Licensed Professional Counselor (professional counselor) · Missouri · regulated by Missouri Committee for Professional Counselors (Division of Professional Registration) · high confidence
| Pre-license credential | PLPC (Provisional Licensed Professional Counselor) or CIT (counselor-in-training, registered supervision) |
|---|---|
| Supervised experience | A minimum of three thousand (3,000) total hours of supervised counseling experience, in no more than sixty (60) calendar months (master's); 1,500 hours (specialist/doctoral) |
| Direct client contact | minimum 1,200 of the 3,000 hours direct client contact (defined in rule as face-to-face, in the same room) |
| Minimum time | 24 calendar months of continuous supervised experience (master's); 12 months (specialist/doctoral) |
| Time limit | 60 calendar months (master's); 36 months (specialist/doctoral). PLPC valid at least 2 years, extendable for good cause |
| Exams | NCE (for PLPC and LPC); written open-book exam on Missouri laws and regulations (jurisprudence) |
Supervision
- How often: at least 1 hour of face-to-face supervision per week; at least 2 weeks each month individual
- Group supervision: up to 2 weeks each month may be 1-hour group supervision; no more than 3 supervisees per group
- Who may supervise: Registered supervisor: Missouri LPC, psychologist, or psychiatrist with ≥2 years licensed experience plus documented supervision training; max 3 supervisees without committee approval
When hours count and what to keep
- Before your degree: not counted; experience begins after the counseling degree is conferred and supervision is registered and approved
- Paperwork: Registration of supervision / change of supervision application (committee form); supervisor certifies completion on a committee form
Can you be supervised remotely in Missouri?
Yes by video, but the supervisor needs a state-specific supervisor credential and the board must approve the arrangement first. What shapes this: state-only supervisor credential, prior board approval.
- Video supervision: Required weekly 1-hour 'face-to-face' supervision (individual at least 2 weeks/month; group up to 2 weeks/month) may be met by electronic communication only if contemporaneously visually and verbally interactive.
- Phone only: not allowed (must be visually and verbally interactive)
- In-person minimum: None for supervision. But the 1,200 direct-client-contact hours (600 for specialist/doctoral route) must be face-to-face with the client 'in the same room'.
- Supervisor licensed in Missouri? other: rule says a registered supervisor 'in Missouri' must be currently licensed as LPC, psychologist or psychiatrist; it does not expressly say a Missouri license (out-of-state experience is reviewed under the other state's license)
- Supervisor credential: Committee-registered supervisor: LPC, psychologist or psychiatrist (not LCSW) licensed at least 2 years, with documented supervision training/experience (resume or vitae). No separate supervisor license.
- Supervisee cap: no more than 3 CITs/PLPCs at one time without a written request to the committee; group supervision limited to 3 supervisees
- Board approval first: required: supervision arrangements must be approved by the committee. The start date is when the complete application is received, subject to approval. Changes must be filed within 15 working days.
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
RSMo 337.510 amended 2023 (HB 115 & 99, SB 70, SB 157); rule 2095-2.010 amended eff. April 30, 2024 (60-hour degree for enrollment on/after Aug 28, 2023). Supervised-experience rule 2095-2.020 dates from 2009.
Where the rules are unclear
Missouri’s own documents disagree or are silent on these points. Ask the board if they affect you:
- The LPC FAQ (p.1) defines direct client contact as 'face to face counseling with an individual or group' without 'same room'. 20 CSR 2095-2.020(4)(C)1 requires 'in the same room'. Do synchronous video sessions count as direct client contact?
- Must the registered supervisor of in-state experience hold a Missouri license? 20 CSR 2095-2.021(1) says 'in Missouri shall be currently licensed' without naming the licensing state.
In the board’s own words
“A minimum of three thousand (3,000) total hours of supervised counseling experience.” — 20 CSR 2095-2.020(4)(A)✓ matched in the source
“shall obtain, in no more than sixty (60) calendar months” — 20 CSR 2095-2.020(4)✓ matched in the source
“A minimum of twenty-four (24) calendar months of continuous supervised counseling experience.” — 20 CSR 2095-2.020(4)(B)✓ matched in the source
“shall receive at least one (1) hour of face-to-face supervision per week from the registered supervisor” — 20 CSR 2095-2.020(7)✓ matched in the source
“is not acceptable for meeting the supervisory requirement of this rule unless the communication is contemporaneously or simultaneously visually and verbally interactive” — 20 CSR 2095-2.020(7)(C)✓ matched in the source
“shall receive at least one (1) hour of face-to-face supervision per week from the registered supervisor” — 20 CSR 2095-2.020(7)✓ matched in the source
“The use of electronic communication, to include a cellular telephone or Internet, is not acceptable” — 20 CSR 2095-2.020(7)(C)✓ matched in the source
“face-to-face interaction between the client/patient or group and the counselor-in-training or provisional licensed professional counselor in the same room” — 20 CSR 2095-2.020(4)(C)1✓ matched in the source
“A minimum of twelve hundred (1,200) hours of the three thousand (3,000) hours of supervised counseling experience shall be direct client contact.” — 20 CSR 2095-2.020(4)(C)✓ matched in the source
“a registered supervisor for a counselor-in-training or provisional licensed professional counselor in Missouri shall be currently licensed either as a professional counselor, psychologist, or psychiatrist” — 20 CSR 2095-2.021(1)✓ matched in the source
“A minimum of two (2) years experience as a licensed professional counselor, licensed psychologist, or psychiatrist” — 20 CSR 2095-2.021(2)(B)✓ matched in the source
“A licensed clinical social worker cannot provide supervision for licensure.” — Committee for Professional Counselors FAQ p.2✓ checked by hand
6 more quotes are in the state explorer.
Other licenses in Missouri
- LMFT (marriage and family therapist)
- LCSW (clinical social worker)
- Psychologist
- All Missouri licenses · every state
Sources
- 20 CSR 2095-2.020(3)-(8) (Code of State Regulations, 3/31/24, p.4-5)
- RSMo 337.510.2(2) and 337.510.4
- Committee for Professional Counselors FAQ (LPCFAQ.pdf) p.1-2
- Committee for Professional Counselors Telehealth letter, Sept. 23, 2024
- Committee for Professional Counselors, Counselor Compact Update page
Checked against Missouri Committee for Professional Counselors (Division of Professional Registration)’s rules, statutes and publications on September 25, 2026. The board decides; if your situation is unusual, confirm with them.