In my book, The Beginning Counselor’s Survival Guide, my main goal is to simplify the difficult-to-understand. For a career that is all about helping people, we certainly do make it complicated to get into sometimes! In my private Facebook group for counselors in training, I get questions all the time, many of them starting with, “What do they mean by _______?”
The fact is, with counseling licensure, as well as with counseling practice, there are a lot of gray areas.
“This means this if this is the case…unless of course, this happens.”
That’s why I wanted to take this opportunity to clear up some of the confusion, specifically about the concept of HOURS. By that I mean the specific number of hours we as counselors (or psychologists, marriage and family therapists, or other behavioral health professionals) are required to earn in order to switch from a provisionally licensed mental health professional to the real deal.
Each state has a different requirement. My home state of Texas requires 3,000 hours to earn an LPC license. New Jersey requires 4,500, and Oregon only 2,400.
In addition, there are hours requirements before a degree is completed, generally called Practicum hours, and requirements after a degree is completed, generally called Internship hours. Some universities also call pre-graduate hours “internships”. For clarity’s sake, when I say the word “internship” here, I mean only post-graduate internship hours.
So what’s a brand-new therapist to do with all this information?
If I took a poll today of the people in the Beginning Counselor Facebook group, I’d guess about half of them have a good idea of what hours are but have trouble accumulating the hours they need. The other half would probably not report trouble accumulating hours, but would admit struggling with knowing whether those hours are completely legitimate. Both groups are smart and capable, but they suffer from a lack of clear information. I’d like to address both issues in this article. Below, I will go through some of the terms often associated with counting “hours” and explain them in more detail.
My hope is that by the end of this article, those of you who don’t know what an hour is will have a better understanding, and those of you who need hours will have some fresh ideas for how to earn them!
Let’s jump right in!
(Required disclaimer: Since I can’t possibly be the expert on every state’s standards, don’t risk it. Check my information with your supervisor and/or state licensing board to make doubly sure.)
What is a Counseling Hour?
A counseling hour is a face-to-face session with a client. If your sessions don’t typically last 60 minutes, check with your supervisor about how close it has to be to round up to a clinical hour. Co-therapy also counts as a counseling hour, as long as you are actively participating in a therapeutic role. A certain number of your counseling hours may also be group counseling hours. Telephone counseling may be allowed in some cases, as well as some forms of online therapy.
Earn More Counseling Hours: Team up with a fellow intern to start a low-cost group you can lead together. Potential hours increase: 2-3 a week.
What is “Professional Development”?
Professional development includes professional conferences, such as the American Counseling Association annual conference, educational seminars, webinars, or time spent in special training or certification. If you haven’t graduated yet, professional development may also include sitting in certain classes and/or completing your homework!
Earn More Professional Development Hours: Visit a CEU provider and take part in trainings to earn professional development hours. You might check out AllCEUs.com and enroll in their E-Therapy Certificate, earning 20 hours, or join ACA as a student member and get a free CE every month. That would be 12 extra hours this year!
What is “Case Management”?
Case management will overlap somewhat with the next category of record-keeping, but don’t sweat it. Either way, the point is, it should count! Case management has to do with referring clients out to other counselors or social service agencies, as well as time spent evaluating whether a client being referred to you is a good match for your skill set. If you’re on the phone with CPS or filling out paperwork for Crime Victims services, this is case management. Taking notes, filling out forms, responding to a subpoena, administration, and filing, should all be case management.
Earn More Case Management Hours: Go the extra mile and call a client’s insurance provider to see if they are covered for your services. The time spent on the phone should be an hour – and believe me, with an insurance company you’ll be spending at LEAST an hour on the phone! Or, call another local counselor and find out more about what kinds of cases they see. You’ll have an expert to refer to if you get a case that’s too complicated for you to treat on your own, and get great experience in networking. That will serve you well if you decide to enter private practice – AND count for an hour.
What is “Record-Keeping”?
Record-keeping is treatment planning, assessment, administration, scheduling, paperwork, responding to subpoenas, and more.
Earn More Record-Keeping Hours: Give your office manager the day off and start organizing the piles of files that need to be allocated and alphabetized. Good for 1-5 extra hours a week, depending on how backed up your office is. Or if you’d like to focus more on client work, I highly recommend reading the PracticePlanners series. They have dozens of titles on treatment planning, from addiction to adolescents to couples. Utilizing these tools to help plan your client sessions could be worth several hours.
What is “Research”?
Research might be finding out more about a particular disorder by reading the DSM-5, a psychological journal, or books from qualified authors. It also might be conducting research yourself or with a group, as well as time spent developing and writing about the results. It could be interviewing a person who has a particular disorder, or a practitioner who has developed a unique technique.
Earn More Research Hours: Develop a short survey for your fellow professionals on favorite marketing techniques, ways they’ve dealt with difficult clients, or professional boundaries. Writing, distributing, and analyzing the survey could be worth 5-20 hours.
What is “Supervision”?
Supervision is both time spent in supervision sessions with your supervisor and time outside asking questions, writing emails, and talking to them on the phone. It is not talking to other people who are learned about counseling, as that would be more research or observation. Your supervisor is the only one who can deliver supervision, although it can be either in a group or one-on-one (usually more of your hours must be one-on-one rather than in a group).
Earn More Supervision Hours: Ask your supervisor if you can complete an additional assignment for him or her and take 30 minutes to discuss the results. Whether you record an extra session or write a case study, the time spent doing so could be another 1-2 hours.
What is “Observation”?
Observation hours include watching any other counselor or intern perform therapy, either in the room with them or through a two-way mirror. It might also include watching fellow students role-play in class, or watching a session recorded. Double-check with your supervisor, but you might also get to count observation if you watch your office manager teach you how to file insurance claims.
Earn More Observation Hours: Check out a professional development website like Psychotherapy.net and watch recorded counseling sessions. The hours you could accrue are nearly limitless!
What is “Consultation”?
Consultation is a skill you will need to develop as a licensed counselor or psychologist when you’re determining what’s called “standard of care.” This is a real case of it being okay to do it if “everybody else is doing it.” When you’re unsure about a diagnosis, a style of treatment, or a client’s behavior, talk to another professional. Ask what they think, and whenever possible, get more than one opinion! The more people that concur with a course of action, the more likely it is that that is the right step to take.
Earn More Consultation Hours: Find out if you have a local private practice consultation group. Start by asking your supervisor – if he or she doesn’t know of one, ask if there’s someone they know that might. Sitting in on these groups can be incredibly valuable to your clinical development – and count as hours for every meeting!
Get more hours TODAY!
In addition, here are a few other ideas you might use to get more hours TODAY.
- Start a blog. If it’s on a counseling-related topic, you should be able to count the time spent researching and writing.
- Subscribe to the blog of the American Counseling Association and check out Time2Track’s blog. Reading their blogs are professional development and/or research hours.
- Search for an internship and take on a second site.
- Register and record hours at with Time2Track (they’re record-keeping hours!).
- Join the free Facebook group for new counselors. Group members are always sharing CE events, workshops, certifications, articles, and more that can help with accruing your hours.
It can be difficult earning hours, but so is everything worth doing. I know you can do this, and I hope some of these tips have helped you get a jump-start on the process. I believe in you!
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in May 2012, and again in February 2020, and has been completely updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
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- What Counts? Tracking Hours. - November 9, 2022
Another great way to earn a few hours is to become a Guest Blogger for Time2Track! Email us at [email protected] if you’re interested.
If I teach a psychology class at the local junior college can I count that towards LPC hours? I am in Texas?
Hi Jennifer,
Did you ever get an answer from the LPC board about this?
Hey Jennifer! I would think that those hours would count toward your experience, but I’d definitely check with the Texas State Licensing Board to make sure.
I’ll check for sure. Thank you.
Is there any way to get paid (even if it is a small amount) while doing the 3000 clock hours?
Hi Kidada – many internships offer stipends for interns, so definitely check on that when you’re researching training opportunities!
If I’m providing TF-CBT to children and their families, how can I add family therapy on the same day as individual therapy for a client? It seems like I can only have one or the other.
Thanks,
Alexis
Hi Alexis – sorry for the delay in responding! You can certainly add both types of therapy, but you’ll need to add them as two separate activities in Time2Track. Hope that helps!
How do I track hours that I spend as a peer supervisor? I am not receiving supervision from a peer. I am providing peer supervision. Thanks in advance!
Hi,
It seems unclear to me whether administering neuropsychological and psychological testing counts as client hours. I am spending 4 hours at a time working directly with patients but I am afraid this may only count as assessment? Thanks!
Is there a place in the Texas LPC Board’s site that says that 20 minutes face to face = 1 direct counseling hour? Thank you!
Hi Linda,
Wondering if you ever received a response to your question? Thanks
Linda and Hollis,
Apologies for not getting back with you sooner.
Because your supervisor will be signing off on your hours and their interpretation for how face to face and direct counseling hours count relative to one another could vary, I would first check with your supervisor to get their interpretation of this. You could also try contacting the Texas State Licensing Board directly.
Best of luck to you!
Hi, I was just wondering if weekly supervision counted towards my hours? If so, is it counted as indirect? Thanks for your help.
Mary
Yes! Weekly supervision should count toward your hours. Make sure to check with the licensing board for your state to see where it should be counted. In Time2Track we use a separate category to track supervision hours.
Thanks so much for getting back with me. I am from Texas and I contacted the LPC board this morning. You are right. Supervision counts under indirect hours. I hope this helps others who have the same question.
Can hours obtained in a school counseling setting count towards LPC hours in Texas
Stacy,
Yes, school counseling hours can be used for LPC hours. Most of my internship hours have been working as a school counselor.
Great site! Would academic advising for a university count as direct hours in Texas?
I am Very interesting in learning the answer to this question. Did you call the board to ask?
Hi Amanda,
Just wondering if you ever got an answer from the LPC board about this.
Thanks @disqus_IYqNJmqTZE:disqus! I would check with the Texas state licensing board to see if these hours would count. You may also want to ask your supervisor for their input. Anyone else have any feedback from similar experiences?
Hello,
If you have your LAC in NJ, does your job have to be in the same state in order to have the hours count? I found a master’s level counseling position in NY state that does not require licensure and I have a clinical supervisor in NJ. Thanks!
I am also interested in finding this out since I work in NM and have my Texas LPC-I. Thanks for asking
Does supervision of a two-person team in Family Based Mental Health Services count for LPC, LCSW, or LMFT hours in PA? This is separate from Group Supervision, and includes only the Master’s level and Bachelor’s level staff covering a single caseload. Does it count for Individual supervision since there is only one Master’s level supervisee acting as the clinical lead for the team’s shared caseload?
Hi Jacklyn – Sorry for the delay in responding! I don’t believe the job would need to be in the same state, but definitely check with NJ to be safe.
Hi Cathy – Sorry for the delay in responding! I would think that this would count as group supervision since there are multiple supervisees present. However, I would definitely check with PA to be sure of their definition of group vs. individual supervision.
Good evening. I am in NY and when I get a new client I read up on their disorder or diagnosis and then research treatment ideas, worksheets, activities, etc. I also do this for regular clients to keep them engaged and interested. Can this be used towards my supervised hours?
Hi Danielle – The New York State Certification of Supervised Experience form 4B states “The practice of Mental Health Counseling is defined as the evaluation, assessment, amelioration, treatment, modification, or adjustment to a disability, problem, or disorder of behavior, character, development, emotion, personality or relationships by the use of verbal or behavioral methods with individuals, couples, families or groups in private practice, group, or organized settings; and is the use of assessment instruments and Mental Health Counseling and psychotherapy to identify, evaluate and treat dysfunctions and disorders for purposes of providing appropriate Mental Health Counseling services.” According to this definition, I believe your indirect activities would count toward your supervised hours. However, I definitely suggest double-checking with your supervisor just in case.
Just to follow up on my own question. I asked the state of NY directly about what counts towards supervising hours. While this may be different in other states, but in NY blogging, running pre-marital counseling sessions at your local church or anything of the sort is NOT allowed in NY.
Hi Danielle – Thank you for sharing that information!
Stephanie- Your article was very helpful in bring clarity to my question- What do they mean by “hours”? It heightened my enthusiasm for keeping track of my hours. I feel like I got a bonus at work! I had no idea I could count so many different blocks of time toward my LPC!!
Juanita
Juanita
Quick question. What counts as “Administration” hours? Does that include client note-taking? If not, what is actually included in that category?
When counting our LPC-I hours, should we round up? And if so, how so (i.e., to nearest 15 minute, 30 minute, hour increment)?
Hi Yvonne – Usually you can round up, but you will want to check with your specific state about their requirements.
I am actually earning more direct than indirect hours. In the state of Texas the requirement reads that we need to have a total of 3000 hours, with “at least 1500 direct hours”. There’s no specific requirement for indirect hours. So, if for example I complete 2000 direct, and 1000 indirect, that should meet the requirement by my understanding. However, others interpret this requirement as 1500 of each. I would appreciate your thoughts.
Hi Rachel – I would think this would mean that you need at least 1500 direct hours with the rest being indirect. So if you ended up with 1800 direct hours, you’d need 1200 indirect to meet the total hours requirement for Texas. Most organizations place a higher priority on direct experience. I’d also suggest reaching out to the Texas licensing board to confirm.
Hello,
I am in Texas and my student practicum consisted primarily of assessment administration. I am unsure how strict the licensing board is, but it is my understanding that 100 of the 300 student practicum hours needed to consist of counseling. If it is determined that my practicum does not meet the licensure requirements, is it common practice for a state board to allow this requirement to be supplemented in another way?
I have worked as a vocational rehabilitation counselor for the past 2.5 years and have completed thousands of hours of counseling with my clients, it would seem somewhat pedantic to withhold licensure simply because the counseling did not occur in a practicum setting.
Any advice you have to offer is appreciated.
Thank you,
Forrest
Hi Forrest – I would definitely reach out to the Texas licensing board about whether you can count your past counseling hours.
I am a practicum student (LPC) at an adolescent program and the last two weeks they have been sticking my on school duty. I do about 6 hours a day between elementry, middle, and high school, helping them with assignments etc. Does this count as indirect as I am not doing therapeutic work?
Hi Shaunessey – This is probably a better question for your state’s licensing board, but it doesn’t sound like this type of work would be considered a direct face-to-face counseling session with a client.
How do I count for hours (in TrackYourhours) where I teach a class to clients – under “Group Counseling?”
Thank you for your consideration and reply.
Regards, Lee
Hi Lee – “Group Counseling” may be a good fit, but we’re not familiar with TrackYourHours’ interface and the activity types they provide. This is probably a better question for their Customer Support team or your state’s licensing board.
Someone already asked this about another state but does anyone know if TX would allow me to count hours completed in the state of NM? I work in NM but am working towards my TX LPC.
Hi,
I am looking to do volunteer work, but one of the positions open is more of helping with a support group. I am curious to know if support groups count as psychoeducational? I am going to double check with the board as well, but I didn’t know if you had any insight.
Hello! I am
Embarking upon starting my LPC internship and was wondering if you know whether I can be supervised by an LCSW-S instead of an LPC-I?
PS – I’m in TX
When you say internship do you mean your graduate school internship? or your post-grad internship? In TX you can only be supervised by an LPC-S.
Are these tips for those in grad school or are they mostly for already practicing graduate students towards full licensure?
Hi,
I am a Ph.D. level associate professor of Psychology at a university. I am retooling for my LPC, and wondered if I can count any of the hours I spend teaching Psychology courses toward my 3000 hour requirement as indirect hours?
I am in exactly the same position in NY. I don’t believe teaching counts here, but I wonder if running a psycho educational group with students would count. Interested in any feedback.
Hello,
Was wondering how you account for clients who do not show up to appointments. Do those hours still count somewhere?
Thank you.
Liz
How would a practicum student log, say, observation hours accrued from watching videos on Psychotherapy.net? What should I list for “Placement”, “Supervisor”, and “Treatment Setting”? And, ultimately, who would sign off on these hours?
I’m working as a psychologist. My supervisor wants to charge me for vetting reports that I’ve written (though it is compulsory in her clinic). Can vetting of reports and WhatsApp messages be charged as supervision hours?
Hi does this site provide a way to count accrued hours needed for supervised professional experience with the State of California through the Board of Psychology for a clinical psychology PhD degree?
I have a weekly log and these are the categories I have: individual, group, family/couple, career, consultation, psycho-ed., testing, school, research, and other. I don’t know if doing notes/paperwork would count towards any of these or possibly other. This is in Missouri.