Iowa Licensed Professional Counselor

Iowa licenses this credential as Mental Health Counselor (MHC) under Iowa Code chapter 154D; the dataset retains the broader Licensed Professional Counselor slug for search continuity. Iowa Code section 232.69(3)(b) requires renewal attestation of recent child abuse identification and reporting training (an initial two-hour course within six months of employment, with a one-hour recertification every three years thereafter). Iowa Code section 235B.16(5)(b) imposes a parallel requirement for dependent adult abuse identification and reporting. Both are administered by the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services and are separate certifications, not part of the forty-hour continuing education total. The biennial compliance period runs twenty-five months, beginning September 1 of an even-numbered year and ending September 30 of the next even-numbered year. Carryover: up to half of continuing education may be applied to the next biennium when the prior biennium exceeded the minimum. Documentation must be retained for four years for audit. Licensees issued an initial license within six months of the renewal date are not required to renew until the next renewal two years later. Per IAC 481-881.2(4), first-time licensees are exempt from continuing education at first renewal. The board does not pre-approve providers or programs; licensees determine whether a program meets the criteria of IAC 481-881.2(9).

CE courses from providers approved by these accreditors count toward your Iowa Licensed Professional Counselor renewal requirements.