What Counts as Non-Direct (Non-Clinical) Hours
The BBS divides your supervised experience into direct hours and non-clinical experience, also called non-direct hours. Non-clinical experience is a list set by statute for each license. For LMFT and LPCC (BPC 4980.43(c)(10), 4999.46(c)(4)), it includes:
- ✓Writing clinical reports and progress or process notes
- ✓Administering and evaluating psychological tests
- ✓Client-centered advocacy
- ✓Workshops, seminars, training sessions, or conferences directly related to the field and approved by your supervisor
- ✓Direct supervisor contact (your individual, triadic, and group supervision)
This is the LMFT and LPCC list. The LCSW list (BPC 4996.23(d)(3)) is client-centered advocacy, consultation, evaluation, research, direct supervisor contact, and workshops, seminars, training sessions, or conferences directly related to clinical social work and approved by your supervisor; it does not name progress notes, reports, or testing.
Use the list, not a rule of thumb. Non-clinical experience is the listed categories for your license. If an activity is not on the list, ask your supervisor; do not assume it counts. Your supervision hours are on every list, so they are non-clinical, not direct.
HourJourney logs your non-clinical hours in their own fields
Supervision and other non-clinical hours each get a field, so the week's non-clinical total adds up as you enter them.
What Does Not Count as Non-Direct Hours
Non-clinical does not mean "anything you do at work." The statutes list specific categories of non-clinical experience (above). An activity that is not on your license's list is not named as non-clinical experience, so ask your supervisor before counting it.
- ✗Activities that are not on your license's statutory list
- ✗Any hours earned while your registration was lapsed or before you were eligible to count hours
When in doubt, ask your supervisor. The authoritative lists are BPC 4980.43(c)(10) (LMFT), 4999.46(c)(4) (LPCC) and 4996.23(d)(3) (LCSW). If an activity is not clearly clinical or on your license's non-clinical list, do not assume it counts.
How Many Non-Direct Hours You Can Count
Non-clinical hours are capped. They count toward your 3,000 total, but only up to a ceiling, and your direct hours have to make up the rest. The cap depends on your license.
LMFT & LPCC: 1,250 cap
Non-clinical experience is capped at 1,250 of the 3,000 total hours. That leaves a minimum of 1,750 direct client contact hours.
LCSW: 1,000 cap
Non-clinical experience is capped at 1,000 of the 3,000 total hours. At least 2,000 hours must be clinical psychosocial diagnosis, assessment, and treatment, including at least 750 hours of face-to-face individual or group psychotherapy.
Hours above the cap simply do not count. If an LMFT associate logs 1,400 non-clinical hours, only 1,250 of them count toward the 3,000, and the remaining 1,750 must still come from direct client contact. This is why front-loading paperwork, testing, and workshops early can backfire: you can hit the non-clinical ceiling long before you reach your direct-hour minimum.
Supervision lives inside the cap. Because direct supervisor contact is counted as non-clinical, every hour of supervision you log eats into the same 1,250 (or 1,000) ceiling as your notes, testing, and workshops. Plan accordingly.
How Non-Direct Hours Fit the BBS A/B/C Structure
On the AMFT (37A-525) and APCC (37A-638) weekly logs, your hours are organized into columns. Direct counseling goes in column A; non-direct hours are the non-clinical ("B") column; and the weekly total adds the two together. On these two logs, supervision is recorded as sub-items (B1 and B2) of the non-clinical column. The ASW Weekly Log of Experience Hours is laid out differently: it has separate supervision columns, an A1 psychotherapy column, and a B column without sub-rows.
| Column | What It Covers | Min / Max |
|---|---|---|
| A | Direct counseling with individuals, groups, couples, or families | Min 1,750 hrs (LMFT/LPCC) |
| B | Non-clinical / non-direct (notes, reports, tests, advocacy, supervisor-approved workshops, supervision) | Max 1,250 hrs (LMFT/LPCC) |
| B1 | Individual or triadic supervision (subset of B) | - |
| B2 | Group supervision (subset of B) | - |
| C | Weekly total = A + B | Max 40 in any 7 consecutive days |
For the full walkthrough of how the columns combine, and the double-counting mistake to avoid, see our guide on how to track LMFT supervised hours.
Non-direct = Column B. On the AMFT and APCC logs, the listed non-clinical activities, including your supervision, go in column B. Column C is always A + B; never add the B1/B2 supervision sub-rows on top of B.
Non-Clinical Caps by License Type
Non-clinical experience is a statutory list for each license. The lists overlap but differ, and so do the cap and the direct or clinical minimum.
| License (Associate) | Non-Clinical Cap | Clinical / Direct Minimum | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| LMFT (AMFT) | 1,250 hrs | 1,750 hrs | 3,000 hrs |
| LPCC (APCC) | 1,250 hrs | 1,750 hrs | 3,000 hrs |
| LCSW (ASW) | 1,000 hrs | 2,000 hrs* | 3,000 hrs |
*LCSW: at least 2,000 hours of clinical psychosocial diagnosis, assessment, and treatment, including at least 750 hours of face-to-face individual or group psychotherapy (BPC 4996.23(d)(2)).
For the full requirement breakdowns, see our LPCC hour tracking guide and LCSW hour tracking guide.
HourJourney shows your non-clinical hours against the cap
Your dashboard shows the non-clinical hours you have logged against your license's cap, so you can see how close you are before you reach it.
Non-Direct vs Direct Hours: The Key Difference
Direct hours are direct counseling with individuals, groups, couples, or families (for LCSW, clinical psychosocial diagnosis, assessment, and treatment). Non-direct hours are the non-clinical activities your license's statute lists.
Direct clinical (LMFT/LPCC)
- - Counseling with individuals
- - Counseling with groups
- - Counseling with couples or families
Non-direct (non-clinical, LMFT/LPCC)
- - Progress or process notes and clinical reports
- - Administering and evaluating psychological tests
- - Client-centered advocacy
- - Supervisor-approved workshops, seminars, trainings
- - Supervisor contact
Because the direct minimum is a floor and the non-direct total is a ceiling, the two categories pull in opposite directions. Track each category from day one so you can see the cap. For the supervision rules specifically, see our BBS supervision requirements guide.
To model your direct and non-direct totals against the BBS requirements, use our free California hours calculator (no signup).
FAQ: Non-Direct (Non-Clinical) Hours
What are non-direct hours under the California BBS?+
Non-direct hours, which the BBS calls non-clinical experience, are the activities each license's statute lists. For LMFT and LPCC: direct supervisor contact, administering and evaluating psychological tests, writing clinical reports, writing progress or process notes, client-centered advocacy, and workshops, seminars, training sessions, or conferences directly related to the field and approved by your supervisor (BPC 4980.43(c)(10), 4999.46(c)(4)). For LCSW: client-centered advocacy, consultation, evaluation, research, direct supervisor contact, and workshops, seminars, training sessions, or conferences directly related to clinical social work and approved by your supervisor (BPC 4996.23(d)(3)).
Does supervision count as non-direct hours?+
Yes. Direct supervisor contact (your individual, triadic, and group supervision) is counted within the non-clinical category, not as direct client contact. It therefore counts against your non-clinical cap: 1,250 hours for LMFT and LPCC, or 1,000 hours for LCSW.
How many non-direct hours can I count toward licensure?+
For LMFT and LPCC, non-clinical experience is capped at 1,250 of the 3,000 total hours. For LCSW, it is capped at 1,000 of the 3,000. Hours above the cap do not count, so the rest must come from direct counseling (at least 1,750 hours for LMFT and LPCC) or, for LCSW, at least 2,000 hours of clinical psychosocial diagnosis, assessment, and treatment, including at least 750 hours of face-to-face individual or group psychotherapy.
Do writing progress notes and clinical reports count as non-direct hours?+
For LMFT and LPCC, yes. Writing progress or process notes and clinical reports are listed by the BBS as non-clinical experience (BPC 4980.43(c)(10), 4999.46(c)(4)). They count toward your hours but fall under the non-clinical cap. For LCSW, the non-clinical list (BPC 4996.23(d)(3)) does not name progress notes or reports, so ask your supervisor how documentation time is treated.
Do workshops and trainings count as non-direct hours?+
Yes, if they are directly related to your license's field and approved by your supervisor (BPC 4980.43(c)(10), 4999.46(c)(4), 4996.23(d)(3)). Like all non-clinical experience, these hours count toward the non-clinical cap (1,250 for LMFT and LPCC, 1,000 for LCSW), not toward direct hours.
What does not count as non-direct hours?+
Each license's statute lists what counts as non-clinical experience. An activity that is not on your license's list is not named as non-clinical experience, so ask your supervisor before counting it. Hours gained while your registration is lapsed do not count toward licensure.
Related guides
How to Track LMFT Supervised Hours in California
The A/B/C category system, weekly caps, and multi-site logging.
California LMFT Hours Requirements: The Complete 2026 Guide
Every hour minimum, maximum, and the six-year age limit.
How to Track LPCC Hours in California
APCC hour tracking, the 1,250 non-clinical cap, and Form 37A-638.
How to Track LCSW Hours in California
ASW hours, the 1,000 non-clinical cap, and the 750 psychotherapy subset.
BBS Supervision Requirements in California
Who can supervise, the supervision agreement, weekly ratios and group size.
California LMFT Hours Calculator
Model your direct and non-direct totals against BBS requirements.
Requirements reflect BBS guidance current as of 2025-2026. Always verify at bbs.ca.gov. This guide is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or professional advice.