Only an LPC-S May Supervise You
An LPC Supervisor, an LPC-S, is who a Texas LPC Associate's supervisor must be (22 TAC 681.91(a)(4), (d)); 681.92(a)(2) sets a different supervisor test for internships completed outside Texas. An LPC who has not earned the supervisor designation cannot supervise you, no matter how many years they have practiced or how senior their reputation. The designation is separate from the license itself, and BHEC treats it that way: a licensed LPC and an LPC-S are not the same credential.
Once you have a qualified LPC-S, a second rule kicks in immediately: a minimum of 4 hours of direct supervision every month you are seeing clients. That monthly rate, the group-session cap, and the paperwork behind it are covered in full on Texas LPC supervision requirements. This page stays on the question that comes first: who is even eligible to be your supervisor, and how to check. For the hour totals your supervisor signs off on, see Texas LPC Associate hours requirements.
What It Takes to Be an LPC-S
To earn the LPC-S designation, a counselor needs an LPC license in good standing for at least 60 months, plus either a doctoral-level supervision course or the 40-clock-hour supervisor course (681.72(d)(1), (3); 681.147 defines the 40-hour course). Rule 681.72(d)(1) sets the 60 months. Occupations Code 503.3025 lets the Council count out-of-state counseling experience toward supervisor-experience requirements if the other state's licensing is substantially equivalent.
The designation is not free and does not stay current on its own. Applying for supervisor status costs $54, and once granted it adds $50 to the holder's license renewal, alongside the base renewal fee (885.1). Supervisor status renews with the license, with the $50 added fee (885.1).
Verified 2026-09-07 on BHEC's LPC renewal page: an LPC Supervisor must also complete 6 hours of continuing education in supervision each renewal period to maintain supervisory status, on top of the license's own renewal requirements. That matters for you because supervisor status has its own maintenance requirement. Confirm status on Verify-a-License before each renewal date.
How to Verify a Supervisor, Before You Sign Anything
BHEC publishes two tools. Verify-a-License confirms whether a license is active and current. Find a Supervisor is BHEC's own directory of Council-approved supervisors.
Before your first session with a prospective supervisor, confirm two things: that their LPC license shows as active and that their supervisor status shows as current rather than expired or never issued. For a second or replacement supervisor, also verify on BHEC's website that your Supervisor Change Form was approved before you begin. Issuance of your LPC Associate license is BHEC's approval of your initial Supervisory Agreement Form.
Do this before the first session, not after a few months have already passed. Hours accumulated after a supervisor's license expires may not count (681.93(g)(3)).
HourJourney keeps your supervisors' details on file
Add each LPC-S once with their license number and contact details. Every form you generate uses them.
Who Cannot Supervise You, Even With an LPC-S
Holding the LPC-S designation is necessary but not sufficient. Texas rule also bars two specific relationships: your supervisor cannot be related to you within the second degree of affinity or the third degree of consanguinity, and your supervisor cannot be your employee (22 TAC 681.93(c)).
Read the direction of that second rule carefully. 681.93(c)(2) bars a supervisor who is your employee, and 681.91(k) bars you from employing your supervisor. Neither bars an LPC-S who is also your employer, the person who runs the clinic or practice where you work.
Two at a Time, and No More
You may have no more than two Council-approved LPC supervisors at any one time (681.91(e)). This comes up most for Associates splitting time across two job sites, where a third supervisor at a new location can look like a reasonable addition once the first two are already in place. It is not an option. Two is the ceiling regardless of how many places you work.
Adding a supervisor or swapping one out is a separate filing: the Supervisor Change Form, which states that no supervision may begin until the new supervisor is approved by the board's office.
The Supervisor Change Form states that no supervision may begin until the new supervisor is approved by the board's office. If you are switching supervisors or picking up a second one, file the form first and wait for approval before the first meeting, not the other way around.
HourJourney keeps a separate form for each supervisor
Your export lists one form per supervisor, each with its own dates and hours.
When a Supervisor Lapses or Leaves
Hours accumulated under a supervisor after the supervisor's license expires may not count as acceptable hours (681.93(g)(3)); the same holds after supervisor status is revoked by Council order (681.93(h)). This applies whether the lapse was intentional, an oversight on their renewal, or simply something neither of you noticed for a stretch of time. The sessions can be real and documented, and the hours may still not count.
The practical response is to check your supervisor's status at each of their renewal cycles, not once at the start of the relationship and never again. A license that was active the day you signed your Supervisory Agreement Form can still lapse eighteen months into a supervision arrangement. A change in supervisors also does not stop your own clock: your Associate license keeps counting down toward the 60-month LPC Associate limit no matter how many times you switch who signs off on your hours.
When a supervisor relationship ends, whether the supervisor leaves, you change jobs, or your hours are complete, get your Supervised Experience Documentation form from that supervisor. The supervisor must submit it within 30 days of the end of supervision or completion of hours, whichever comes first (681.93(d)). Do not wait to ask until you need the form for an upgrade application; confirm it was filed close to the date the relationship actually ended.
What to Ask a Prospective Supervisor
A short set of questions, grounded in what BHEC actually requires, covers most of what matters before you commit to a supervisor.
Ask for their license number and confirm supervisor status is current yourself, rather than taking their word for it. Ask how many other Associates they already supervise; the answer is relevant because it determines whether a session with you falls under the individual or group size limits covered on Texas LPC supervision requirements. Ask how they keep the written record each session requires (681.93(a)), since that record is what protects you if a question ever comes up about whether a month was covered. And ask directly whether they will file the Supervised Experience Documentation form promptly when the relationship ends, since the supervisor's filing deadline is 30 days from the end of supervision or completion of the required hours, whichever comes first (681.93(d)).
Questions about their fees, caseload, or general availability are worth asking too. BHEC does not set a rate or price standard, but the rules cover fees in three places: paid supervision (681.91(k)), the fee record in the supervisor's file (681.93(a)(1)(C)), and refunds after a lapse (681.93(g)(2), (h)(2)). How well a supervisor communicates or whether their rate works for your budget is between the two of you.
Finding One at All
BHEC's Find a Supervisor directory is the government-source starting point, and it is the one we point to here. An employer may also have an LPC-S on staff.
We are not going to recommend, rank, or name a private supervisor-training company or a paid supervisor-matching service here. None of that has been verified against a government source, and a search for "lpc supervisor near me" will surface plenty of businesses happy to sell you a match. Start with BHEC's own directory and your professional network first, then see hours tracking for Texas associates for how logging works once a supervisor is in place.
Common Mistakes When Choosing a Supervisor
These are avoidable errors in an Associate's supervisor relationship.
Assuming any licensed LPC qualifies
Licensure alone is not enough. The person has to hold the separate LPC-S designation, verified independently of how long they have practiced or how they are introduced to you.
Getting the employer rule backwards
The rule blocks a supervisor from being your employee, not your employer. A boss who supervises you is allowed; hiring your own supervisor as staff is not.
Checking supervisor status once, at the start
A status that was active the day you signed can still lapse later. Check it again at each of your supervisor's renewal cycles, not only when the relationship begins.
Lining up a third concurrent supervisor
Two Council-approved supervisors at a time is the ceiling, regardless of how many sites you work across. A third is not permitted under any arrangement.
Meeting a new supervisor before the Change Form clears
The Supervisor Change Form states that no supervision may begin until the new LPC-S is approved. File it before the first session.
Not chasing the SED when a relationship ends
The supervisor has 30 days to file, but the Associate is the one who needs the paperwork later. Confirm it was submitted close to the date supervision actually ended.
How HourJourney Keeps Your Supervisors Straight
Vetting a supervisor is one problem. Tracking the hours you log with each one afterward is another. HourJourney handles the second part:
- ✓Hour totals broken out per supervisor, not just one running number
- ✓Your two-supervisor limit made visible so you always know where you stand
- ✓The Supervised Experience Documentation Form generated per supervisor, with initials and signatures left blank for you and them to complete
Built for Texas pre-licensed clinicians.
Related Guides and Tools
Texas LPC Supervision Requirements
The 4-hours-a-month rule, the group cap, and the paperwork
Texas LPC Associate Hours Requirements
The full 3,000-hour breakdown for the LPC Associate track
What Is an LPC Associate?
The title, the license, and how it differs from an LPC
The Supervised Experience Documentation Form
What the SED asks for, and who files it
The 60-Month LPC Associate Limit
What happens if your hours are not done when the license expires
Hours Tracking for Texas Associates
How HourJourney tracks the LPC, LMFT, and LMSW tracks
Texas LPC Hours Calculator
Estimate your completion date
Texas Supervisor Change Form
How LPC and LMFT handle a supervisor change, and what the LCSW rule leaves out.
FAQ: Who Can Supervise an LPC Associate in Texas
Who can supervise an LPC Associate in Texas?▾
A Texas Associate's supervisor must be an LPC-S, a Council-approved LPC Supervisor (22 TAC 681.91(a)(4), (d)). Holding an LPC license, even a long-standing one, is not enough on its own. The person must carry the separate supervisor designation, which BHEC grants after a minimum five years of licensure and a supervisor training course. Verify the designation directly rather than taking someone's word for it.
What is an LPC-S?▾
LPC-S stands for LPC Supervisor, a designation BHEC adds to an LPC's license once they qualify to supervise LPC Associates (681.2(21)). To become one, an LPC must be licensed in good standing for at least 60 months and complete a doctoral-level supervision course or the 40-clock-hour supervisor course (681.72(d)(1), (3); 681.147 defines the 40-hour course). The status is applied for separately, costs $54, and renews with the license for an added $50 (885.1).
How do you become an LPC supervisor in Texas?▾
An LPC applies for supervisor status once they have held an LPC license in good standing for at least 60 months. The application requires either a doctoral-level supervision course or the 40-clock-hour supervisor course (681.147, 681.72(d)) and a $54 fee (885.1). Verified on BHEC's LPC renewal page, September 2026: an LPC Supervisor must also complete 6 hours of continuing education in supervision each renewal period to keep the status active.
Can your boss supervise you in Texas?▾
Yes. 22 TAC 681.93(c)(2) bars a supervisor who is the Associate's employee, and 681.91(k) bars the Associate from employing a supervisor. Neither rule bars an LPC-S who is also your employer.
How many supervisors can an LPC Associate have?▾
Up to two Council-approved LPC supervisors at the same time (681.91(e)). A third concurrent supervisor is outside the rule. Adding a second supervisor, or replacing either one, uses the Supervisor Change Form, which states that no supervision may begin until the new supervisor is approved by the board's office.
How do you find an LPC supervisor in Texas?▾
BHEC runs a Find a Supervisor directory at bhec.texas.gov/tbhec/find-a-supervisor, the government-source starting point for locating an LPC-S. Your employer may also have an LPC-S on staff. Whichever route you take, confirm the person's license and supervisor status on Verify-a-License before signing anything.
What happens if your supervisor's license expires?▾
Hours accumulated under a supervisor after the supervisor's license expires may not count as acceptable hours (681.93(g)(3)), even if the sessions happened and notes exist. Check your supervisor's status at each of their renewal cycles, not just once when you start working together.
Can an LPC supervise without the supervisor designation?▾
No. A Texas Associate's supervisor must be an LPC-S, regardless of how many years an LPC has practiced (681.91(a)(4), (d)). Seniority and clinical reputation do not substitute for the designation. If the license lookup does not show current supervisor status, confirm with BHEC before you start.
Supervising on the marriage and family therapy track? That track files the Supervised Experience Verification form.
Requirements verified against 22 TAC Chapter 681 and the Consolidated LPC Rulebook (March 2026), BHEC's Supervision FAQ and LPC renewal pages, and the current Supervisory Agreement Form, Supervised Experience Documentation form, and Change Form templates published by BHEC. Statutes and regulations can change. Always confirm current requirements at bhec.texas.gov before choosing or signing with a supervisor. This guide is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or professional advice.