Idaho LCPC Requirements & Hours Tracker

In Idaho, the LCPC (Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor) is an advanced counseling license issued and regulated by the Idaho Licensing Board of Professional Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists. In the Board’s rules, this credential is called a “Clinical Professional Counselor,” but in practice it is styled LCPC on licenses and job postings. (law.cornell.edu)

To become an LCPC, you must first be licensed as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), then complete a defined period of supervised direct client contact and pass a clinical exam. The Board’s rules and the Idaho Code spell out the hour breakdown quite precisely.

Below is a step‑by‑step guide with the Board’s own hour language summarized.

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1. Overall pathway in Idaho

Idaho uses a two‑tier counseling system under the same Board: (law.justia.com)

1. Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) – entry‑level license.
2. Clinical Professional Counselor / LCPC – advanced license requiring additional supervised clinical experience and a higher‑level exam.

For LCPC, the core legal requirements are in:

• Idaho Code § 54‑3405 – LPC qualifications (education + 1,000 hours supervised experience). (law.justia.com)
• Idaho Code § 54‑3405A – LCPC qualifications (LPC first, then 2,000 supervised direct client hours + exam). (law.justia.com)
• IDAPA 24.15.01.100 (Board Rule 100) – “LICENSURE,” which defines the supervised hour breakdown for both LPC and Clinical Professional Counselor. (law.cornell.edu)

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2. Step one: qualify and become an LPC

Even though your goal is LCPC, the law requires you to be an LPC first. (law.justia.com)

2.1 Education

Idaho Code now describes the minimum education for LPC as: (law.justia.com)

• A master’s degree or higher in counseling or a related field of study, as approved by the Board; and
• Completion of a practicum of supervised clinical contact (details are defined in Board rule, and may be satisfied by a graduate‑level practicum/internship).

The Board’s licensure rule further clarifies that the graduate program must be “primarily counseling in nature” and accredited by CACREP or “substantially similar and approved by the Board.” (law.cornell.edu)

2.2 LPC supervised experience hours (pre‑LCPC)

The LPC requires 1,000 hours of supervised experience in counseling acceptable to the Board. Idaho Code § 54‑3405(1)(c)(iii) sets the 1,000‑hour requirement; Rule 100.01(c) defines how those hours must look. (law.justia.com)

The Board’s rule breaks this down as follows:

• Total supervised experience for LPC:
  • 1,000 hours of supervised experience in counseling.
• Direct client contact requirement within that 1,000 hours:
  • At least 400 of the 1,000 hours must be direct client contact (face‑to‑face counseling/therapy work with clients).
• Supervision ratio (LPC level):
  • The supervised experience must include a minimum of one (1) hour of individual supervision for every twenty (20) hours of direct client contact.
• Where these hours can come from:
  • A supervised graduate‑level educational experience (practicum or internship) may be used to fulfill this requirement, provided it is supervised by an appropriate faculty or site supervisor approved by an accredited college or university. (law.cornell.edu)

In plain terms for LPC:

• 1,000 total supervised hours
  • At least 400 hours of those must be direct client work
  • Supervision at no less than 1 hour of individual supervision per 20 hours of direct client contact

2.3 LPC examination

The Board specifies the National Counselor Examination (NCE), prepared by the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC), as the required exam for LPC licensure. (law.cornell.edu)

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3. Supervision framework and definitions used by the Board

Before looking at LCPC, it helps to understand how Idaho defines supervision in its rules.

3.1 Who can be a “supervisor”?

The Board’s definition of “Supervisor” includes several licensed mental health professionals (clinical professional counselor, marriage and family therapist, psychologist, clinical social worker, or psychiatrist) whose licenses are active, current, in good standing, and who are approved as supervisors where required. (regulations.justia.com)

For LCPC hours specifically, Rule 100.02(a) then tightens this, requiring that at least half of the LCPC client contact hours be supervised by a licensed clinical professional counselor (see §4.2 below). (law.cornell.edu)

3.2 Individual vs. group supervision

The Board defines supervision formats this way: (regulations.justia.com)

• Individual supervision – occurs with no more than two supervisees per one supervisor.
• Group supervision – occurs with three or more supervisees to at least one supervisor.

These definitions matter because LCPC rules specify how much of your supervision must be individual as opposed to group.

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4. Step two: accumulate supervised clinical experience for LCPC

Once you are an LPC, you work toward LCPC by accumulating additional supervised direct client contact hours at the post‑licensure level.

4.1 LCPC hour requirement in statute (Idaho Code § 54‑3405A)

Idaho Code § 54‑3405A, titled “Qualifications for licensure,” governs the LCPC (licensed clinical professional counselor). It states that LCPC licensure is restricted to persons who have: (law.justia.com)

1. A valid LPC license in good standing;
2. Documented 2,000 hours of direct client contact experience under supervision in no less than a two‑year period, as set forth in statute and Board rules; and
3. Successful completion of a written examination approved by the Board.

The key statutory phrase is that the 2,000 hours must be “direct client contact experience under supervision” and must be completed over a minimum of two years after becoming an LPC.

4.2 LCPC hour breakdown and supervision (Board Rule 100.02)

Board Rule 100.02 (“Clinical Professional Counselor”) provides the detailed breakdown of those 2,000 hours. In summary, the rule requires: (law.cornell.edu)

A. Type and number of hours required

• 2,000 hours of direct client contact, all of which must be completed after you are licensed as an LPC and over a period of at least two years.
• These 2,000 hours are all direct client contact hours (not just general “experience” hours). They must be accrued under supervision.

B. How many hours must be supervised by an LCPC vs. other supervisors

Rule 100.02(a) specifies that:

• At least 1,000 of the 2,000 direct client contact hours must be supervised by a licensed clinical professional counselor.
• The remaining supervision for the 2,000 hours may be provided by any “supervisor” as defined in the rules (for example, a licensed clinical professional counselor, marriage and family therapist, psychologist, clinical social worker, or psychiatrist who is approved as a supervisor). (law.cornell.edu)

Put another way:

• Total LCPC clinical requirement:
  • 2,000 direct client contact hours, all under supervision
• Within those 2,000 hours:
  • 1,000 direct client contact hours must be under the supervision of an LCPC
  • The other 1,000 direct client contact hours may be supervised by any Board‑approved supervisor type

C. Supervision ratio and format for LCPC hours

The Board sets a specific supervision ratio and requires a significant proportion of individual supervision:

• Supervision ratio:
  • You must receive one (1) hour of clinical supervision for every thirty (30) hours of direct client contact.
• Individual vs. group supervision:
  • At least half of the supervised hours must involve individual supervision, rather than group supervision.

These requirements are stated in Rule 100.02(a): your 2,000 direct client contact hours must be supervised at a 1:30 supervision ratio, and no more than half of those supervision hours may be in a group format (because “at least half” must be individual). (law.cornell.edu)

To be explicit in the style you requested:

• Direct client contact hours required for LCPC:
  • 2,000 hours of post‑LPC direct client contact, under supervision, completed over at least two years.
• Supervision requirements for those hours:
  • Of the 2,000 direct client contact hours, 1,000 must be supervised by an LCPC.
  • All 2,000 hours must be accompanied by 1 hour of clinical supervision for every 30 hours of direct client contact.
  • At least half of the supervision hours must be individual (1–2 supervisees per supervisor); the rest may be group supervision (3+ supervisees).

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5. Step three: clinical examination for LCPC

For the Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) level, the Board’s licensure rule specifies: (law.cornell.edu)

• Required LCPC exam:
  • The National Clinical Mental Health Counselor Examination (NCMHCE), prepared by the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC).

You must pass this exam in addition to meeting the supervised hour requirements.

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6. Step four: application to the Idaho Board

Once you have:

1. A current Idaho LPC license in good standing; (law.justia.com)
2. Completed 2,000 hours of supervised, post‑LPC direct client contact consistent with Board Rule 100.02 (including 1,000 hours supervised by an LCPC and the 1:30 supervision ratio with at least half of supervision being individual); (law.cornell.edu)
3. Passed the NCMHCE; (law.cornell.edu)

you submit an application for LCPC licensure to the Idaho Licensing Board of Professional Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists (administered through the Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses). Current secondary sources describe a Board‑specific “LCPC Evaluation and Verification of Supervised Experience” form that your supervisor completes and that you include with your application, along with applicable fees. (publichealthonline.org)

The Board also requires that anyone engaging in supervised post‑graduate practice (before LCPC) be registered as a post‑graduate intern, designating an approved supervisor and not practicing as an intern for more than four years from original registration without good cause. (law.cornell.edu)

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7. Quick hour comparison: LPC vs. LCPC in Idaho

To contrast the two levels:

LPC (Licensed Professional Counselor) (law.justia.com)

• 1,000 hours of supervised experience in counseling, of which:
  • At least 400 hours must be direct client contact.
• Supervision: at least 1 hour of individual supervision per 20 hours of direct client contact.
• Graduate‑level practicum/internship hours can be used if they meet Board criteria.
• Required exam: NCE.

LCPC (Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor / Clinical Professional Counselor) (law.justia.com)

• 2,000 hours of post‑LPC direct client contact over a minimum of two years, all under supervision.
  • At least 1,000 of those direct client contact hours must be supervised by an LCPC.
• Supervision: 1 hour of clinical supervision for every 30 hours of direct client contact, with at least half of supervision hours being individual (not group).
• Required exam: NCMHCE.

These figures are not split into “X hours direct experience + Y hours supervised experience” in the way some states do (e.g., 1,500 + 1,500). Idaho’s LCPC structure is 2,000 hours of supervised direct client contact, with specified proportions of who supervises and how supervision is delivered.