Maine XC Requirements & Hours Tracker

The Conditional Professional Counselor (XC) license in Maine is the Board of Counseling Professionals Licensure’s non‑clinical, graduate‑level conditional license. It is the standard first license for someone who wants to practice professional counseling in Maine under supervision, without independently diagnosing or treating mental health disorders. (maine.gov)

Below is a step‑by‑step guide to what the Board itself requires, with special attention to the types of hours and the Board’s own terminology.

---

1. Understand what the XC license allows (and does not allow)

The Board describes XC as a “non‑clinical, graduate level, conditional license.” XC licensees:

• May not diagnose or treat mental health disorders.
• Must practice only under supervision of a Board‑approved Maine licensee.
• May engage in private practice only if they are receiving the required supervision from a Board‑approved licensee. (maine.gov)

The Board also notes that a “conditional license” means you cannot practice unless you have an approved supervision plan on file; you may not change supervisors without first submitting a new Proposed Supervision Plan Form and receiving Board approval. (maine.gov)

---

2. Educational requirement: graduate degree (minimum 48 credits)

To qualify academically for the XC license, you must have a graduate counseling degree of at least 48 graduate credit hours from a regionally accredited institution. The Board’s description for XC states that the degree must be one of the following: (maine.gov)

• A master’s degree in counseling from a program that was CACREP‑accredited at the time of graduation, or
• A rehabilitation counseling degree that was CORE‑accredited at the time of graduation, or
• A counseling degree of at least 48 semester hours (or equivalent quarter hours) that meets the Board’s required “core areas of study” set out in Chapter 2, Section 2 of the rules, or
• A doctoral degree in clinical psychology or counseling psychology from a program accredited by the American or Canadian Psychological Association.

The rules further clarify that the 48‑credit counseling degree must provide an “organized sequence of study” covering 10 specified core content areas (human growth and development, social and cultural foundations, helping relationships, appraisal, research, etc.). (regulations.justia.com)

---

3. Internship requirement: at least 600 “clock hours”

The Board requires that XC applicants complete a graduate counseling internship of at least 600 clock hours. (maine.gov)

In the rules, “internship” is defined as a “supervised counseling experience of at least 600 clock hours” where the student performs the activities a regularly employed licensed professional counselor would be expected to perform. (regulations.justia.com)

Key points about internship hours:

• Clock hours refer to actual time spent in internship activities (not credit hours).
• The internship is expected to include direct client work and other professional counseling activities suitable for a beginning counselor under supervision.

Alternate internship equivalency

For applicants whose degree did not include the required internship, the rules allow an “alternative experience” option:

• 700 hours of lawfully obtained supervised counseling experience,
• Of which at least 280 hours must be direct client contact hours, documented with supervisor affidavits and final evaluations. (regulations.justia.com)

This alternative is treated as equivalent to the practicum/internship requirement for licensure.

---

4. Examination requirement: NCE

The Board lists the National Counselor Examination (NCE) as the required exam for:

• Conditional Clinical Professional Counselor (XL)
• Conditional Pastoral Counselor (XP)
• Conditional Professional Counselor (XC)
• Professional Counselor (PC) (maine.gov)

You must obtain a passing score on the NCE before the XC license can be issued.

---

5. Supervision requirement for holding an XC license

Once licensed as XC:

• You must practice under supervision by a Board‑approved Maine licensee.
• You cannot change supervisors without submitting a new Proposed Supervision Plan Form and receiving Board approval.
• Both you and your supervisor must keep ongoing records of supervision. (maine.gov)

“Supervision” is defined in the Board’s general definitions rule as a continuous process where a supervisor monitors the licensee’s professional practice through regular, documented, face‑to‑face consultation and instruction to evaluate and enhance practice and to monitor service quality. (regulations.justia.com)

---

6. Hours required during the XC period to move up to full Professional Counselor (PC)

Although the XC license itself is the conditional credential, the Board clearly ties it to a required block of supervised experience that you must complete while holding XC in order to become a fully licensed Professional Counselor (PC).

The Board’s licensure page for PC states that to transition from XC to PC, applicants must: (maine.gov)

1. Hold XC (or equivalent) for at least 2 years, and

2. During that time, obtain all of the following under a Board‑approved supervisor, while XC is active:

   • 2,000 hours of “licensed supervised work experience” in counseling, including:
     • At least 1,000 hours of “direct counseling experience.”
   • 67 hours of supervision, including:
     • At least 34 hours of “individual supervision.”

The key Board terms and their practical meaning:

• “Licensed supervised work experience” (2,000 hours total)
  These are post‑degree counseling hours you accrue only while holding an active XC (or equivalent) license and working under a Board‑approved supervisor. The hours can include both direct counseling and related professional counseling activities, so long as they are part of your supervised practice. (maine.gov)

• “Direct counseling experience” (at least 1,000 of the 2,000 hours)
  These are hours in which you are directly providing counseling services to clients—individual, group, couple, or family counseling—rather than doing indirect tasks such as charting or case consultation. The Board explicitly requires that at least 1,000 of your total 2,000 supervised hours be in this direct service category. (maine.gov)

• “Supervision” hours (67 total)
  These are separate from the 2,000 work‑experience hours. Supervision hours are the time you spend meeting with your supervisor—reviewing cases, receiving feedback, and having your work evaluated. The Board defines supervision as regular, documented, face‑to‑face consultation and instruction. (regulations.justia.com)

• “Individual supervision” (at least 34 of the 67 hours)
  At least 34 of your 67 supervision hours must be one‑on‑one with your supervisor (as opposed to group supervision). The remaining hours may be group supervision, as allowed by the Board’s rules. (maine.gov)

In short, for the XC–to–PC pathway the Board’s requirements are:

• 2,000 total hours of licensed supervised work experience
  • 1,000 hours minimum must be direct counseling experience
• 67 hours total of supervision
  • 34 hours minimum must be individual supervision

All of these must be obtained while you hold an active XC license and under a Board‑approved supervisor; hours outside that window or under non‑approved supervision generally do not count. (maine.gov)

---

7. Application components for the XC license

The Board’s XC section points you to its forms and rules. In practice, an XC application typically includes: (maine.gov)

• Online application for Conditional Professional Counselor (XC)
• Official graduate transcript showing at least 48 graduate credits in counseling (or qualifying psychology doctorate)
• If the program is not CACREP/CORE‑accredited:
  • An Educational Worksheet and course syllabi to demonstrate that your coursework meets the 10 core areas of study
• Internship & Degree Verification Form, completed by your graduate program, documenting the 600‑clock‑hour internship (or acceptable alternative)
• Official NCE score report documenting a passing NCE score
• Proposed Supervision Plan Form, signed by you and your intended supervisor
• Disclosure Statement Form, meeting the Board’s content requirements
• License verification(s) if you hold or have ever held other professional licenses

The Board’s site emphasizes that staff can only discuss a pending application with the applicant, and that all external license verifications must come directly from the issuing boards, not as photocopies. (maine.gov)

---

8. Renewal and continuing education while you hold XC

Once you are licensed as XC, you must renew every two years. The Board’s XC page specifies that renewal requires: (maine.gov)

• 55 hours of continuing education every 2‑year renewal period, including
  • At least 4 contact hours in ethics (subjects addressed in the Board’s Code of Ethics), and
  • A one‑time 12‑hour requirement in family or intimate partner violence (screening, referral, and intervention), pursuant to Maine Title 32 §13860.

These CE hours are separate from your supervised work‑experience hours, but they must be completed if you want to maintain the XC license while you accumulate the 2,000 supervised hours required to progress to full PC licensure.

---

9. Putting the pieces together

To summarize the hour‑related requirements in the Board’s own terms:

1. Before XC licensure (education stage)

   • 600 clock hours of graduate counseling internship (or 700 hours of lawfully obtained supervised counseling experience with 280 direct client contact hours as an approved alternative). (maine.gov)

2. During XC licensure (toward full Professional Counselor)

   • 2,000 hours of licensed supervised work experience,
     • including 1,000 hours of direct counseling experience,
   • plus 67 hours of supervision, including
     • 34 hours of individual supervision. (maine.gov)

These requirements, combined with the degree and NCE exam, are what the Maine Board of Counseling Professionals Licensure currently requires to become and practice as a Conditional Professional Counselor (XC) and to ultimately transition to a full Professional Counselor (PC) license.