Free Resources

BBS Licensure Guides

Everything California AMFTs, APCCs, and ASWs need to know about tracking hours, filling out BBS forms, supervision rules, and navigating the path to LMFT, LPCC, or LCSW licensure.

Hour Tracking

How to Track Your LMFT Supervised Hours in California

The BBS A/B/C hour structure, weekly caps, pre/post-degree rules, and supervision requirements explained step by step.

Requirements

California LMFT Hours Requirements: The Complete 2025 Guide

Every hour minimum, maximum, and deadline you need to know to become a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in California.

BBS Forms

BBS Form 37A-525: How to Fill It Out Without Losing Hours

A field-by-field walkthrough of the BBS weekly log of experience hours for California AMFTs and Trainees.

Career

LMFT vs. LCSW in California: Which Path Is Right for You?

Education, supervised hours, scope of practice, salary, and clinical fit compared side by side.

Registration

The 90-Day Rule for AMFTs in California

What it is, who qualifies, the Live Scan requirement, and how to protect every hour between graduation and your AMFT registration.

Registration

AMFT Registration Process in California: Step-by-Step

Form 37A-301, Live Scan fingerprinting, the $150 fee, and the full application timeline — everything new MFT graduates need.

Hour Tracking

How to Track LCSW Clinical Hours in California

3,000 hours, 2,000 direct clinical, 750 psychotherapy, LCSW-specific supervision — the complete ASW hour tracking guide.

Hour Tracking

How to Track LPCC Hours in California

3,000 hours, 1,750 direct clinical, no pre-degree hours — everything APCCs need to know about tracking toward LPCC licensure.

Requirements

Pre-Degree Hours: BBS Rules for California MFT Trainees

The 1,300-hour cap, 750 direct limit, setting requirements, and how pre-degree classification works for LMFT trainees.

Supervision

BBS Supervision Requirements for AMFTs, APCCs & ASWs

104 weeks, supervision ratios, group vs individual, LCSW-specific rules, and supervisor qualifications — all three licenses compared.

Getting Started

How to Become an MFT in California: Step-by-Step

The complete path from MFT degree to LMFT license: education, AMFT registration, 3,000 hours, exams, and timeline.

Timeline

How Long Does It Take to Become an MFT in California?

Realistic timeline: 2-3 years of grad school plus 2-3 years of supervised hours. What speeds it up and what slows it down.

Career

LMFT vs LPCC in California: Which Path Is Right for You?

Scope of practice, BBS requirements, the couples/family restriction, exam paths, and which clinical identity fits your goals.

Tools

BBS Hours Spreadsheet vs Tracking App: Which Should You Use?

Honest comparison of spreadsheets vs purpose-built trackers for California AMFTs, APCCs, and ASWs.

Hour Tracking

Hours Tracking After Graduation: From Tevera to BBS

What changes the day you graduate: school-issued tracking ends, BBS-rule tracking begins. How to bridge the gap without losing data.

Hour Tracking

Export Tevera Hours for BBS Licensure

How to pull your school-tracked Tevera hours into a format that works for BBS licensure paperwork after you graduate.

Requirements

Program Hours vs Licensure Hours: What's the Difference?

Why your university's hour count is not the same as your BBS licensure hour count, and how to translate between them.

Getting Started

How to Become an LPCC in California: Step-by-Step

The full path from a counseling master's to LPCC license: APCC registration, 3,000 supervised hours, the Law and Ethics exam, the NCMHCE, and timeline.

Getting Started

ASW to LCSW in California: Complete Timeline & Steps

From MSW graduate to LCSW license: ASW registration, 3,000 hours, the 1,700-hour LCSW-supervision rule, the Law and Ethics exam, and the ASWB Clinical Exam.

Registration

APCC Registration in California: How to Apply

The BBS APCC application, Live Scan fingerprinting, the 90-day rule, and what to expect after you submit — the first step toward LPCC licensure.

Registration

ASW Registration in California: How to Apply

The BBS ASW application, Live Scan fingerprinting, the 90-day rule, and what to expect after you submit — the first step toward LCSW licensure.

Supervision

Who Can Supervise an ASW in California?

Which license types can supervise you — and the BBS rule that at least 1,700 hours and 13 weeks must come from an LCSW.

Supervision

The BBS Supervision Agreement (Form 37M-300): A Walkthrough

Required for new supervisory relationships since Jan 1, 2022 — what's in the form, the 60-day deadline, supervisor qualifications, and the supervisory plan.

BBS Forms

BBS Form 37A-638: APCC Weekly Log of Experience Hours

How to fill out the APCC weekly log column by column — columns A, B, B1, B2, and the C = A + B total.

BBS Forms

The ASW Weekly Log of Experience Hours: How to Fill It Out

How to fill out the BBS ASW weekly log column by column — columns A, A1, B, the supervision columns, and the C = A + B total.

Exams

The California Law & Ethics Exam for Associates

How the Law and Ethics Exam works for AMFTs, ASWs, and APCCs: when to take it, the annual-renewal requirement, and requesting an initial exam vs a re-exam.

Exams

California LPCC Exams: Law & Ethics + the NCMHCE

The two exams on the path to LPCC licensure: the California Law and Ethics Exam and the NCMHCE (administered by NBCC) — order, timing, and re-exam waiting periods.

Career

Can an LPCC Treat Couples and Families in California?

Yes — with the additional coursework and supervised experience the BBS requires for that scope. The LPCC scope of practice, explained.

Requirements

AMFT & LMFT Renewal in California: CE Requirements

What continuing education AMFTs need to renew — 3 hours of California law and ethics every renewal period — plus where to find the renewal fees and process.