The Rule Every Licensure Candidate Follows
Washington sets one supervision standard that reaches every licensure candidate, a term the rule defines as anyone "seeking supervised experience to fulfill requirements for a license," including a mental health counselor associate practicing under an approved supervisor (WAC 246-809-020(1), (1)(a)). For that candidate, supervision must include "regular supervision, meeting at least one hour for every 80 hours of the licensure candidate's clinical practice time" (WAC 246-809-020(2)(b)). That rate is a minimum frequency, not a total, and it sits alongside the LMHCA track's own 100-hour immediate-supervision figure rather than replacing it.
The rule also requires both sides of the relationship to be visible: the approved supervisor and the licensure candidate must communicate "the nature of the supervisory relationship to the public, other professionals, and all clients served" (WAC 246-809-020(2)(a); 246-809-710(2)).
Supervision must include discussing seven topics (WAC 246-809-020(2)(d)):
- Services provided by the licensure candidate
- Caseload and treatment plans of the licensure candidate
- Theory and practice of the work conducted by the licensure candidate
- Relevant Washington laws and rules
- Standards of practice
- Coordination of work with other professionals and parties
- Relevant professional literature and research
The approved supervisor carries two more duties directly: maintain documentation of the supervision provided, and if the supervisor no longer meets the supervisor qualifications, immediately notify the licensure candidates under their supervision (WAC 246-809-020(3)(a),(e)).
One rule applies only to a candidate practicing on a pending associate credential: the approved supervisor reviews any assessment or diagnosis that candidate makes and must agree with it before it goes to the patient (WAC 246-809-020(2)(c)).
100 Hours of Immediate Supervision, Defined
The LMHCA-to-LMHC total sets 100 hours of immediate supervision inside the 3,000-hour or 36-month experience requirement (WAC 246-809-230(3)(b)(i)). Immediate supervision has its own definition: "a meeting with an approved supervisor, involving one supervisor and no more than two licensure candidates" (WAC 246-809-210(6)). Group supervision is the other option and allows more people in the room: "face-to-face or virtual supervision with an approved supervisor, involving one supervisor and no more than six licensure candidates" (WAC 246-809-210(5)).
The rule does not say how immediate supervision is delivered. Group supervision's definition states its delivery mode directly: face-to-face or virtual. Immediate supervision's definition calls it only "a meeting" and says nothing about whether that meeting happens in person or by video (WAC 246-809-210(5),(6)). Washington's rule neither allows nor rules out a virtual immediate-supervision meeting; it simply does not address the question.
The 100 hours on the LMHCA experience form are specifically immediate supervision, one supervisor and no more than two candidates. Time spent in a six-candidate group session does not fill that 100-hour line.
The Approved Supervisor
An approved supervisor for this track is "a qualified licensed mental health counselor or equally qualified licensed mental health practitioner who has been licensed without restrictions for at least two years" (WAC 246-809-210(3)). An equally qualified licensed mental health practitioner means "a licensed marriage and family therapist, licensed clinical social worker, licensed psychologist, licensed physician practicing as a psychiatrist, or licensed psychiatric nurse practitioner" (WAC 246-809-210(4)).
The supervisor standard repeats the same license requirement in its own section: "The approved supervisor must hold a license as defined in WAC 246-809-210. The supervisor must be licensed without restrictions and have been in good standing for the previous two years" (WAC 246-809-234(1)).
15 Hours of Training, 25 Hours of Experience
Before supervising, an approved supervisor completes "a minimum of fifteen clock hours of training in clinical supervision obtained through: (i) A supervision course; or (ii) Continuing education credits on supervision; or (iii) Supervision of supervision," plus "twenty-five hours of experience in supervision of clinical practice" (WAC 246-809-234(4)).
One exemption exists, and it is narrow: "Applicants whose supervised postgraduate experience began before September 30, 2006, are exempt from the requirements of subsection (4) of this section" (WAC 246-809-234(6)). It applies to a candidate whose experience started before that date, not to a supervisor beginning to supervise today.
Who Cannot Supervise a Given Candidate
The rule sets a direct bar: the approved supervisor "must not be a blood or legal relative or cohabitant of the licensure candidate, licensure candidate's peer, or someone who has provided psychological services to the licensure candidate within the past two years" (WAC 246-809-234(2)). "Peer" has its own definition: "a co-worker who is not the licensure candidate's employer or supervisor" (WAC 246-809-210(8)).
The peer definition excludes the candidate's employer and supervisor, so the peer part of the bar does not cover them. The rule says nothing further about employers.
The Declaration on DOH 670-130
"Before beginning supervision, the approved supervisor must provide the licensure candidate a declaration stating that the supervisor has met the requirements of WAC 246-809-234 and qualifies as an approved supervisor. The declaration must be on a form provided by the department" (WAC 246-809-234(3)). That form is DOH 670-130, the Approved Supervisor Declaration for Licensed Mental Health Counselor Candidates (March 2025).
On that declaration, the supervisor attests to having thorough knowledge of the candidate's practice activities, covering (WAC 246-809-234(5)):
- Recordkeeping, as outlined in WAC 246-809-035
- Financial management
- Ethics of clinical practice
- Practice setting
- The licensure candidate's backup plan for coverage when the candidate is not available to their clients
An Optional Directory, a Capped Stipend
DOH established a licensed counselor supervisor directory effective October 1, 2023 (WAC 246-809-070(1)). Listing in it is voluntary: "Participation in the directory is not required to be a supervisor" under the counseling, marriage and family therapy or social work supervisor sections (WAC 246-809-070(5)).
Effective July 1, 2025, DOH established a licensed counselor supervisor stipend program (WAC 246-809-099(1)). Subject to the amounts appropriated for the purpose, a qualifying supervisor can receive "up to $2,000 per year per associate" (WAC 246-809-099(2); RCW 18.225.180). A supervisor may also "charge an associate up to $1,600 per year to recoup any expenses attributable to supervision of the associate that exceed the amount of the stipend" (WAC 246-809-099(5)).
The stipend is not guaranteed money. The program pays "subject to availability of amounts appropriated for this purpose" (WAC 246-809-099(2)). A supervisor still has to meet the approved-supervisor requirements above and be preapproved for the program before qualifying (WAC 246-809-099(3)).
LMHCA Supervision, Requirement by Requirement
| Requirement | Value | Cite |
|---|---|---|
| Supervision rate | At least 1 hour per 80 hours of clinical practice time | WAC 246-809-020(2)(b) |
| Immediate supervision total | 100 hours | WAC 246-809-230(3)(b)(i) |
| Immediate supervision meeting | One supervisor, no more than two candidates | WAC 246-809-210(6) |
| Group supervision meeting | One supervisor, no more than six candidates, face-to-face or virtual | WAC 246-809-210(5) |
| Approved supervisor standing | Licensed without restrictions, good standing 2 years | WAC 246-809-210(3); 246-809-234(1) |
| Supervisor training | 15 clock hours (course, CE, or supervision of supervision) | WAC 246-809-234(4)(a) |
| Supervisor experience | 25 hours supervising clinical practice | WAC 246-809-234(4)(b) |
| Training exemption | Supervised experience begun before September 30, 2006 | WAC 246-809-234(6) |
| Supervisor stipend | Up to $2,000 per year per associate, subject to appropriation | WAC 246-809-099(2) |
| Cost above the stipend | Up to $1,600 per year chargeable to the associate | WAC 246-809-099(5) |
The Rate Against the Total, in Arithmetic
Take an LMHCA logging 20 hours a week of clinical practice time. At that pace, 80 practice hours arrives every four weeks, which is when the one-per-80 rate calls for another supervision hour (WAC 246-809-020(2)(b)). That is arithmetic, not a rule.
Run the same rate across the full 3,000-hour experience requirement and it produces at least 37.5 supervision hours by the rate alone, also arithmetic. The LMHCA track still requires 100 hours of immediate supervision regardless (WAC 246-809-230(3)(b)(i)), so the 100-hour total, not the one-per-80 rate, is what actually controls how much immediate supervision a candidate needs.
Common Mistakes on LMHCA Supervision
Counting group supervision toward the 100-hour immediate-supervision total
Immediate supervision means one supervisor and no more than two candidates. Group supervision allows up to six and is a separate category (WAC 246-809-210(5),(6)).
Treating the one-per-80 rate as satisfying the 100-hour total
The rate is a minimum frequency, not a total, and does not replace the 100-hour immediate-supervision figure the track requires separately (WAC 246-809-020(2)(b); 246-809-230(3)(b)(i)).
Assuming immediate supervision is either guaranteed or barred from being virtual
The rule states a delivery mode for group supervision but not for immediate supervision, which it defines only as a meeting (WAC 246-809-210(5),(6)).
Believing supervisor-directory listing is required to supervise
Participation in the directory is not required to be a supervisor under the counseling supervisor standard (WAC 246-809-070(5)).
Treating the supervisor stipend as guaranteed
The stipend pays subject to availability of appropriated funds, and a supervisor must be preapproved for the program (WAC 246-809-099(2),(3)).
Starting supervision before the declaration is provided
The approved supervisor must give the candidate the DOH 670-130 declaration before supervision begins, not sometime after (WAC 246-809-234(3)).
Applying the pre-2006 training exemption to a current supervisor
The exemption covers applicants whose supervised postgraduate experience began before September 30, 2006, not a supervisor training to supervise today (WAC 246-809-234(6)).
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More on Washington licensure
Washington's independent clinical social work path runs its own supervision numbers, covered in Washington LICSW requirements, and marriage and family therapy candidates should see Washington LMFT requirements, since neither track shares the counseling numbers on this page. The full path across all three Washington tracks starts at how to become a therapist in Washington State.
Related Washington Counseling Guides
What an LMHCA Is in Washington
The associate license itself, before the 3,000-hour clock starts.
Washington LMHC Requirements
The degree, the hours, the exam and the fees behind the full license.
The LMHCA Application in Washington
What the associate application packet asks for.
Washington Supervised Experience Verification Forms
What DOH 670-027 and the other verification forms ask for.
Washington Associate License Renewal and CE
The associate license's own renewal date and continuing-education cycle.
How to Become a Therapist in Washington State
The full picture across Washington's counseling, social work and marriage and family therapy tracks.
FAQ: Washington LMHCA Supervision Requirements
How much supervision does an LMHCA need in Washington?▾
One hundred hours of immediate supervision, meaning one supervisor and no more than two licensure candidates in the meeting (WAC 246-809-230(3)(b)(i); 246-809-210(6)). Every licensure candidate also needs regular supervision meeting at least one hour for every 80 hours of clinical practice time, a rate that sits on top of the 100-hour total rather than replacing it (WAC 246-809-020(2)(b)).
What is immediate supervision in Washington?▾
Immediate supervision is defined as "a meeting with an approved supervisor, involving one supervisor and no more than two licensure candidates" (WAC 246-809-210(6)). It is Washington's term for individual-style supervision on the counseling track. Group supervision, by contrast, allows up to six candidates with one supervisor, held face-to-face or virtual (WAC 246-809-210(5)).
What are the LMHC supervisor requirements in Washington?▾
An approved supervisor for a mental health counselor associate is a licensed mental health counselor or equally qualified licensed mental health practitioner, licensed without restrictions and in good standing for at least two years (WAC 246-809-210(3); 246-809-234(1)). The supervisor also needs 15 clock hours of clinical supervision training and 25 hours of experience supervising clinical practice, unless their candidate's supervised experience began before September 30, 2006 (WAC 246-809-234(4),(6)).
Who counts as an approved supervisor for a Washington counselor?▾
A qualified licensed mental health counselor, or an equally qualified licensed mental health practitioner: a licensed marriage and family therapist, licensed clinical social worker, licensed psychologist, licensed physician practicing as a psychiatrist, or licensed psychiatric nurse practitioner, each licensed without restrictions for at least two years (WAC 246-809-210(3),(4)).
What does one hour per 80 hours mean for LMHCA supervision?▾
It is the rate every licensure candidate's supervision must meet at minimum: "regular supervision, meeting at least one hour for every 80 hours of the licensure candidate's clinical practice time" (WAC 246-809-020(2)(b)). It is a minimum frequency, not a total, and it does not replace the 100-hour immediate-supervision figure the LMHCA track requires separately (WAC 246-809-230(3)(b)(i)).
What declaration does a Washington counseling supervisor give an associate?▾
Before supervision begins, the approved supervisor provides the licensure candidate a declaration stating they meet the requirements of WAC 246-809-234 and qualify as an approved supervisor, on DOH form 670-130, the Approved Supervisor Declaration for Licensed Mental Health Counselor Candidates (March 2025) (WAC 246-809-234(3)).
Is there a stipend for supervising an LMHCA in Washington?▾
Effective July 1, 2025, a stipend program pays a supervisor up to $2,000 per year per associate, subject to the availability of appropriated funds (WAC 246-809-099(1),(2); RCW 18.225.180). The supervisor may also charge the associate up to $1,600 per year to recoup expenses attributable to supervision that exceed the stipend amount (WAC 246-809-099(5)).
Requirements verified against chapter 246-809 WAC (current through WSR 26-01-042), chapter 18.225 RCW, and DOH's licensing pages and application packets for mental health counselors, current as of September 23, 2026. Statutes, rules and fees can change. Confirm current requirements at the Washington State Department of Health mental health counselor page before making decisions about your licensure path. This guide is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or professional advice.