Maine XP Requirements & Hours Tracker

Maine’s Board of Counseling Professionals Licensure recognizes “Conditional Pastoral Counselor” (license code XP) as the entry‑level, clinical pastoral counseling credential. It is a supervised, time‑limited license that allows you to diagnose and treat mental health disorders and work in private practice only while under Board‑approved supervision. (maine.gov)

Below is a step‑by‑step guide focused on the specific hour requirements and the Board’s own terminology.

---

1. Understand what the XP license is

The Board defines the XP as a “clinical, graduate level, conditional license” for pastoral counselors. (maine.gov)

Key points about what that means:

• It is clinical: XP holders may diagnose and treat mental health disorders. (maine.gov)
• It is conditional: you may not practice unless under the supervision of a Board‑approved Maine licensee, and you must have a Board‑approved Proposed Supervision Plan on file. (maine.gov)
• It is time‑limited: the XP can be renewed only twice, for a maximum of six years (three two‑year terms, not counting any inactive periods). (maine.gov)

During this XP period you are expected to complete the supervised hours that will qualify you later for full Pastoral Counselor (LP) licensure.

---

2. Meet the degree and curriculum requirements

To qualify academically for XP, Maine requires specific graduate‑level theological or pastoral counseling education: (maine.gov)

• Acceptable degree types

  • A Master or Doctor of Divinity degree, OR
  • A master’s or doctoral degree in pastoral counseling that includes at least 20 semester hours in pastoral counseling.

• Core curriculum requirement

  • Your qualifying degree must include coursework that satisfies the core curriculum requirements defined in Board Rules Chapter 5(3)(2) (the Board provides an Educational Worksheet to document this). (maine.gov)

You document this in your application with:

• Official graduate transcript.
• An Educational Worksheet plus course syllabi to show you meet the Chapter 5 curriculum, if requested. (maine.gov)

---

3. Complete the required clinical pastoral education hours

Before you can be licensed as XP, Maine requires a specific block of clinical training:

• At least 400 hours of clinical pastoral education (CPE). (maine.gov)

This is a pre‑licensure requirement. The Board’s language is that the XP “requires the completion of at least 400 hours of clinical pastoral education.” (maine.gov)

These are not the same as your later supervised work experience hours toward the independent LP license; they are a defined clinical training component usually completed through CPE programs (e.g., hospitals, chaplaincy centers).

---

4. Pass the required national counseling examination

The XP license requires a counseling exam, not just theological training.

• Maine specifies that XP applicants must have a passing score on the National Counselor Examination (NCE). (maine.gov)

The Board’s exam section explicitly lists the NCE as required for “Conditional Pastoral Counselor (XP)”. (www1.maine.gov)

You must arrange for official documentation of NCE passage to be sent as part of your application.

---

5. Secure supervision and prepare a Proposed Supervision Plan

Because XP is a conditional license, supervision is built into both how you practice and how you progress toward full licensure.

The Board’s key supervision rules for XP are: (maine.gov)

• A conditional licensee “may not practice unless under the supervision of a Board‑approved Maine licensee.”
• You may not change supervisors without first submitting a new Proposed Supervision Plan and receiving Board approval.
• At the end of supervision or once you complete your required supervised work and supervision hours, your supervisor must submit a Supervisor Affidavit and letter, and both you and the supervisor must maintain ongoing records of supervision.

Although the Board’s web summary does not give a number of supervision hours required for simply holding the XP, it does spell out the exact hour requirements you must complete while holding XP in order to upgrade to full Pastoral Counselor (LP). Those hours are described in Section 7 below.

For the XP application itself, you must submit: (maine.gov)

• A Proposed Supervision Plan (XP) for Board approval.
• Later, your supervisor will provide Supervisor Affidavit(s) and supervision letter(s) when you apply to transition to LP.

---

6. Submit the XP licensure application and required documentation

According to the Board’s Licensing & Forms page, an applicant for XP licensure must submit: (maine.gov)

1. Online application.
2. Official transcript of your qualifying graduate degree.
3. Educational Worksheet and syllabi documenting that you meet the Chapter 5 core curriculum (if requested/required).
4. Internship & Degree Verification Form completed by your graduate institution.
5. Official documentation of NCE passage.
6. “Call to Ministry” documentation (evidence of your pastoral call, as specified by the Board).
7. Disclosure Statement Form.
8. Proposed Supervision Plan (XP).
9. Official license verifications for any professional licenses you hold or have ever held (from any jurisdiction), showing license number, type, issue date, expiration date, and any discipline history.

Once these are accepted and your supervision plan is approved, the Board can issue the XP license.

---

7. Hour requirements while holding XP to qualify for full LP licensure

While the question focuses on “becoming licensed as XP,” Maine also ties very specific experience and supervision hour requirements to what you must complete while you hold the XP in order to become fully licensed as a Pastoral Counselor (LP).

The Board’s description for LP states: (maine.gov)

To transition from XP to LP, you must:

1. Hold XP for at least 2 years, while
2. Obtaining 3,000 hours of “licensed supervised work experience” that meet all of these sub‑requirements:
   • At least 1,000 hours of direct clinical client contact.
   • At least 200 hours of supervision, of which:
     • At least 67 hours must be with an approved certified pastoral counseling supervisor.

The Board’s exact phrasing is that applicants must obtain:

“3000 hours of licensed supervised work experience hours, including at least 1000 hours of direct clinical client contact, and at least 200 hours of supervision, including at least 67 hours with an approved certified pastoral counseling supervisor.” (maine.gov)

Important structural points about these hours:

• All 3,000 work hours and 200 supervision hours must be obtained while you hold an active XP (or an equivalent conditional license) and are under a qualifying supervisor, as defined in Board Rules Chapter 5(5). (maine.gov)
• The Board treats these as “licensed supervised work experience” hours, which is their formal term for the total post‑degree, post‑licensure experience you accumulate under supervision.
• Of that total:
  • The 1,000 direct clinical client contact hours are face‑to‑face (or otherwise Board‑approved) counseling services with clients.
  • The 200 supervision hours must include at least 67 hours of supervision by a certified pastoral counseling supervisor; the remaining supervision hours can be with other qualifying supervisors (as defined in the rules).

There is no 1,500/1,500 split in Maine’s pastoral counselor rules. Instead, for XP‑to‑LP you are clearly looking at:

• 3,000 total hours of licensed supervised work experience,
  • including 1,000 direct clinical client contact hours, and
  • 200 hours of supervision (with 67 of those under a certified pastoral counseling supervisor).

---

8. Renewal and continuing education while you hold XP

While you are accruing those supervised hours, you must keep your XP active and in good standing.

The Board’s renewal rules for XP specify: (maine.gov)

• License term:
  • XP renews every 2 years based on your initial issue date.
  • It may be renewed only twice, for a maximum of six years total, not counting any inactive periods.
• Continuing education: each two‑year renewal cycle requires:
  • 55 hours of continuing education, including
    • at least 4 contact hours in Code of Ethics‑related content, and
    • A one‑time 12‑hour requirement in family or intimate partner violence (this must be met by the first renewal).

You must also maintain compliant supervision and an active Board‑approved supervisor throughout your conditional practice.

---

Summary of key hour requirements

For ease of reference, Maine’s hour‑based requirements connected to the XP pathway are:

1. Before XP licensure

   • 400 hours of clinical pastoral education (CPE). (maine.gov)
   • Sufficient graduate credit hours in pastoral counseling (at least 20 semester hours in a pastoral counseling degree), plus the core curriculum requirements.

2. While holding XP, to qualify later for LP

   • 3,000 hours of licensed supervised work experience total, including: (maine.gov)
     • 1,000 hours of direct clinical client contact, and
     • 200 hours of supervision, of which
       • 67 hours must be with an approved certified pastoral counseling supervisor.

3. Ongoing during XP renewals

   • 55 hours of continuing education per two‑year renewal, including
     • 4 hours in ethics‑related content, and
     • A one‑time 12‑hour training in family or intimate partner violence. (maine.gov)

These are the hour categories and Board terms you will work with as you move from meeting the prerequisites for an XP license, through supervised practice, to eventual independent LP pastoral counselor licensure in Maine.