How many hours do I need for an LPC in Virginia?

residency of a minimum of 2,000 hours of face-to-face client contact plus 200 hours of supervision (no separate total since Dec 18, 2025; was 3,400)

How much supervision does an LPC in Virginia require?

200 hours of in-person supervision; ≥100 by an LPC; ≥100 within the two years before application; minimum one hour and maximum four hours per 40 hours of work experience

Which exams are required for an LPC in Virginia?

NCMHCE or NCE (NCE accepted since July 1, 2024; TRICARE requires NCMHCE)

Can I be supervised by video in Virginia?

Yes by video, but the supervisor needs a state-specific supervisor credential and the board must approve the arrangement first. All 200 required supervision hours are 'in-person' by rule, but in-person expressly includes secured technology with real-time visual contact, so individual and group supervision may be 100% by video. Group supervision capped at 6 persons and at half (100) of the 200 hours. Supervision 1-4 hours per 40 hours of work experience.

Virginia requirements

LPC requirements in Virginia

What it takes to become a Licensed Professional Counselor in Virginia: 2,000 hours of direct client contact over at least not less than 21 months, 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 Virginia Board of Counseling (Department of Health Professions)Checked September 25, 2026Not individually reviewed by a clinicianAbout this site

Licensed Professional Counselor (professional counselor) · Virginia · regulated by Virginia Board of Counseling (Department of Health Professions) · high confidence

Pre-license credential	Resident in Counseling (temporary resident license)
Supervised experience	residency of a minimum of 2,000 hours of face-to-face client contact plus 200 hours of supervision (no separate total since Dec 18, 2025; was 3,400)
Direct client contact	2,000 hours face-to-face client contact; ≥1,000 within the two years before application
Supervision	200 hours of in-person supervision; ≥100 by an LPC; ≥100 within the two years before application
Minimum time	not less than 21 months
Exams	NCMHCE or NCE (NCE accepted since July 1, 2024; TRICARE requires NCMHCE)

Supervision

How much: 200 hours of in-person supervision; ≥100 by an LPC; ≥100 within the two years before application
How often: minimum one hour and maximum four hours per 40 hours of work experience
Group supervision: no more than half of the 200 hours in group; group ≤6 persons
Who may supervise: LPC or LMFT with ≥2 years post-licensure clinical experience plus 3-credit graduate course or 20 hours CE in supervision

When hours count and what to keep

Before your degree: Board says excess internship hours no longer count toward residency; DPB analysis of the same rule said internship face-to-face hours could count (conflict)
Paperwork: Supervisory contract with resident application; quarterly supervisor evaluations; Verification of Supervision Form at LPC application

Can you be supervised remotely in Virginia?

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: All 200 required supervision hours are 'in-person' by rule, but in-person expressly includes secured technology with real-time visual contact, so individual and group supervision may be 100% by video. Group supervision capped at 6 persons and at half (100) of the 200 hours. Supervision 1-4 hours per 40 hours of work experience.
Phone only: not allowed (technology must provide real-time, visual contact)
In-person minimum: none (video counts as in-person)
Supervisor licensed in Virginia? other: regulation says licensed LPC/LMFT 'in the jurisdiction where the supervision is being provided'; Board-Approved Supervisor Application asks for a Virginia license and the sample contract says 'Virginia LPC Supervisor' (see board_questions)
Supervisor credential: Board-approved supervisor listed on the Approved Supervisor Registry (Va. Code §54.1-3505(8)): active unrestricted LPC or LMFT, 2 years post-licensure clinical experience, 3 graduate credits or 20 CE hours in supervision; at least 100 of 200 hours from an LPC. LCSWs and psychologists cannot supervise residents in counseling.
Supervisee cap: none found per supervisor; group supervision ≤6 persons
Board approval first: yes: must hold a Resident in Counseling license (application includes supervisory contract, supervisor name/license, practice location) before any hours count. After licensure, adding/changing supervisors or worksites needs no Board notice, but a signed contract with a Board-approved supervisor must be in place first. Termination of supervision must be reported.
If you live outside Virginia: not addressed. Practice occurs where the client is located (Guidance 115-1.4), so a Virginia Resident in Counseling license covers Virginia clients; nothing in 18VAC115-20 requires the resident to be physically in Virginia, but the resident's own location state may regulate practice/supervision (older 115-1.4 text warned of this). Resident license application lists the 'location for the supervised practice' and a worksite is named in each contract.

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

Fast-track amendments effective December 18, 2025 (Va. Reg. Vol. 42 Iss. 6): dropped 3,400-hour total and ancillary hours, removed 4-year limit and exam time limit, resident license renewable indefinitely with inactive status. Residents approved before 12/18/2025 may use old or new rules, not a mix.

Where the rules are unclear

Virginia’s own documents disagree or are silent on these points. Ask the board if they affect you:

18VAC115-20-52(C)(3) requires a license 'in the jurisdiction where the supervision is being provided', but the Board-Approved Supervisor Application and sample contract assume a Virginia LPC/LMFT. May a supervisor licensed only in another state supervise a Virginia resident by video? Which jurisdiction is 'where the supervision is being provided' when resident and supervisor are in different states?
May a Virginia Resident in Counseling live/work physically outside Virginia (e.g. in NC or MD) and count hours treating Virginia clients by telehealth?
18VAC115-20-10 defines face-to-face client contact as 'in-person delivery', while the LPC Handbook counts secured real-time visual telehealth as face-to-face. Confirm telehealth client hours count without cap.
Guidance 115-7 (2020) says the contract must receive board approval before supervised experience; the 12/2025 FAQ/handbook say added supervisors need no Board notice. Confirm 115-7 applies only to the initial resident license.

In the board’s own words

“The residency shall include a minimum of 2,000 hours of face-to-face client contact providing clinical counseling services.” — 18VAC115-20-52(B)(2)✓ matched in the source

“a minimum of 200 hours of in-person supervision between supervisor and resident” — 18VAC115-20-52(B)(3)✓ matched in the source

“Supervision shall occur at a minimum of one hour and a maximum of four hours per 40 hours of work experience” — 18VAC115-20-52(B)(3)(a)✓ matched in the source

“The residency shall be completed in not less than 21 months.” — 18VAC115-20-52(B)(6)✓ matched in the source

“in-person may include the use of secured technology that maintains client confidentiality and provides real-time, visual contact between the supervisor and the resident.” — 18VAC115-20-52 (Resident license and residency requirements), as amended eff. Dec 18, 2025, subsections A.1, B.3, B.8, B.11, C, D✓ matched in the source

“The residency shall include a minimum of 200 hours of in-person supervision between supervisor and resident” — 18VAC115-20-52 (Resident license and residency requirements), as amended eff. Dec 18, 2025, subsections A.1, B.3, B.8, B.11, C, D✓ matched in the source

“provides real-time, visual contact between the supervisor and the resident” — 18VAC115-20-52 (Resident license and residency requirements), as amended eff. Dec 18, 2025, subsections A.1, B.3, B.8, B.11, C, D✓ matched in the source

“Hold an active, unrestricted license as a professional counselor or a marriage and family therapist in the jurisdiction where the supervision is being provided.” — 18VAC115-20-52 (Resident license and residency requirements), as amended eff. Dec 18, 2025, subsections A.1, B.3, B.8, B.11, C, D✓ matched in the source

“Do you hold an active, unrestricted license as a professional counselor (LPC) or marriage and family therapist (LMFT) in the Commonwealth of Virginia?” — Board of Counseling, Board-Approved Supervisor Application LPC/LMFT/LSATP (rev. 11/2024), Parts II-III✓ matched in the source

“To maintain a registry of persons who meet the requirements for supervision of residents.” — Va. Code §54.1-3505(8) (registry of approved supervisors)✓ matched in the source

“at least 20 hours of continuing education in supervision offered by a provider approved under 18VAC115-20-106” — 18VAC115-20-52 (Resident license and residency requirements), as amended eff. Dec 18, 2025, subsections A.1, B.3, B.8, B.11, C, D✓ matched in the source

“NOTE: LCSWs or Psychologists cannot supervise a Resident in Counseling toward licensure.” — Board of Counseling, LPC Licensure Process Handbook (rev. 07/2026), §§2.1, 2.3, 3, 3.1, 4 (pp. 15-22)✓ matched in the source

11 more quotes are in the state explorer.

Other licenses in Virginia

Sources

Checked against Virginia Board of Counseling (Department of Health Professions)’s rules, statutes and publications on September 25, 2026. The board decides; if your situation is unusual, confirm with them.

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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.