Two Years of Directed Experience
Georgia's statute sets the Associate Professional Counselor's (APC) path to the Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) at "two years of post-degree experience under direction and supervision in a work setting acceptable to the board" (O.C.G.A. § 43-10A-11(a)(2)(B)). The statute was amended effective July 1, 2022, and again July 1, 2024, and the Georgia Composite Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers and Marriage and Family Therapists (the Board) set out how it applies the change in Board Policy VIII, approved November 17, 2022: applications received and date-stamped on or after July 1, 2022 must meet the two-year requirement, and APCs licensed before that date who meet the current education requirement move forward by "completing the required two (2) years of Directed Work Experience with appropriate Supervision."
Rule 135-5-.02(b) through (f) still prints an older years-by-degree schedule (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 135-5-.02(b)-(f)), but the statute controls where the two differ, and it is the two years above that governs applications filed today.
The statute's phrase "under direction and supervision" names two separate roles, not one. Direction is "the ongoing administrative overseeing by an employer or superior of a Professional Counselor's work in the practice of professional counseling" (Rule 135-5-.02(a)2), and the director is the person who provides it, either the employer or a supervisor in the administrative chain of command (Rule 135-5-.02(a)3). Supervision is a different function: "the direct clinical review, for the purpose of training or teaching, by a supervisor of a Professional Counselor's interaction with their client(s)," a role that "may be provided pro bono or for a fee" (Rule 135-5-.02(a)4). Direction comes from a director and supervision from a supervisor, and the contract affidavit names each one.
What Counts as a Year
The rules define both pieces of that two-year requirement. "One year of Directed Experience" is "a minimum of 1000 hours of directed experience acquired in not less than a twelve (12) month period" (Rule 135-5-.02(a)7(v)). "One year of Supervision" is "a minimum of thirty five (35) hours of supervision obtained during one twelve (12) month period of Directed Experience" (Rule 135-5-.02(a)8(v)). Two years at 1,000 hours each works out to at least 2,000 hours, and two years at 35 supervision hours each works out to at least 70 supervision hours. That is arithmetic; neither the statute nor a rule states either total directly.
| Definition | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| One year of directed experience | 1,000 hours in not less than 12 months | Rule 135-5-.02(a)7(v) |
| One year of supervision | 35 hours in one 12-month period | Rule 135-5-.02(a)8(v) |
| Total requirement | Two years, each at least 1,000 hours with 35 supervision hours | O.C.G.A. § 43-10A-11(a)(2)(B) |
The APC Contract Affidavit is where the 35-hour figure becomes a plan instead of a target hit at the end of the year. Part V of the affidavit requires that the "Contract affidavit must specify the number of hours per week to meet the minimum thirty-five (35) hours required per year" (APC Contract Affidavit), so the supervisor and the applicant, who complete Part V together, set a weekly supervision figure in the contract itself.
The 60-Month Window
Both the directed experience and the supervision earned toward it carry an expiration built into the rule: "After September 30, 2018, all Directed Experience must be obtained within the sixty (60) months prior to the date of application," and the same sentence applies word for word to supervision (Rule 135-5-.02(a)7(vi), 8(vi)). Hours logged before that 60-month line do not count toward the two years, no matter how well they were documented when they were earned.
Worked example, arithmetic, not a rule. Say an APC begins directed experience in March 2019, logs steady hours and supervision through late 2020, stops for a stretch after a job change, and resumes under a new contract in 2023, continuing through the date of application. If that applicant files on October 1, 2026, the 60 months prior to the application reach back to October 1, 2021. Everything logged from March 2019 through late 2020 falls before that line and cannot count, even though it met the 1,000-hour and 35-hour definitions in the year it was earned. Only the experience and supervision from the 2023 contract onward sits inside the window.
Monthly Pacing and Contemporaneous Logs
Beyond the 60-month outer limit, the Board expects a steady pace along the way. Board Policy VII, adopted April 8, 2016, states that hours "be obtained consecutively each and every month for the duration of the required months/years of the post-master's experience. Therefore, a minimum number of hours for each month are expected to be accrued." The same policy sets the standard for how those hours are recorded: "Contemporaneous logs MUST be kept and shall be subject to Board review upon request." A log assembled after the fact, even an accurate one, is not what the policy describes.
No Direct and Indirect Split
Georgia's counseling rule does not split hours into direct client-contact time and indirect or administrative time. The rule counts directed experience, defined as "time spent under direction engaging in the practice of Professional Counseling" (Rule 135-5-.02(a)6), without carving out a separate minimum number of hours that must involve a client in the room. An APC's 1,000 hours in a given year, and the two years overall, are directed experience hours, full stop, not a direct-plus-indirect total to reconcile.
Where Directed Experience Can Be Earned
Not every work setting produces hours that count. An acceptable setting "may include, but is not limited to, education, rehabilitation, career development, mental health, community, or industrial organizations," and "Practice without direction is not a work setting acceptable to the Board" (Rule 135-5-.02(a)9). The site also needs "a signed contractual agreement that outlines the job description, office hours, performance review procedures and dismissal policies," with non-compensated arrangements "reviewed on a case by case basis" (Rule 135-5-.02(a)6).
Independent private practice is out entirely: "Independent private practice ... is not acceptable as a work setting to the Board for the purposes of obtaining directed experience under supervision" (APC Contract Affidavit). An APC logging hours toward the two years does so inside an employer or superior relationship that produces a director, not as a solo practitioner.
The Practicum Is Not Part of the Two Years
The practicum belongs to the degree, not the post-degree clock. Georgia's rule requires an approved supervised practicum of 600 hours for internships completed after September 30, 2018 (Rule 135-5-.01(b)1), and it sits inside the master's-or-higher education requirement in the statute (O.C.G.A. § 43-10A-11(a)(1)(A)), not inside the two years of post-degree directed experience described above. The 600 practicum hours finish before the degree does; the two years are post-degree experience, gained under a contract registered with the Board.
What the Records Rule Requires
Every track under the Board carries the same record-keeping duty, the LPC track included: "Both supervisors and supervisees are required to maintain a contemporaneous record of the date, duration, type (individual, paired, or group), and a brief summary of the pertinent activity for each supervision session to be submitted to the Board upon request. If there are any discrepancies in hours, contemporaneous documentation of supervision will be requested." (Rule 135-5-.02(a)4). That list of fields, the date, the duration, the type and a summary, is what the Board asks a supervisee and supervisor to keep on hand for every session, ready to produce on request rather than reconstructed at application time.
What Form C and Form E Ask For
At application, two forms turn logged hours into something the Board can verify. Form C, printed title "Post-Master's Directed Work Experience Verification Form," is completed by the director, who records the official job title, agency, and start and end date, along with a "Total # of Hours" figure. The form is explicit about what counts as a date: "The dates must be noted on the form. 'Present' or 'Current' is not acceptable in lieu of an actual date."
Form E, printed title "Post-Master's Clinical Supervision Verification Form," asks for one number per supervisor: a single "Total Number of Hours" field with From and To dates, with no individual and group split on the form itself, and the instructions call for a supervisee to "Complete a separate form for each Supervisor listed in your application." An applicant who worked under two supervisors over the two years submits two Form Es, one per supervisor.
Board forms and instructions for Georgia's other tracks are covered in Georgia supervised experience verification forms.
The Five-Year APC Limit vs the 60-Month Window
Two different five-year clocks run on an APC's path, and they are measured from different dates. The APC license itself carries a hard cap: it is valid "only for a period not to exceed five years while obtaining the post-master's experience" (Rule 135-5-.01(c)2), and the Board's FAQ counts that from the date of initial issuance. The 60-month experience window runs on its own clock: the 60 months "prior to the date of application" (Rule 135-5-.02(a)7(vi)).
The two need not line up. An APC whose license issues in January 2022 hits that license's own five-year cap in January 2027, regardless of when an application is filed. If that same APC applies for the LPC in December 2026, the separate 60-month experience window is measured back from December 2026, to December 2021, a full month earlier than the license's January 2022 issue date. The two limits share a length, five years each, but not a starting point, and an applicant tracking only one of them is not tracking the other.
The Board's FAQ states the license cap without qualification: "5 years after the date of initial issuance of an APC or AMFT license is the final expiration date of the license ... the license will still be administratively expired at the end of the 5 year period regardless of the online status and date." That cap applies to the APC license itself, separate from whatever portion of the 60-month experience window an applicant has left to work with.
Common Mistakes on the Georgia LPC Hours Track
Counting hours earned before the 60-month window
Directed experience and supervision have to fall within the 60 months before the date of application. Hours earned earlier do not count toward the two years, however they were logged at the time (Rule 135-5-.02(a)7(vi), 8(vi)).
Treating the practicum as part of the two years
The 600-hour practicum is a degree requirement completed before the APC license issues. The two-year clock is post-degree directed experience only (Rule 135-5-.01(b)1).
Writing supervision logs after the fact
Board Policy VII calls for contemporaneous logs, kept as sessions happen, subject to Board review on request, not assembled from memory near the application date.
Splitting hours into direct and indirect categories
Georgia's rule counts directed experience hours. There is no separate direct client-contact minimum to track alongside it on the LPC track.
Confusing the APC's five-year license cap with the 60-month experience window
The license cap runs from initial issuance; the experience window runs backward from the date of application. They are measured from different dates.
Leaving "Present" or "Current" on Form C
The form states plainly that an actual end date is required in place of either word.
Filing one Form E for more than one supervisor
The instructions call for a separate Form E for each supervisor listed on the application, each with its own Total Number of Hours field.
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More on the Georgia LPC track
Who may supervise an APC, the credential an LPC supervisor needs, and how technology-delivered supervision works are covered in Georgia LPC supervision requirements. The GOALS application itself, along with the contract affidavit, is covered in Georgia LPC application. Every Georgia guide, across all three Board tracks, is listed at all Georgia guides.
Related Georgia LPC Guides
Georgia LPC Requirements
Two years of directed experience under supervision, the 60-month window, the practicum, the exam and who may supervise.
Associate Professional Counselor in Georgia
The APC license: the contract affidavit, the five-year limit, renewal, and how it ends in the LPC.
Georgia LPC Supervision Requirements
Who may supervise an APC, the ACS or CPCS credential for LPC supervisors, individual and group supervision, and technology-delivered supervision.
Georgia LPC Application
The GOALS application, the APC contract affidavit, and the verification forms each license asks for.
Georgia Supervised Experience Verification Forms
The Board's experience and supervision verification forms for each track and what each one asks for.
How to Become a Therapist in Georgia
The LPC, LCSW and LMFT paths side by side: degree, first license, experience, supervision and exam.
FAQ: Georgia LPC Hour Requirements
How many hours do you need for LPC in Georgia?▾
Georgia's statute sets the requirement as two years of post-degree experience under direction and supervision in a work setting acceptable to the board (O.C.G.A. § 43-10A-11(a)(2)(B)). The rules define a year as a minimum of 1,000 hours of directed experience in not less than 12 months (Rule 135-5-.02(a)7(v)). Two years at 1,000 hours each works out to at least 2,000 hours, arithmetic that no Georgia statute or rule states as a total on its own.
How much supervision does an Associate Professional Counselor need in Georgia?▾
One year of supervision is a minimum of 35 hours obtained during one 12-month period of directed experience (Rule 135-5-.02(a)8(v)). Part V of the APC Contract Affidavit, completed by the supervisor and the applicant, must specify the number of hours per week to meet that 35-hour minimum for the year (APC Contract Affidavit, Part V).
What is the 60-month rule for Georgia LPC applicants?▾
All directed experience and all supervision toward the LPC must be obtained within the 60 months immediately before the date of application (Rule 135-5-.02(a)7(vi), 8(vi)). Hours logged earlier than that 60-month line do not count toward the two years, even if they met the 1,000-hour and 35-hour definitions in the year they were earned, so an applicant who pauses and resumes needs to check which months still fall inside the window.
Do Georgia APC practicum hours count toward the two years of directed experience?▾
No. The practicum is a 600-hour requirement completed as part of the graduate degree, for internships after September 30, 2018 (Rule 135-5-.01(b)1), and it sits inside the education requirement in the statute (O.C.G.A. § 43-10A-11(a)(1)(A)), not inside the two years of post-degree directed experience that begin once the APC license issues under a registered contract.
What's the difference between the APC five-year limit and the 60-month experience window?▾
Both run five years, but from different starting points. The statute caps APC practice at a period not to exceed five years (O.C.G.A. § 43-10A-11(c)), and the Board's FAQ counts that period from the date of initial issuance. The 60-month experience window is measured backward from the date of application, not from the license's issue date (Rule 135-5-.02(a)7(vi)), so the two need not line up.
What do Georgia's LPC Form C and Form E ask for?▾
Form C, the Post-Master's Directed Work Experience Verification Form, is completed by the director and records the job title, agency, start and end dates, and a total-hours figure; the form states that 'Present' or 'Current' is not acceptable in place of an actual date. Form E, the Post-Master's Clinical Supervision Verification Form, records one total-hours figure with From and To dates per supervisor, filed separately for each supervisor listed on the application.
Requirements verified against Chapter 135 of the Georgia Composite Board's rules (current through rules filed September 2, 2026) and O.C.G.A. Title 43, Chapter 10A, current as of September 24, 2026. Statutes, rules and fees can change. Confirm current requirements at the Georgia Composite Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers and Marriage and Family Therapists page before making decisions about your licensure path. This guide is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or professional advice.