Maryland requirements

LCPC requirements in Maryland

What it takes to become a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor in Maryland: 3,000 supervised hours over at least 3 years (master's); statute: 2 years postgraduate supervised experience, plus supervision, time limits, exams and whether you can be supervised by video. Every figure is sourced to the state board and dated.

Sourced to Maryland Board of Professional Counselors and TherapistsChecked September 25, 2026Not individually reviewed by a clinicianAbout this site

Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (professional counselor) · Maryland · regulated by Maryland Board of Professional Counselors and Therapists · high confidence

Pre-license credentialLGPC (Licensed Graduate Professional Counselor)
Supervised experienceMaster's: minimum 3 years and 3,000 hours of clinical professional counseling experience, ≥2,000 supervised as an LGPC after the master's (doctoral: 2,000 hours)
Direct client contact1,500 hours direct clinical counseling services (max 1,500 indirect)
Supervision100 hours face-to-face clinical supervision; ≥50 individual
Minimum time3 years (master's); statute: 2 years postgraduate supervised experience
Time limitLGPC license expires after 2 years; 2-year extensions up to a maximum of 6 years (longer by written request)
ExamsNCE (at LGPC stage) + Maryland Law Assessment; out-of-state LCPC applicants may show NCE or NCMHCE

Supervision

  • How much: 100 hours face-to-face clinical supervision; ≥50 individual
  • Group supervision: Max 50 of the 100 hours may be face-to-face group supervision
  • Who may supervise: Board-approved LCPC, LCMFT, LCPAT, LCADC or other licensed mental health provider; 2 years clinical practice; 3-credit supervision course, 18 CEUs, or NBCC ACS

When hours count and what to keep

  • Before your degree: Up to 1,000 hours may come from the graduate supervised field experience (practicum/internship)
  • Paperwork: Board-approved written contract for supervision before starting; supervisor files Board-approved supervisor application; both keep session logs 7 years

Can you be supervised remotely in Maryland?

Mostly, with some limits. What shapes this: state-only supervisor credential.

  • Video supervision: 'Face-to-face' supervision is defined to include synchronous video conferencing where both hear and see each other, so all 100 face-to-face supervision hours (≥50 individual) may be by video.
  • Phone only: not allowed (telephone and non-video internet communication excluded from face-to-face)
  • Supervisor licensed in Maryland? required (licensed by the Maryland Board in a listed clinical category, or a licensed mental health care provider approved by the Board)
  • Supervisor credential: Board-approved supervisor status: file the Board-approved supervisor application; 2 years clinical practice; 3 graduate credits in supervision, 18 CEUs, NBCC ACS or supervision training; ≥half of hours under an LCPC supervisor
  • Board approval first: Written contract for supervision on the Board-approved form signed before supervision starts, and supervisor files the Board-approved supervisor application before supervising; no Board sign-off on the individual contract found in the rule

The client’s location decides which state’s rules apply. This is not legal advice; confirm with the board before building a program. Compare every state on the remote-supervision map.

Recent and pending changes

COMAR 10.58.12 adopted in current form effective June 28, 2021.

In the board’s own words

“completed a minimum of 3 years and 3,000 hours of experience in clinical professional counseling” — COMAR 10.58.12.05A(2)✓ matched in the source
“100 hours of face-to-face clinical supervision hours ... of which: (i) A minimum of 50 hours shall be individual” — COMAR 10.58.12.05A(2)(g)✓ matched in the source
“may apply on a Board-approved form for a 2-year extension before the current license expiration, up to a maximum of 6 years” — COMAR 10.58.12.04F(2)✓ matched in the source
“in the physical presence of an individual or using video conferencing which allows individuals to hear and see each other in synchronous points of time” — COMAR 10.58.12.02B(7)(a)✓ matched in the source
““Face-to-face” does not include: (i) Telephone communication” — COMAR 10.58.12.02B(7)(b)✓ matched in the source
“An individual providing supervision shall be approved by the Board and licensed by the Board as a” — COMAR 10.58.12.08A✓ matched in the source
“File the completed Board-approved supervisor application form” — COMAR 10.58.12.08C(1)✓ matched in the source
“An independent supervisor in private practice.” — COMAR 10.58.12.08D✓ matched in the source
“Agree to and sign a written contract for supervision before initiating supervision” — COMAR 10.58.12.09A✓ matched in the source

Other licenses in Maryland

Sources

Checked against Maryland Board of Professional Counselors and Therapists’s rules, statutes and publications on September 25, 2026. The board decides; if your situation is unusual, confirm with them.

Track your hours as you earn them

Practice Harbor is free while you are pre-licensed. It counts your clinical hours from the sessions you mark as attended, and you can add outside hours by hand.

General information, not legal advice. Requirements are summarized from each state’s licensing board, statutes and regulations on the date shown; the board decides, and rules change. Becoming Licensed is not affiliated with any licensing board.