewrote Subsection B and inserted "the required" in Subsection C.

The 1999 amendment, effective July 1, 1999, substituted "no less that forty-eight graduate hours in the mental health clinical core curriculum" for "sixty graduate hours or more" and deleted "The board may approve applicants who have a master's degree or doctoral degree from nonaccredited or foreign institutions on a case-by-case basis" in Subsection B, and deleted "postgraduate" preceding "professional clinical" in Subsection D, and added Subsection E.