Licensed Professional Counselor Supervision

Step-by-Step Application Process

• Plan ahead, as the process for becoming licensed in the state in which you intend to practice oftentimes takes several months.  Many states designate a counselor under supervision as a Provisional Licensed Professional Counselor (PLPC).  This will be your license for the (minimum) two years while you are under supervision.  Upon successful completion you will then be eligible to apply for a fully licensed LPC (which allows you to practice on your own).  Before practicing, you must first apply through the state licensing board in the state where you intend to practice (those websites with applications are listed below).  There is an application fee that is usually around $100-$150.
  

• To be eligible for supervision you must have conferred your masters or doctoral degree in mental health counseling (or other eligible field) and have requested your school to send official transcripts to the licensing board (usu. costs $15-$20 - you do not need to pay extra for expedited shipping)

• You must have completed the appropriate college courses required to become an LPC or PLPC and have documented this in your application (if you come from a CACREP accredited college than your class work will likely meet all of these requirements, if not you may have to take an additional class or prove to the board documentation proving that a particular class meets their requirement).  Individuals with non-clinical focused masters degrees will likely not qualify.
  

• You must have completed a college internship/practicum with the required number of clinical hours (which is often approximately 600-900 hours of clinical-related time, which means anything related to counseling and approximately 100 hours of face-to-face clinical time).

• You must have also completed all requirements listed on the application with the state licensing board in which you plan to practice (see link below for website and application).  This  may include professional reference letters (including one from your internship supervisor), and a jurisprudence ethics exam (you can take on-line through their website), as well as an in-person finger-printing and background check (around $40)
  

• After you find a supervisor you will have to complete a Supervision Plan and application and submit that plan to the licensing board for approval to be supervised.   If you have ever been convicted of a felony or higher, you cannot go through this process until you have met face-to-face with the licensing board review committee.

• Once you have completed the LPC or PLPC application process you will be eligible to take the NBCC (National Board for Certified Counselors) NCE exam (National Counselor Exam - which costs around $150) and you will have to schedule to take that exam at a local testing center (offered monthly) and in some states you will need to pass that exam before you can begin practicing under supervision.

• After you have completed all of the steps above it often takes 1-3 months for the state licensing board to approve everything and issue you a license to practice under supervision.  Once you are licensed to begin practicing under supervision you will then be eligible to count your hours towards your license to practice on your own.  Any hours completed prior to being provisionally licensed will not qualify and cannot be applied towards licensure.

Requirements During Supervision

• In order to complete the supervision process and move on to practice on your own you will need to accrue at least 2000 hours of clinical time (meaning anything related to counseling, with approximately 200 hours of face to face counseling) over the course of a minimum of two years before you will be eligible to practice on your own.  Since these hours oftentimes change, check your state's application to verify specific hours needed. 

• In order to practice within most private practices you will be required to have your own professional practice liability insurance (which is approx. $200/year).  The most common insurer is HPSO - Healthcare Providers Service Organization.  You can apply and complete payment on-line at hpso.com (usually with approval on the same day). 

• During the two years you are under supervision you will be required to have regular weekly face-to-face supervision with your supervisor (at least 1 hour per week that you are practicing).  If you are not practicing for that week (vacation or holiday) you are not required to meet.  However that week will not count towards your 2000 hours of clinical time. 

• Most private practice supervisors charge supervisees between $75-$150/hr for supervision.  In other situations you can become employed (sometimes paid, oftentimes unpaid) by an institution like a mental health clinic or hospital and in some cases they will provide free supervision in return for your work).  

• Keep in mind that your supervisor must have the appropriate license in order to qualify as an approved supervisor for your own licensure.  In many states your supervisor must also be physically located or affiliated with the same location in which you practice.  Make sure you pay attention to this, as some clinics or hospitals will offer you supervision from an LCSW (licensed clinical social worker) or LCP (licesned clinical psychotherapist - masters level psychologist) which may not qualify as an appropriate supervisor for the license you are seeking.

Supervisor's Duties

(Supervision shall include but is not limited to the following)

(1) Monitoring the supervisee's activities to verify s/he is providing services that meet generally accepted standards of practice;

(2) Verifying that it is the practice of any supervisee to provide the mandatory disclosure of imminent risks;

(3) If appropriate, verifying that clients are informed as to any changes in the supervisory relationship;

(4) Giving an adequate termination of supervision notice to the supervisee;

(5) Keeping records that document supervision that meet the generally accepted standards of practice;

(6) Assisting the supervisee in becoming aware of and adhering to all legal, ethical, and professional responsibilities;

(7) Assuring that no inappropriate relationships exist between the supervisor and supervisee, and supervisor and client;

(8) Assuring the supervisee meets any licensing, certification or registration requirements prior to engaging in any psychotherapy;

(9) Assisting to assure that the supervisee is in compliance with the Mental Health Practice Act;

(10) Verifying and assuring the supervisee is in compliance with any existing restricted licensure, certification or registration status or probation.

Pros/Cons of Private Practice vs. Institution

• The advantage of working in a clinic or hospital is that clients will be provided for you (in some cases a low volume, in others a high volume) and you will have the resources of the hospital or clinic at your disposal.  The disadvantage is that you will have set hours and oftentimes lower pay.  Keep in mind that it is often harder to find opportunities in clinics and hospitals as they fill up fast and sometimes have a longer hiring process.  Sometimes hospital settings have more diverse clients, but sometimes your role within the organization may put you in situations where you are doing the same task over and over with very similar types of clients.  For example in a hospital intake setting you will primarily be assessing patients for risk of self harm and criteria that may qualify them for admission and nothing else. 

• The advantage to private practice is that you have the potential to make more money, will have more flexible hours, there may be more opportunities available in terms of diversity in scope of practice, and you will have already established a client base by the time you are on your own.  The start-up time may also include a faster process before you start working.  The disadvantage is that you will have to market yourself (with assistance of your supervisor) and bring in your own clients.  You may also receive referrals from other clinicians or your supervisor. 

State Licensing Board Requirements for Licensed Professional Counselors

Supervision Opportunities with Dr. Peterson's Counseling Practice

• Dr. Peterson may offer some opportunities for combined marketing, office space, and supervision (like a hospital setting).  The way your compensation works in private practice is that all client payments go through your supervisor and then you receive a pay check from your supervisor without taxes deducted.  This means you will have to pay your own taxes (which is a fairly easy process). 

• If you are accepted as a supervisee you will complete a supervision plan or supervision agreement that spells out licensed professional counselor supervision requirements.  You are free to discontinue supervision at any time and your hours will still count towards licensure.  In other words you are not required to receive supervision from the same supervisor over the course of your supervision.