Nevada CPC Requirements: Hours, Exams & Step-by-Step Guide

Licensure requirements for becoming a Clinical Professional Counselor (CPC) in Nevada are set in Nevada Revised Statutes (NRS Chapter 641A) and the Nevada Administrative Code (NAC Chapter 641A), and enforced by the Nevada Board of Examiners for Marriage and Family Therapists and Clinical Professional Counselors. The process has two main stages:

1. Licensure as a Clinical Professional Counselor Intern (CPC Intern)
2. Licensure as a Clinical Professional Counselor (CPC)

The details below focus heavily on the hour requirements and the specific categories and terms the Board uses.

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1. Legal framework and terminology

Key authority and terms:

• Statutory requirements: NRS 641A.231 (Clinical Professional Counselors: Qualifications of applicants). (leg.state.nv.us)
• Intern requirements and hours: NAC 641A internship section (interns seeking hours under NRS 641A.231). (leg.state.nv.us)
• Intern licensure: NRS 641A.288, 641A.2882, 641A.2884 (CPC interns). (leg.state.nv.us)
• Coursework and degree requirements: NAC 641A.085. (regulations.justia.com)

The Board’s own language centers on:

• “Clinical professional counselor intern”
• “Direct contact with clients”
• “Supervised experience in professional counseling”
• “Work related to the practice of clinical professional counseling”
• “Approved supervisor” and “supervision agreement”
• The National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination (NCMHCE)

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2. Educational prerequisites for CPC and CPC Intern

2.1 Degree requirement (statute)

To qualify for a full CPC license, NRS 641A.231 requires that the applicant: (leg.state.nv.us)

• Be at least 21 years of age.

• Be of good moral character.

• Hold one of the following:

  1. Completed residency training in psychiatry from an accredited institution approved by the Board; or
  2. A graduate degree from a program approved by CACREP as a mental health counseling or community counseling program; or
  3. Another acceptable graduate degree as determined by the Board, which must include a practicum and internship in mental health counseling, taken concurrently with the degree program and supervised by a licensed mental health professional.

2.2 Coursework and credit hours (regulation)

For clinical professional counselor or clinical professional counselor intern licensure, NAC 641A.085 adds that: (regulations.justia.com)

• The graduate degree must be at least 60 semester hours or 72 quarter hours.
• Graduate education must include specified courses of study in areas such as:
  • Human development (including sexuality)
  • Individual counseling theories and techniques
  • Lifestyle and career development
  • Group dynamics/counseling/consulting
  • Ethics and professional studies
  • Assessment/diagnosis, social and cultural foundations, research, substance abuse, crisis/trauma, grief/loss, and related counseling areas

The Board will accept a CACREP‑accredited degree in counseling or clinical mental health counseling as meeting these educational requirements for an intern, and may accept other closely related mental health graduate degrees if they match the required course areas. (regulations.justia.com)

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3. Step 1 – Licensure as a Clinical Professional Counselor Intern

You must become a CPC Intern before you can accumulate supervised hours toward CPC licensure.

3.1 Statutory requirements for CPC Intern

Under NRS 641A.288, an applicant for a clinical professional counselor intern license must show: (leg.state.nv.us)

• Age: At least 21 years.
• Character: Of good moral character.
• Education: A graduate degree in counseling from an accredited college or university approved by the Board, which required completion of a practicum or internship.
• Supervision: Has entered into a supervision agreement with an approved supervisor.

3.2 Additional Board requirements for an intern license (NAC)

NAC 641A’s intern section further requires that an applicant for licensure as an intern: (leg.state.nv.us)

• Meet the educational/coursework requirements in NAC 641A.065, 641A.075, and 641A.085.
• Submit a proposed plan for internship, including the names of the proposed primary and secondary supervisors.
• Participate in a personal interview if the Board requests it.
• Pass the examination required by NRS 641A.231 (for CPCs) – this is the National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination (NCMHCE) administered by NBCC. (leg.state.nv.us)

3.3 Duration and limits of the intern license

Under NRS 641A.2882 and corresponding NAC: (nevada.public.law)

• A CPC Intern license is generally valid for 3 years and may be renewed once (for another 3‑year period).
• The Board will grant only one 3‑year renewal. If the intern does not complete the internship within that extended period, they must reapply under then‑current law. (leg.state.nv.us)
• The license expires earlier if:
  • The supervision agreement terminates, or
  • A full CPC license is issued. (nevada.public.law)

3.4 Scope of practice as a CPC Intern

By statute, a clinical professional counselor intern: (law.justia.com)

• May practice clinical professional counseling only to obtain the supervised experience required by NRS 641A.231(4) for full CPC licensure.
• May not practice independently; they must always be under an approved supervisor.

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4. Step 2 – Completing the supervised experience (CPC Intern)

Nevada law and regulations are very specific about the types of hours you must accumulate.

4.1 Overall supervised experience requirement (statute)

NRS 641A.231(4) states that an applicant for a CPC license must have: (leg.state.nv.us)

1. At least 2 years of postgraduate experience in professional counseling, and
2. At least 3,000 hours of supervised experience in professional counseling, which must include:
   • At least 1,500 hours of direct contact with clients, and
   • At least 100 hours of counseling under the direct supervision of an approved supervisor, with a minimum of 1 hour per week of supervision for each work setting where counseling is provided.

The regulation in NAC then breaks down those 3,000 hours more precisely for interns.

4.2 NAC breakdown of the 3,000 hours for CPC Interns

Under NAC (internship section), to obtain the hours of supervised experience required by NRS 641A.231, an intern must complete: (leg.state.nv.us)

1. 1,500 hours of direct contact with clients
2. 300 hours of supervised counseling
3. 1,200 hours of work related to the practice of clinical professional counseling

Together, these three categories total 3,000 hours of supervised experience.

Below is how the Board defines each category.

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4.2.1 1,500 hours of “direct contact with clients”

The regulation requires “at least 1,500 hours of direct contact with clients in the practice of clinical professional counseling” (or MFT, as applicable). (leg.state.nv.us)

Key points:

• These are face‑to‑face counseling hours (or their telehealth equivalent, when allowed by Board policy) in which you are directly providing clinical services to clients.
• They must be accrued while licensed as a CPC Intern and within your Board‑approved internship plan.

Some of these direct contact hours can also count toward the “work related to the practice” category (see below) when done in conjunction with a graduate program, but there are caps on double‑counting.

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4.2.2 300 hours of “supervised” counseling

NAC requires at least 300 hours of counseling that is explicitly supervised by your approved supervisors. Specifically, it mandates: (leg.state.nv.us)

• Total supervised counseling hours:
  • At least 300 hours of clinical professional counseling that is supervised by the primary and/or secondary approved supervisor(s).
• Distribution between supervisors:
  • At least 160 hours must be supervised by your primary approved supervisor.
  • At least 40 hours must be supervised by your secondary supervisor or supervisors, if you have them.

The regulation also clarifies how “time required for supervision” is counted (e.g., reviewing recordings, live observation, and in‑depth case discussion can count; workshops or classes generally do not count as supervision time). (leg.state.nv.us)

Note that the statute’s minimum of 100 hours of counseling under the direct supervision of an approved supervisor (with at least one hour per week per work setting) is a floor, while the NAC’s 300‑hour supervision requirement is the Board’s more specific and stricter standard. Both must effectively be satisfied. (leg.state.nv.us)

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4.2.3 1,200 hours of “work related to the practice of clinical professional counseling”

The remaining 1,200 hours must be “work related to the practice of clinical professional counseling” (or MFT, as applicable). (leg.state.nv.us)

NAC specifies that:

• These 1,200 hours are in addition to the 1,500 direct contact hours and 300 supervised counseling hours.
• They can include multiple types of professional activity, within specific caps. Examples and limits given by the regulation include:
  • Up to 500 hours of direct client contact that is performed in conjunction with a graduate program of study (e.g., practicum/internship during your degree).
  • Up to 300 hours of leading group therapy or counseling sessions.
  • Up to 200 hours of teaching or psychoeducational activities, such as:
    • Leading parent or family education sessions,
    • Conducting workshops,
    • Other teaching roles approved by your primary supervisor.

Beyond these capped categories, additional hours may include other Board‑approved clinical and professional activities that are clearly related to the practice of clinical professional counseling (for example, certain case management, clinical documentation, or treatment‑planning duties under supervision). The Board retains discretion to decide what qualifies. (leg.state.nv.us)

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5. Supervisors and supervision structure

While the question focuses on hours, the status and qualifications of supervisors matter, because hours must be accrued under approved supervisors and within a Board‑approved plan.

Key regulatory points: (leg.state.nv.us)

• Supervisors must:
  • Be licensed in a relevant discipline (MFT or CPC) for at least a specified number of years.
  • Not be closely related to the intern (no closer than fourth‑degree consanguinity).
  • Have never provided mental health therapy to the intern as a client.
  • Maintain liability insurance for supervision.
  • Be approved by the Board as a primary or secondary supervisor.
• Primary supervisors must normally have:
  • Documented supervisory training (graduate‑level course or approved supervision training program) and
  • At least 25 hours of supervisory experience, or
  • A recognized supervision credential (e.g., AAMFT Approved Supervisor or NBCC Approved Clinical Supervisor). (nvrules.elaws.us)

Your internship plan must name these supervisors and outline how you will obtain the required direct contact, supervision, and related‑work hours.

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6. Step 3 – Applying for full Clinical Professional Counselor (CPC) licensure

Once you have met all internship and experience requirements, you apply for the CPC license.

Under NRS 641A.231, the Board will grant a CPC license when the applicant has furnished evidence that they: (leg.state.nv.us)

1. Are at least 21 years old.
2. Are of good moral character.
3. Have the required graduate degree (psychiatric residency, CACREP‑approved mental health/community counseling program, or another acceptable degree with practicum and internship in mental health counseling).
4. Have:
   • At least 2 years of postgraduate experience in professional counseling, and
   • At least 3,000 hours of supervised experience in professional counseling, including:
     • 1,500 hours of direct contact with clients, and
     • At least 100 hours of counseling under the direct supervision of an approved supervisor, with no less than 1 hour of supervision per week for each counseling work setting (satisfied in practice through the NAC‑required 300 hours of supervision described above). (leg.state.nv.us)
5. Have passed the National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination (NCMHCE) administered by the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC). (leg.state.nv.us)

The Board may also require:

• Application forms and fees prescribed by regulation.
• Verification of hours, signed by your primary and secondary supervisors, documenting:
  • Direct contact hours,
  • Supervision hours, and
  • Work‑related hours, all consistent with NAC 641A.

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7. Summary of the hour requirements, in the Board’s categories

To obtain a Nevada Clinical Professional Counselor (CPC) license through the standard intern route, you must complete, at minimum:

• 3,000 hours of supervised experience in professional counseling, including all of the following: (leg.state.nv.us)

  1. 1,500 hours of direct contact with clients
     • Face‑to‑face clinical counseling services provided to clients as a CPC Intern.
  2. 300 hours of supervised counseling
     • At least 300 hours of counseling time under approved supervision, including:
       • 160+ hours with your primary approved supervisor, and
       • 40+ hours with any secondary supervisor(s).
  3. 1,200 hours of work related to the practice of clinical professional counseling
     • Additional professional activities tied to counseling practice, subject to limits such as:
       • Up to 500 hours of direct client contact tied to a graduate program,
       • Up to 300 hours of leading group therapy/counseling,
       • Up to 200 hours of approved teaching/psychoeducation and related activities,
       • Other Board‑approved clinical or professional duties.

Alongside these, you must demonstrate:

• At least 2 years of postgraduate counseling experience, and
• Successful completion of the NCMHCE,
• All other statutory and regulatory requirements concerning age, character, degree, coursework, and supervision arrangements.

All requirements are ultimately governed by NRS Chapter 641A and NAC Chapter 641A, as administered and interpreted by the Nevada Board of Examiners for Marriage and Family Therapists and Clinical Professional Counselors. (leg.state.nv.us)