Licensed Professional Counselor (professional counselor) · Pennsylvania · regulated by State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors · high confidence
| Pre-license credential | Licensed Associate Professional Counselor (LAPC) |
|---|---|
| Supervised experience | Master's: at least 3,000 hours after completing 48 semester hours of graduate coursework; doctoral: 2,400 hours, 1,200 after the doctorate |
| Direct client contact | At least one-half of the experience in listed clinical services; board verification form: 1,500 of 3,000 hours face-to-face direct client contact |
| Supervision | 2 hours of supervision per 40 hours of experience (≈150 hours for 3,000) |
| Minimum time | 2 years |
| Time limit | 6 years |
| Weekly cap | Single setting 30-40 hrs/week (≥3 months) or ≥15 hrs/week (≥6 months); 500-1,800 hours credited per 12 months |
| Exams | NCE (NBCC), CRC, ATCB, CBMT, NAMP, AAODA (IC&RC) or EMAC (NBCC) |
Supervision
- How much: 2 hours of supervision per 40 hours of experience (≈150 hours for 3,000)
- How often: Minimum 2 hours for every 40 hours of supervised clinical experience
- Group supervision: Of each 2 hours, ≥1 individual and in person; 1 may be group; supervisor ≤6 supervisees at once
- Who may supervise: ≥1/2 of hours by an LPC with 5 years' experience in the last 10; others: licensee with related master's and 5 years in field in last 10
When hours count and what to keep
- Before your degree: Master's-track hours may be earned after completing 48 semester (72 quarter) hours of graduate coursework, i.e. possibly before the degree
- Paperwork: Verification of Supervised Clinical Experience (Part A supervisor qualifications, Part B hours), completed and sent by each supervisor
Can you be supervised remotely in Pennsylvania?
Yes. Required supervision can be done entirely by live video, with no in-person minimum.
- Video supervision: Codified § 49.13(b)(5) requires ≥2 h supervision per 40 h, ≥1 h individual and "in person"; the board's statement of policy (§ 49.101, Annex A posted on the board site) treats HIPAA-compliant synchronous audio+video as "in person". Both parties must be in a professional, secure setting (no coffee shops or libraries).
- Phone only: not allowed (telephone, email, chat excluded)
- In-person minimum: None in practice: the codified "in person" individual hour is satisfied by synchronous video under the board policy
- Supervisor licensed in Pennsylvania? other: rules and Act 4 require a license but do not say it must be a Pennsylvania license
- Supervisee cap: ≤6 supervisees at the same time per supervisor (hardship exception on written request)
- Board approval first: LAPC application must include a supervision plan (job description and every location where client contact and supervision occur) and each supervisor's CV; board will not review the application until all are received. The associate license is optional; the non-associate route has no pre-approval step in the Pa. Code.
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
Act 4 of 2024 created the LAPC (biennial, ≤3 renewals). Proposed rules 16A-6927 (Act 4 implementation, 56 Pa.B. Jan 10 2026) and 16A-6923 (general revisions, Feb 28 2026) not final; 6923 would allow fully video supervision and drop the 500/1,800 12-month limits
Where the rules are unclear
Pennsylvania’s own documents disagree or are silent on these points. Ask the board if they affect you:
- The in-person interpretations (§§ 47.101/48.101/49.101) are a board-posted "Annex A" statement of policy; they were not found codified in the Pa. Code chapters read (current through July 2026). Is the policy still in force and is it published in the Pennsylvania Bulletin?
- Must the supervisor hold a Pennsylvania license, or does any US license satisfy "holds a license" (§§ 47.1a/48.3/49.3) and Act 4's "current and active license"?
- The board's Attachment A verification forms (IRRC #3474, proposed) say 1,500 hours "must be face-to-face direct client contact in person*", with the asterisk pointing to the video-supervision interpretation. Do telehealth client sessions count as in-person direct contact?
In the board’s own words
“The supervised clinical experience shall be completed in no less than 2 years and no more than 6 years” — 49 Pa. Code § 49.13✓ matched in the source
“no less than 500 hours and no more than 1,800 hours may be credited in any 12 month period” — 49 Pa. Code § 49.13✓ matched in the source
“shall meet with the supervisee for a minimum of 2 hours for every 40 hours of supervised clinical experience” — 49 Pa. Code § 49.13✓ matched in the source
“at least 3,000 hours of supervised clinical experience ... obtained after the completion of 48 semester hours or 72 quarter hours of graduate coursework” — 49 Pa. Code § 49.13✓ matched in the source
“the license shall be eligible for no more than three renewals” — HB 1564 PN 2568 (Act 4 of 2024), §7(f.1)(2)✓ matched in the source
“individuals are not required to obtain or maintain the associate license and may continue to pursue full licenses without first obtaining the associate license” — IRRC #3474 (16A-6927) Regulatory Analysis Form✓ matched in the source
“It shall be unlawful for any person to engage in the independent practice of” — Act 4 of 2024, § 20(a)✓ matched in the source
“1,500 hours must be face-to-face direct client contact in person*. The other 1,500 hours may be other non-direct clinical work” — Board Verification of Supervised Clinical Experience form (IRRC #3474 Attachment A)✓ matched in the source
“at least 30 hours per week but no more than 40 hours per week during at least a 3-month period” — 49 Pa. Code § 49.13(b)(8)✓ matched in the source
“the Board considers “in person” supervision to be met if a HIPAA-compliant electronic platform is used that allows for synchronous audio and video communication” — § 49.101(c) statement of policy✓ matched in the source
“This would not include supervision by telephone, email, instant messaging, online chat or other non-secure electronic communications” — § 49.101(c) statement of policy✓ matched in the source
“At least 1 of the 2 hours shall be with the supervisee individually and in person” — 49 Pa. Code § 49.13(b)(5)✓ matched in the source
5 more quotes are in the state explorer.
Other licenses in Pennsylvania
- LMFT (marriage and family therapist)
- LCSW (clinical social worker)
- Psychologist
- All Pennsylvania licenses · every state
Sources
- 49 Pa. Code § 49.13 (Licensed professional counselor), amended eff 10/11/2014, 44 Pa.B. 6557
- 49 Pa. Code § 49.3 (Qualifications for supervisors)
- 49 Pa. Code § 49.14 (Standards for supervisors)
- 49 Pa. Code § 49.11(a) (Licensure examination)
- Board Annex A, statement of policy interpreting 'in person' in §§ 47.12c, 48.13(b), 49.13(b) (proposed §§ 47.101/48.101/49.101), pp. 1-5
- HB 1564 PN 2568 = Act 4 of 2024, §7(f.1)-(f.2)
- PA DOS press release on associate licenses (2024)
- PA DOS, Associate Professional Counselor Licensure Snapshot
- 49 Pa. Code Chapter 49 (full chapter, Pa. Code current through 56 Pa.B. 4026, July 4 2026), § 49.13(b)(8)-(9)
- IRRC #3474, Reg. 16A-6927 'Associate MFT and PC and Supervision' (proposed; Regulatory Analysis Form and Attachment A verification forms)
- IRRC #3475, Reg. 16A-6923 'General Revisions' (proposed, not final)
Checked against State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors’s rules, statutes and publications on September 25, 2026. The board decides; if your situation is unusual, confirm with them.