Kentucky LPCC Requirements: Hours, Exams & Step-by-Step Guide

In Kentucky, the Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) is the independent clinical license issued by the Kentucky Board of Licensed Professional Counselors. Licensure is a two‑stage process:

1. Become a Licensed Professional Counselor Associate (LPCA).
2. Complete post‑master’s supervised experience and other requirements, then upgrade to LPCC.

Below is a step‑by‑step, hours‑focused outline drawn directly from Kentucky statutes and regulations.

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1. Educational foundation

1.1 Degree and accreditation

To be eligible for LPCA/LPCC, you must:

• Hold at least a master’s, specialist, or doctoral degree in counseling or a related field from a regionally accredited institution. (apps.legislature.ky.gov)
• Complete a minimum of 60 graduate semester hours covering nine required content areas (helping relationship, human growth and development, lifestyle/career, group work, assessment, social/cultural foundations, diagnosis/treatment planning, research/evaluation, professional orientation and ethics). (apps.legislature.ky.gov)

Current Kentucky regulation also requires that, apart from a small grandfathered group, the counseling program be CACREP‑accredited or that any additional hours you add come from a CACREP program. (apps.legislature.ky.gov)

1.2 Graduate practicum/internship hours

Kentucky law and regulation speak about practicum/internship at two levels:

• Statute (KRS 335.525) – says all applicants must complete an organized practicum or internship of at least 400 hours. (codes.findlaw.com)

• Current regulation (201 KAR 36:070) – is more specific and stricter:

  • Minimum 600 clock hours of total practicum/internship experience.
  • At least 240 clock hours of direct service to clients (including leading groups).
  • Weekly supervision during internship:
    • About 1 hour per week of individual or triadic supervision by the on‑site supervisor.
    • About 1.5 hours per week of group supervision by a licensed program faculty member. (apps.legislature.ky.gov)

In practice, your graduate program must give you 600 total hours, with 240 direct‑service hours, in order to meet the board’s current regulation.

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2. Stage one: Licensed Professional Counselor Associate (LPCA)

After you meet the degree and coursework requirements, the board may issue a “professional counselor associate” (LPCA) license if you:

• Have met all the requirements in KRS 335.525(1)(a)–(d) (fees paid, good moral character, qualifying degree, required coursework), but have not yet completed:
  • The required 4,000 hours of supervised experience, and/or
  • The required exams. (codes.findlaw.com)
• Have obtained a board‑approved supervisor of record. (codes.findlaw.com)

The LPCA license is the credential under which you accrue your supervised post‑master’s hours toward LPCC.

2.1 Supervision agreement (before hours count)

Before you can begin counting supervised hours as an LPCA, you must file an LPCA Supervision Agreement with the board. The agreement must, among other things, spell out: (apps.legislature.ky.gov)

• The practice setting and types of clients, problems, and treatment modalities.
• The nature, duration, and frequency of supervision, including:
  • Number of supervision hours per week.
  • Number of individual supervision hours.
  • How case information is transmitted.
  • The number of face‑to‑face supervision hours that will count toward the statutory requirement.

Regulation requires that supervision:

• Occur at a minimum of:
  • Three (3) times per month, at least one (1) hour per meeting for a full‑time practice (defined as 25 or more clock hours per week), or
  • One (1) hour of supervision for every 30 hours of client contact for part‑time practice (less than 25 hours/week). (apps.legislature.ky.gov)
• May include real‑time video and audio, provided confidentiality laws are met. (apps.legislature.ky.gov)

You may have multiple supervisors, but the board must approve that arrangement. (apps.legislature.ky.gov)

2.2 Background check

The board currently requires an FBI criminal background check for licensure applications. As of February 16, 2024, only an FBI background check is required; the board no longer accepts the optional affidavit. (lpc.ky.gov)

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3. Core supervised experience requirements for LPCC

The heart of LPCC licensure in Kentucky is the post‑master’s supervised experience described in KRS 335.525(1)(e) and implemented through 201 KAR 36:060 and 201 KAR 36:065. (apps.legislature.ky.gov)

3.1 Total supervised experience hours

The statute is explicit:

• You must complete a minimum of 4,000 hours of experience in the practice of counseling.
• All 4,000 hours must be obtained after you receive your master’s degree.
• All hours must be “under approved supervision”. (codes.findlaw.com)

3.2 Direct counseling hours (client contact)

Within the 4,000 total hours, the board uses this specific breakdown:

• Minimum 1,600 hours of direct counseling with individuals, couples, families, or groups. (codes.findlaw.com)

“Direct counseling” in this context means face‑to‑face (in‑person or telehealth, subject to law) clinical work such as:

• Assessment and diagnosis.
• Treatment planning.
• Individual, couple, family, or group psychotherapy sessions.
• Other direct therapeutic interventions.

3.3 Supervision hours

The same statutory subsection requires:

• Minimum 100 hours of individual, face‑to‑face clinical supervision with an approved supervisor. (codes.findlaw.com)

Key points:

• These 100 hours are within the 4,000 total; they are not additional on top of 4,000.
• “Individual, face‑to‑face” means one supervisee and one supervisor, meeting live (in person or secure real‑time video if it meets legal requirements). (apps.legislature.ky.gov)

3.4 Remaining hours

If you meet the minimums above, the remaining up to 2,400 hours (4,000 – 1,600 direct – 100 supervision) can be spent in other counseling activities under supervision, such as:

• Case management and care coordination.
• Case documentation and record‑keeping.
• Consultation with other professionals.
• Indirect services that are part of counseling practice.

Regulation on “experience under supervision” clarifies that it must involve:

• Direct responsibility for specific individual or group clients; and
• Broad exposure to a variety of developmental issues, diagnoses, acuity levels, and populations. (apps.legislature.ky.gov)

3.5 Recommended correctional experience

KRS 335.525 encourages (but does not require) that applicants include:

• At least 10 hours of direct counseling with individuals in a jail or corrections setting as part of their 4,000 hours. (codes.findlaw.com)

This is an encouragement, not a strict requirement, but it appears explicitly in the statute.

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4. Who can supervise, and how is supervision defined?

4.1 Supervisor qualifications

Your supervisor of record must be:

• Licensed by the board as a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor Supervisor (LPCC‑S). (apps.legislature.ky.gov)

201 KAR 36:065 further requires that LPCC‑S supervisors: (apps.legislature.ky.gov)

• Be licensed LPCCs in good standing.
• Meet specific training or coursework requirements in supervision (e.g., a board‑approved supervision course or graduate‑level supervision course).

4.2 Supervisor responsibilities

By regulation, the supervisor must:

• “Manage, oversee, and direct” the supervisee and take responsibility for the supervisee’s professional clinical counseling practice. (apps.legislature.ky.gov)
• Have access (through a written agreement with the agency, if off‑site) to:
  • The supervisee’s clinical documentation and records.
  • The supervisee’s client sessions (live or recorded, if available).
  • The supervisee’s administrative supervisor, to discuss performance. (apps.legislature.ky.gov)

The supervisor must use these observations to inform supervision and document them in supervisory notes. (apps.legislature.ky.gov)

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5. Examinations

5.1 National counseling exam

Kentucky’s counseling regulation requires that an LPCC applicant:

• Obtain a passing score on either:
  • The National Counselor Examination for Licensure and Certification (NCE), or
  • The National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination (NCMHCE). (apps.legislature.ky.gov)

KRS 335.525(1)(f) then requires passing scores on all portions of the examinations required by the board. (codes.findlaw.com)

5.2 Kentucky jurisprudence exam

In addition to the national exam, the board uses a Kentucky jurisprudence exam that tests knowledge of state counseling laws and regulations. Applicants must pass this exam as part of the final licensure review; the format and access are handled through the board’s online system and are described in current licensing guidance. (legalclarity.org)

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6. Final step: Applying for LPCC

Once you have:

• Completed the required 4,000 supervised hours (with:
  • 1,600+ direct client counseling hours, and
  • 100+ hours of individual, face‑to‑face supervision),
• Met all educational and practicum/internship requirements,
• Passed the NCE or NCMHCE and the Kentucky jurisprudence exam,
• Maintained good moral character and complied with supervision rules,

you may apply for the LPCC license.

The LPCC application requires you to: (apps.legislature.ky.gov)

• Submit the Application for Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor via the board’s online portal.
• Pay the LPCC licensing fee (currently set by 201 KAR 36:020 and referenced in board materials).
• Provide documentation of:
  • Supervised hours (often via supervisor verification forms).
  • Passing exam scores.
  • Background check results.

KRS 335.525(5)(b) then allows a licensed professional counselor associate to apply for LPCC “upon completion of the hours of experience and passing the examinations” described above. (codes.findlaw.com)

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Hour requirements summarized (post‑master’s, Kentucky LPCC)

• Total supervised experience:

  • 4,000 hours in the practice of counseling, all after the master’s degree, under approved supervision.

• Within the 4,000 hours:

  • At least 1,600 hours of direct counseling (individuals, couples, families, or groups).
  • At least 100 hours of individual, face‑to‑face clinical supervision with an approved supervisor.
  • Up to 2,400 hours may consist of other counseling‑related activities (documentation, case management, consultation, indirect services) under supervision.

• Graduate practicum/internship (before LPCA):

  • 600 total clock hours of practicum/internship, including 240 direct‑service hours, with structured weekly individual/triadic and group supervision as defined in 201 KAR 36:070.
  • This exceeds the statutory minimum of 400 hours and is the standard currently applied by the board.

If you are planning your own path, it is wise to track your hours with these specific numbers in mind: of the 4,000 post‑master’s hours, make sure you can clearly document 1,600+ direct client hours and 100+ individual supervision hours, with all hours falling under an approved LPCA supervision agreement.