How to Check a Colorado Therapist's License, Step by Step

In crisis or thinking about suicide? Call or text 988 now (in Colorado it reaches the 988 Colorado Mental Health Line). If you are in immediate danger, call 911.

Why a quick license check is worth it

You may have found a therapist through a friend, a directory or a search, and their name comes with a string of letters. Checking those letters takes a few minutes, and it is a normal step. Good therapists expect it.

In Colorado, titles such as psychologist, LPC, LCSW, LMFT and LPCC are protected. Under C.R.S. 12-245-218, only a person licensed, certified or registered for that title may use it, and no one else may state or imply that they are licensed to practice psychotherapy. A license tells you a state board checked the person's degree, supervised experience and exams before letting them practice.

A license does not tell you everything. It will not show whether someone has training in a specific method, such as DBT, or experience with teens, couples or trauma. Those are questions for a first call, and a therapist's profile or website may list that training.

This guide covers the check itself. For how to judge fit, approach and specialty once the license is confirmed, see how to find the right therapist in Denver.

How to look someone up on DORA

The Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA) runs a free online lookup through its Division of Professions and Occupations. It is meant for individual searches like yours.

• Open the DORA license lookup (opens in a new tab).
• Pick a license type. Mental health professionals are listed under Psychologists, Social Work, Professional Counselors, Marriage and Family Therapists, Addiction Counselors and Unlicensed Psychotherapy.
• Start with only the first and last name. DORA suggests this gives the most useful results. Add a city if the name is common.
• If you have a license number from the therapist's paperwork, you can search by prefix and number instead, such as LPC or PSY.
• Type the security code and search.
• Open the credential detail. Check that the credential type matches the title the person uses, that it is current, and whether any public discipline documents are listed.
• No match? Try the maiden name field or a different license type. Some people hold more than one credential.

Candidates, postdoctoral fellows and unlicensed psychotherapists

The table below covers the four main licenses. You may also see people who are partway to a license. That is common and legal, and it helps to know what each status means.

Candidates. A psychologist candidate, clinical social worker candidate, licensed professional counselor candidate (LPCC) or marriage and family therapist candidate (MFTC) has finished the required graduate degree, passed Colorado's jurisprudence exam and registered with the state board. They are still completing the supervised experience and the licensing exam the law requires (C.R.S. 12-245-304, 404, 504 and 604). Candidates are under the board's jurisdiction, so they appear on the lookup. Therapists usually tell you who supervises a candidate if you ask.

Postdoctoral fellows. A psychology license requires at least one year of supervised postdoctoral experience after the doctorate (C.R.S. 12-245-304). A postdoctoral fellow is in that stage. Colorado lets a person who has finished the doctorate and passed the jurisprudence exam register as a psychologist candidate.

Licensed social workers (LSW). An LSW has a master's degree in social work and has passed the jurisprudence exam. Colorado law lets an LSW practice social work under supervision, while an LCSW may practice clinical social work independently (C.R.S. 12-245-404 and 405).

Unlicensed psychotherapists. Part 7 of the Mental Health Practice Act keeps a public database of unlicensed psychotherapists. They must register and pass a jurisprudence exam, but they are not licensed. By law their disclosure must tell you they are not required to meet any standardized education or testing requirement, and they may not use words like licensed, certified, clinical or state-approved because of their listing (C.R.S. 12-245-216 and 12-245-703).

How to read a discipline record

DORA's FAQ says any public disciplinary action document can be found through the license lookup. Public outcomes listed on DORA's complaint page include a letter of admonition (a public reprimand), a fine, required continuing education, probation, suspension and revocation.

Not every complaint leaves a public trace. A board can dismiss a case with a confidential letter of concern, and DORA says Colorado law does not let boards release information about complaints when no public action was warranted. So a clean record means no public discipline. It does not mean no one ever complained.

Discipline comes from complaints. DORA reviews each one to see whether a law or rule may have been broken, may send it for investigation, and lets the board decide the outcome. A filed complaint cannot be withdrawn.

If you find a document, read it rather than the headline. Note what happened, when, and whether conditions such as probation are still in place. Then decide what feels right for you. Some people raise it with the therapist directly; others simply keep looking.

Telehealth and therapists licensed in other states

Colorado law lets a therapist who lives in another state and holds a license there provide services in Colorado for no more than 20 days a year, and only if they tell the public they are not licensed in Colorado (C.R.S. 12-245-217). For ongoing care, look for a Colorado credential.

Interstate compacts are changing this slowly. Colorado law provides for the state's participation in PSYPACT, the psychology compact that covers telepsychology (C.R.S. 12-245-308). Colorado is also a member of the Counseling Compact, but as of November 2026 the compact's own site says privileges to practice are live only for licensees in Arizona, Minnesota and Ohio. The telehealth therapy in Colorado guide explains why your location during sessions matters.

Next steps once the license checks out

Compare what you found with the therapist's written disclosure statement. Colorado law requires it to list their degrees, credentials and licenses, plus the board that regulates them. The Colorado therapy disclosure statement guide walks through the rest of that form.

A valid license is the floor, not the whole decision. Fit, approach and experience with your concern matter too. A short call such as a free therapy consultation can help you judge that. Mountainside lists each clinician's credentials on its team page, and its team includes a licensed psychologist, a licensed clinical social worker, licensed professional counselors and a postdoctoral fellow.

If something does not match, such as a title with no record, you can file a complaint with DORA (opens in a new tab) online or on paper. If you are struggling right now, skip the paperwork and call or text 988.

Frequently asked questions