How to choose a counselor

What an LPC is

A Licensed Professional Counselor holds a state license to practice counseling. The route to it is a master's degree in counseling or a closely related field, a period of supervised clinical work that usually runs to two or three thousand hours, and a state examination. Once licensed, a counselor is accountable to the board that issued the license.

The title changes at the state line. LPC is the common form; California and a few others use LPCC, Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, and Illinois, Maine and Kansas among others use LCPC, Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor. Some states use LMHC or LCMHC instead. The letters describe the jurisdiction more than the training, and none of them ranks above another.

What the license line means

Every counselor here holds a license granted by a board in the state named on their profile. Other letters you will see on this site belong to different training routes: LCSW is a clinical social worker, LMFT is a marriage and family therapist, and a psychologist holds a doctorate. Which one suits you depends on the work you want to do, not on the letters.

A license is tied to a state. An online counselor can normally work with people who are in a state they are licensed in, which is why the state is on every profile and why this directory is organized by it. Browse by license if you want to start there, or start with your state.

Checking a license and an NPI

Every profile prints the license number, the state and the expiry exactly as the counselor lists them, and almost every profile also prints an NPI, the national provider identifier used across US healthcare. We do not verify either. The state board that issued the license keeps a public register, and the national NPI registry is free to search, so both are yours to check in a couple of minutes. A number that does not come back is worth asking about.

Methods you will see listed

These are the methods most often named on this directory. Naming a method is not evidence of training in it; ask directly how someone uses it.

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
• Client-Centered Therapy
• Solution-Focused Therapy
• Mindfulness Therapy
• Motivational Interviewing
• Trauma-Focused Therapy

Structured methods such as CBT and solution-focused work set clear goals and often suggest things to try between sessions. Person-centered and mindfulness-based work is more open and gives you room to think out loud. Psychodynamic and attachment-based work looks further back at patterns that keep repeating. Most counselors combine them, and the combination matters less than whether the person makes sense to you.

Common questions

What to compare on a profile

1. Your state. Start here, because it decides who can actually work with you. Browse by state.
2. What they work with. Every profile lists it. If what you are carrying comes with something else, a bereavement, a separation, work that has become unbearable, look for someone who names that too. See everything counselors here work with.
3. How they work. Read the methods, then read the biography, which tells you more. Does the way they describe their work sound like someone you could talk to?
4. The license and the NPI. Both are on every profile. Check them if it matters to you.
5. Experience. Years in practice is background, not a ranking. Newer counselors often have more room in the week.

What a first session is for

Nobody can tell in advance whether a counselor suits them. The first session is where you find out: whether you feel able to say how things really are, and whether the response makes you want to come back. Changing counselor after a session or two is normal and expected, and a good one will not take it personally.

Cost

Costs are shown on the partner platform before you commit to anything. If cost is a concern it is worth asking about reduced-fee options; many counselors keep a few lower-cost places. Community mental health centers and university training clinics are also worth asking about, and are usually cheaper.

If you are not safe

Counseling is not an emergency service. If you are in crisis you can call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at any hour, and if you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 911.