Three Licenses, One Agency, No LCSW
A master's-level clinician who wants to practice psychotherapy in Michigan holds one of three licenses. The Michigan Board of Counseling licenses the "licensed professional counselor," an individual who practices counseling "without supervision" (MCL 333.18101(b)). The Michigan Board of Social Work licenses the "licensed master's social worker" (MCL 333.18501(1)(c)), and the clinical version of that license carries a "clinical practice designation" earned through the "assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders" (R 338.2953; MCL 333.18501(1)(g)(iii)). The Michigan Board of Marriage and Family Therapy licenses the "licensed marriage and family therapist" (MCL 333.16903(1)). All three boards sit inside the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), Bureau of Professional Licensing.
Michigan does not issue an LCSW. The clinical social work credential is the LMSW with the clinical designation described above, not a separate license tier. If you are comparing Michigan to a state that does license an LCSW, LMSW vs LCSW in Michigan explains the naming difference in full.
Every track shares the same shape: a qualifying degree, a 1-year limited license, supervised hours accrued under that limited license, a national exam and a full-license application through LARA's MiPLUS online system. Where the tracks diverge is the hours, the supervision, the renewal limits and the fees, which the comparison below lays out side by side.
LPC, LMSW and LMFT Side by Side
Each row below cites the statute, rule or LARA licensing guide it comes from. Read the row, not the column: a number that looks similar across two tracks can come from a different kind of rule entirely, a total in one case and a rate in another.
| Dimension | Counseling (LLPC to LPC) | Social Work (LLMSW to LMSW) | MFT (LLMFT to LMFT) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Degree | CACREP-accredited or equivalent master's (MCL 333.18101(f); R 338.1765(b)) | CSWE-accredited master's (R 338.2923; R 338.2947(1)(b)) | COAMFTE-accredited or equivalent coursework master's (MCL 333.16909(1)(a); R 338.7211(1)) |
| Limited license and fee | LLPC, $88.10 | LLMSW, $44.00 | LLMFT (Educational Limited), $93.60 |
| Supervised hours | 3,000 hours in not less than a 2-year period (R 338.1774(1)(c)(i)) | 4,000 hours over not less than 2 years, within a 16 to 40 hour weekly window and a 2,080-hour annual cap (R 338.2949(1)(b), (3)(d), (3)(e)) | 1,000 direct client contact hours, at least half relational (MCL 333.16909(1)(c)) |
| Supervision | Not less than 100 hours total, regularly scheduled (R 338.1774(1)(c)(i)) | At least 4 hours per month, at least 2 individual (R 338.2949(3)(c)) | 1 hour per 5 hours of experience, not less than 200 total, not less than 100 individual (MCL 333.16909(1)(c)(iii)) |
| Who supervises | A Michigan LPC with supervision training and 3 years of post-master's practice, 5 years if they first supervised on or after May 5, 2022, or the ACS credential (R 338.1781(1)(a) to (d)) | A Michigan LMSW holding the clinical designation (R 338.2949(2); R 338.2953(b)(ii)) | The supervising licensed marriage and family therapist (MCL 333.16909(1)(c)(i)) |
| Limited license renewal limit | Renewed annually, for no more than 10 years (R 338.1777(3)) | Renewed no more than 6 times (R 338.2947(4)) | Renewed annually, not more than 5 times (R 338.7203(2)) |
| Exam | NCE, NCMHCE or CRCC, one of three (R 338.1773) | ASWB Clinical examination (R 338.2925; R 338.2953(a)) | AMFTRB Marital and Family Therapy National Examination (R 338.7209) |
| Full-license fee | $259.05 | Not published in an archived LARA guide | $214.80 |
| Renewal | 3 years, no CE (implicit bias and human trafficking training only) | 3 years, 45 CE hours (R 338.2961; R 338.2963(1)) | 3 years, no CE (implicit bias and human trafficking training only) |
For the full breakdown behind each track, see Michigan LPC requirements, Michigan LMSW requirements and Michigan LLMFT hours requirements.
The Path Common to All Three Tracks
Strip out the track-specific numbers and the same nine steps carry every Michigan clinician from degree to full license.
- Finish the qualifying degree. A CACREP-accredited master's for counseling, a CSWE-accredited master's for social work, or a COAMFTE-accredited master's (or the equivalent coursework) for marriage and family therapy.
- Apply through MiPLUS. Every application runs through LARA's online system and includes a criminal background check with fingerprints and the good moral character questions.
- Complete human trafficking and implicit bias training. One-time human trafficking training before initial licensure, and 2 hours of implicit bias training within the 5 years before issuance (R 338.1771; R 338.2929; R 338.7202; R 338.7004).
- Receive the limited license. The LLPC, the LLMSW or the LLMFT, each valid for 1 year and renewable on its own schedule.
- Accrue hours under supervision. On the counseling and social work tracks, supervised experience counts only while the limited license is held. The marriage and family therapy track is worded differently: the statute says the board "may" grant a limited license to permit the 1,000-hour experience (MCL 333.16903(3)), and the LARA guide says an educational limited license should be held while accruing hours completed in Michigan. Neither says the license must be held.
- Get the supervisor's verification form completed. A separate form per supervisor; when it is sent and to whom differs by track, so follow the track guide.
- Sit the national exam. One of the three counseling exams, the ASWB Clinical examination, or the AMFTRB exam, depending on the track.
- Apply for the full license. LPC, LMSW with the clinical designation, or LMFT, again through MiPLUS.
- Renew on schedule. Every full license runs 3 years; what you owe at renewal differs by track, covered in the comparison above.
Counseling: What Trips People Up
The counseling rule has no direct-hour category. It counts hours of "the practice of counseling" as a single total; nothing in R 338.1774 splits them into a clinical or a direct-service subset the way some other states do. The 100-hour supervision figure is a total for the whole 3,000 hours, not a monthly or weekly rate, so never read it as a pace requirement. Michigan LLPC supervision requirements covers the supervisor-eligibility rules behind that total.
Hours also start on a specific date, not on graduation: "the supervision begins on the issuance of the limited license and continues until the licensed professional counselor license is issued" (R 338.1774(1)(c)(i)). Work done before the LLPC issues does not count, no matter how clinical it was. When the 3,000 hours are complete, the supervisor and the applicant each fill out the Michigan Counseling Work Experience form, one per supervisor.
Social Work: What Trips People Up
The 4,000 hours carry two mechanical limits that are easy to miss on a first read: an average of at least 16 hours, but not more than 40 hours, of supervised work experience per week, and a separate cap of not more than 2,080 hours in any 12-month period (R 338.2949(3)(d), (3)(e)). An applicant who has completed the 4,000 hours but missed the weekly window may seek a waiver of that window from the board (R 338.2949(3)(e)); the rule offers no waiver of the 2,080-hour cap. Michigan LLMSW supervision requirements walks through the monthly supervision rule that runs alongside these caps.
The LLMSW may be renewed no more than 6 times, and the guide is explicit that "There are no provisions in the statute that allow for an extension of the 6 renewals/relicensures allowable under R 338.2939 and R 338.2947" (LLMSW guide FAQ 2). Once the 4,000 hours are complete, the applicant submits the completed verification form to bpldata@michigan.gov with "SW Exam Eligibility" in the subject line, the step that opens ASWB exam eligibility. For how the clinical designation differs from the full LMSW and from a Michigan credential that sounds similar but is not the same license, LLMSW vs LMSW in Michigan lays out the two side by side.
Marriage and Family Therapy: What Trips People Up
At least half of the 1,000 direct client contact hours, 500 of them, must be "completed with families, couples, or subsystems of families physically present in the therapy room" (MCL 333.16909(1)(c)). The 200 hours of supervision that run concurrent with those 1,000 hours must be given "in face-to-face contact," and no telehealth allowance is stated anywhere in the statute for this supervision, unlike the counseling and social work tracks (MCL 333.16909(1)(c)(iii)).
The 1,000 hours are separate from an earlier, smaller requirement: a clinical practicum of not less than 300 direct client contact hours, over not less than 8 consecutive months, with not less than 60 hours of its own supervision (MCL 333.16909(1)(b)). The 1,000 hours "may include experience obtained" during that practicum, so the two are related but not identical. Michigan LLMFT hours requirements breaks down how the practicum and the post-degree hours fit together.
One waiver cuts through all of it: the board "shall waive the requirements" of both the practicum and the 1,000-hour experience for an applicant who holds a doctoral degree from "an accredited doctoral training program in marriage and family therapy approved by the board" (MCL 333.16909(2)); COAMFTE accreditation is the approved standard (R 338.7211(1)).
How Many Clinicians Are on Each Track Today
LARA's Bureau Active License Counts Report, dated 9/23/2026, put 2,526 clinicians on the LLPC, 7,140 on the LLMSW, and 144 on the LLMFT. The counseling and social work tracks carry most of Michigan's pre-license population; the marriage and family therapy track is by far the smallest of the three.
The Two-Year Application Clock
One deadline applies across every track: all licensure requirements must be completed within 2 years after LARA receives the application, or the fees are forfeited and the application is void (MCL 333.16307(3)). That clock runs on the application itself, separate from the renewal limits on the limited license, so a stalled application can expire even while the limited license underneath it is still valid.
Common Mistakes on Michigan's Therapist Tracks
Common errors across the three Michigan tracks.
Calling a Michigan clinical social work credential an LCSW
Michigan issues no LCSW. The clinical license is the LMSW with the clinical practice designation, a distinction worth checking before you file paperwork that assumes otherwise.
Counting pre-license hours on the counseling or social work track
Counseling hours begin only on issuance of the LLPC. Social work hours may only be earned while holding the LLMSW, after the program has verified graduation requirements are complete.
Treating the LLMFT as mandatory for the 1,000 hours
The statute says the board may grant the limited license to permit the experience, and the guide says it should be held. Neither word is must.
Reading the LLPC's 100-hour supervision total as a monthly rate
It is a total across the whole 3,000 hours, with no stated weekly or monthly pace, unlike the LLMSW's 4-hour-a-month rule.
Missing the LLMSW's weekly window or annual cap
The 16 to 40 hour weekly average and the 2,080-hour annual cap are checked separately from the 4,000-hour total, and hours outside either limit fall outside the rule.
Letting the 2-year application clock lapse
Requirements not completed within 2 years of LARA receiving the application forfeit the fees and void the application, regardless of how much of the underlying hours work is done.
Track Your Hours From Day One
Log your hours once, by week and by supervisor, and keep the running totals ready for whichever form you end up filing.
- ✓Log hours by week
- ✓Running totals kept per supervisor
- ✓Running totals by category
- ✓An export history
Built for pre-licensed clinicians.
Related Michigan Guides
Michigan LPC Requirements
The full LLPC-to-LPC path: the 3,000-hour total, the 100-hour supervision figure, and the exam options.
Michigan LMSW Requirements
The LLMSW-to-LMSW path: the 4,000-hour total, the weekly window, and the annual cap.
Michigan LLMFT Hours Requirements
The 1,000 direct client contact hours, the relational minimum, and the separate 300-hour practicum.
What an LLPC Is in Michigan
What the limited licensed counselor credential is and what it lets you do.
What an LLMSW Is in Michigan
What the limited master's social worker credential is and what it lets you do.
LMSW vs LCSW in Michigan
Why Michigan issues no LCSW and how the LMSW clinical designation covers that ground instead.
FAQ: How to Become a Therapist in Michigan
How do I become a therapist in Michigan?▾
Michigan has three master's-level licenses that let a clinician practice psychotherapy: the licensed professional counselor (LPC), the licensed master's social worker (LMSW) with a clinical designation, and the licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT). Each runs through the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) and its own board: a qualifying degree, a limited license, supervised hours, a national exam and a full-license application through MiPLUS. Michigan does not issue an LCSW.
How many hours do I need to become a licensed therapist in Michigan?▾
It depends on the track. The counseling path needs not less than 3,000 hours accrued in not less than a 2-year period as a limited licensed counselor (R 338.1774(1)(c)(i)). The social work path needs at least 4,000 hours of post-degree supervised work experience over not less than 2 years (R 338.2949(1)(b)). The marriage and family therapy path needs a minimum of 1,000 direct client contact hours, at least half relational (MCL 333.16909(1)(c)).
Does Michigan have an LCSW license?▾
No. Michigan's clinical social work credential is the licensed master's social worker with a clinical practice designation (R 338.2953), not a separate LCSW license. The clinical designation is earned through assessment, diagnosis and treatment of mental, emotional and behavioral disorders (MCL 333.18501(1)(g)(iii)). See LMSW vs LCSW in Michigan for how the naming differs.
How long does a Michigan limited license last?▾
Every limited license (LLPC, LLMSW, LLMFT) runs 1 year and is renewed on a track-specific schedule. The LLPC may be renewed annually for no more than 10 years (R 338.1777(3)). The LLMSW may be renewed no more than 6 times, with no extension provision in the statute (R 338.2947(4); LLMSW guide FAQ 2). The LLMFT may be renewed annually and not more than 5 times (R 338.7203(2)).
What is the difference between an LLPC, an LLMSW and an LLMFT in Michigan?▾
All three are 1-year limited licenses that let a graduate accrue supervised experience toward a full license, but the hours and supervision differ by rule. The LLPC needs 3,000 hours and a 100-hour supervision total with no stated rate. The LLMSW needs 4,000 hours inside a 16-to-40-hour weekly window and a 2,080-hour annual cap, with monthly supervision. The LLMFT needs 1,000 direct client contact hours with a 1-hour-per-5-hours supervision requirement. See what an LLPC is in Michigan and what an LLMSW is in Michigan for each credential on its own.
How much does it cost to become a licensed therapist in Michigan?▾
Fees are set per credential in the LARA licensing guides (rev. 1/26/2026) and paid by card through MiPLUS. The limited licenses cost $88.10 (LLPC), $44.00 (LLMSW) and $93.60 (LLMFT). The full-license application fees are $259.05 (LPC) and $214.80 (LMFT); the LMSW full-license fee is not published in any archived LARA guide.
Do I need to hold an LLMFT to earn my 1,000 hours in Michigan?▾
Not exactly. The statute says the board may grant a limited license to permit an individual to obtain the 1,000-hour experience (MCL 333.16903(3)), and the LARA guide says an educational limited license should be held while accruing hours in Michigan. Neither says the license must be held. See Michigan LLMFT hours requirements for the full mechanics.
Requirements verified against the Counseling General Rules (R 338.1751 to R 338.1781, amended eff. Jan. 15, 2026), the Social Work General Rules (R 338.2921 to R 338.2965, eff. April 25, 2022), the Marriage and Family Therapy General Rules (R 338.7201 to R 338.7219, eff. Nov. 16, 2023), the Public Health Code Parts 169, 181 and 185, and the LARA licensing guides revised 1/26/2026. Statutes and rules can change. Always confirm current requirements at the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) before making decisions about your licensure path. This guide is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or professional advice.