If you’re seeking licensure as a Professional Counselor in Texas, you can use Track Your Hours to view your progress at any point during your pre-licensure journey.
Note: For an overview of Track Your Hours, see Getting started with your Texas LPC account.
Below, we’ll cover:
Viewing your progress
When you log your hours, Track Your Hours will automatically validate these hours against your state’s requirements. To view how these valid hours have contributed to your overall totals, you can navigate to the Progress page.
Note: While the Hours page displays all recorded hours, the Progress page only displays valid hours. Valid hours are your recorded hours minus any hours invalidated by license requirements. To learn more, see Understanding recorded vs. valid hours.
On the Progress page, you’ll see your license requirements divided into experience hours, supervision hours, and months of supervision. For more information about a category:
- Click View details
- Hover your mouse over the i icon to learn more about the category and your state’s requirements
Understanding your requirements
According to the Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council (BHEC), LPC Associates must meet the following requirements:
- 3,000 supervised experience hours completed over the course of 18 or more months
- This must include at least 1,500 hours of direct counseling
- A minimum of 4 direct supervision hours per month in individual (up to 2 Associates) or group (3 or more) settings
- No more than 50% of the total supervision hours can be received in group supervision
Note: For more information, see the Texas Administrative Code - Experience Requirements.
When you log hours in your account, they’re categorized into experience hours, supervision hours, and months of supervision.
Experience hours
The BHEC requires that LPC Associates complete 3,000 experience hours. This “consist[s] primarily of the provision of direct counseling services within a professional relationship to clients by using a combination of mental health and human development principles, methods, and techniques to achieve the mental, emotional, physical, social, moral, educational, spiritual, or career-related development and adjustment of the client throughout the client's life.”
While your 3,000 experience hours can include both direct and indirect counseling, you must complete at least 1,500 hours of direct counseling:
- Direct counseling is defined as “time spent counseling clients”
- This includes work you do when meeting with clients, whether in individual counseling, family or couples counseling, or group counseling settings
- Indirect counseling is defined as “time spent in management, administration or other aspects of counseling service ancillary to direct client contact”
- This includes work you do in support of providing counseling services that doesn’t involve direct client contact
- This may include, but isn’t limited to, reviewing assessments, writing progress notes and treatment plans, consulting with community resources and other providers, research, and facilitating referrals
Note: To learn more, see the Texas Administrative Code - Definitions and the Licensed Professional Counselor Act. If you need help determining which activities qualify as indirect counseling, please consult your supervisor.
Supervision hours
The BHEC requires that LPC Associates complete 4+ hours of supervision per month. This can be completed in an individual or group setting, though no more than 50% of your total supervision hours can be received in group supervision.
Note: The BHEC defines individual supervision as supervision between a supervisor and 1-2 Associates, and group supervision as supervision between a supervisor and 3 or more Associates. Triadic supervision can be logged under individual supervision.
According to the Texas Administrative Code, LPC Associates can have up to 2 supervisors at one time.
Months of supervision
Months of supervision totals the number of months in which you’ve logged at least 4 supervision hours.
According to the BHEC, you must meet your license requirements in a period that’s no less than 18 months and no more than 60 months.
FAQs
- What happens if I don’t complete my requirements within 60 months?
- What if I can’t claim 4+ hours of supervision in a month?
- Can I receive supervision by phone or videoconferencing?
What happens if I don’t complete my requirements within 60 months?
If you don’t meet all of your license requirements within the 60-month (or 5-year) period covered by your LPC Associate license, you’ll need to reapply for a new Associate license and restart your progress toward the required experience and supervision hours.
What if I can’t claim 4+ hours of supervision in a month?
If you can’t meet the minimum requirement of 4 supervision hours in a month, your supervisor can approve, in writing, an extended leave of 1 month or more. You can submit this documentation with your application.
Can I receive supervision by phone or videoconferencing?
The BHEC doesn’t explicitly address supervision by phone or videoconferencing in their rules and regulations. We recommend following your supervisor’s guidance or contacting the board directly.
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