Nevada CPC-Intern Requirements & Hours Tracker

Nevada’s Clinical Professional Counselor Intern (CPC‑Intern) credential is the provisional license you must hold while completing the supervised experience for full Clinical Professional Counselor (CPC) licensure. The requirements come from Nevada Revised Statutes (NRS) Chapter 641A and the Nevada Administrative Code (NAC) 641A, enforced by the Board of Examiners for Marriage and Family Therapists and Clinical Professional Counselors.

Below is a step‑by‑step guide, with the key hour categories and the exact types of activities the Board recognizes.

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1. Baseline qualifications to be a CPC‑Intern

Under NRS 641A.288, an applicant for a Clinical Professional Counselor Intern license must provide evidence to the Board that they: (leg.state.nv.us)

• Are at least 21 years of age.
• Are of good moral character.
• Possess a graduate degree in counseling from an accredited college or university approved by the Board, and that degree must have required completion of a practicum or internship.
• Have entered into a supervision agreement with an approved supervisor.

In other words, you need a qualifying counseling master’s (or higher) that included supervised clinical training, and you must already have an approved supervisor lined up before the Board will issue the intern license.

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2. Regulatory requirements to be issued an intern license (NAC 641A.156)

Nev. Admin. Code (NAC) 641A.156 sets out the formal requirements “for licensure as an intern.” An applicant must: (law.cornell.edu)

1. Satisfy the educational rules in:

   • NAC 641A.065 (coursework/curriculum standards),
   • NAC 641A.075 (minimum degree standards), and
   • NAC 641A.085 (practicum/internship requirements).

2. Submit a proposed plan for internship and supervision agreement, including:

   • The name of the proposed primary supervisor, and
   • The name(s) of secondary supervisor(s).

3. Complete a personal interview if requested by the Board.

4. Pass the required examination under NRS 641A.231 (for CPCs this is the National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination (NCMHCE)). (law.cornell.edu)

Once the Board approves your academic background, supervision plan, and (if required) interview and exam, it “will issue a license as an intern in the State of Nevada to each qualified applicant.” (law.cornell.edu)

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3. Application process in practice

Board‑aligned guidance and licensure overviews describe the process in this sequence: (counselingdegreeguide.org)

1. Complete a qualifying graduate counseling degree (60+ credits with clinical practicum/internship that meets NAC 641A standards).
2. Identify supervisors:
   • One primary supervisor.
   • At least one secondary supervisor.
3. Complete supervision contracts:
   • Primary Supervisor Contract.
   • Secondary Supervisor Contract.
4. Submit the CPC‑Intern application to the Board with:
   • Application form and fee.
   • Supervision plan and contracts.
   • Official transcripts.
   • Background check / fingerprinting.
5. Participate in an interview/oral exam if the Board requests it.
6. Once approved, the Board issues your CPC‑Intern license, after which you can begin counting supervised hours toward full CPC licensure.

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4. Structure and supervision of the internship

4.1 Required supervisors and supervision hours (NAC 641A.178)

Before you start your internship, NAC 641A.178 requires that each intern must have at least two Board‑approved supervisors. During your internship: (law.cornell.edu)

• The primary approved supervisor must:

  • Meet with you for at least 160 hours of supervision,
  • Provide at least 1 hour per week of supervision, and
  • Document any deviation from that weekly schedule.

• The secondary approved supervisor(s) must:

  • Meet with you for a combined total of at least 40 hours of supervision.

The regulation also clarifies what counts as supervision time. Supervision hours include: (law.cornell.edu)

• Meetings reviewing video or audio recordings of your sessions.
• Therapy sessions where the supervisor participates with you.
• Therapy sessions where the supervisor observes from behind a screen or via live feed.
• Your case presentations and discussion of “proper management and treatment” with the supervisor.

Except for a narrow category of Board‑approved training hours (see below), time spent simply attending seminars, workshops, or classes does not count as supervision. (law.cornell.edu)

4.2 Approval and time frame of the internship (NAC 641A.146)

NAC 641A.146 provides that an internship must: (law.cornell.edu)

• Be outlined in a supervision agreement with an approved primary supervisor.
• Be approved by the Board.
• Be completed within 3 years after Board approval, unless the intern receives a one‑time 3‑year renewal.

The Board will grant only one 3‑year renewal of the intern license. If you still have not completed the internship within that second 3‑year period, you must explain the reasons and then reapply for a new license under whatever laws are in effect at that time. (law.cornell.edu)

Interns and supervisors must submit semiannual reports (by March 15 and September 15) documenting:

• An evaluation of your progress.
• Total hours accumulated to date.
• Hours accumulated in the preceding 6‑month period. (law.cornell.edu)

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5. Required supervised experience hours for a CPC (what you must complete as a CPC‑Intern)

5.1 Statutory minimums (NRS 641A.231)

For full Clinical Professional Counselor licensure, NRS 641A.231(4) requires that you have: (leg.state.nv.us)

• At least 3,000 hours of supervised experience in professional counseling, including:
  • 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 at least 1 hour per week in each work setting where you provide counseling.

These 3,000 hours are, in practice, earned while you are licensed as a Clinical Professional Counselor Intern.

5.2 Detailed hour breakdown in NAC 641A.146

NAC 641A.146 translates those statutory minimums into a specific, structured set of internship hours. To obtain the supervised experience required for CPC licensure, an intern must complete: (law.cornell.edu)

Total: 3,000 hours of supervised experience, broken down as:

1. 1,500 hours of direct client contact

   • At least 1,500 hours of “direct contact with clients in the practice of … clinical professional counseling” (or marriage and family therapy, as applicable).
   • These are your face‑to‑face (or live telehealth) counseling hours where you are the treating provider.

2. 300 hours of supervised counseling

   • At least 300 hours of clinical professional counseling that is supervised by the primary and secondary supervisors, including:
     • At least 160 hours supervised by the primary approved supervisor.
     • At least 40 hours supervised by the secondary supervisor(s). (law.cornell.edu)

   These 300 hours are your formal supervision hours (the meetings and activities defined under NAC 641A.178), and they exceed the 100 supervised hours minimum required by statute.

3. 1,200 hours of “work related to the practice of clinical professional counseling”

   NAC 641A.146 describes this category as “work related to the practice of … clinical professional counseling”, in addition to the 1,500 direct hours and 300 supervision hours. It then lists several subcategories and maximums: (law.cornell.edu)

   • Up to 500 hours of direct client contact performed in conjunction with a graduate program of study (e.g., practicum/internship hours during your degree).
   • Up to 600 hours of leading group psychotherapy or process groups.
   • Up to 200 hours of teaching activities, such as:
     • Parent or family education sessions,
     • Workshops,
     • Psychoeducational groups, or other teaching roles,
       if approved by your primary supervisor and properly documented.
   • Up to 150 hours of individual counseling/therapy that you personally receive from a licensed mental health professional who is not your supervisor.
   • Up to 200 hours of training approved by your primary supervisor, which can include:
     • Graduate coursework, and
     • Workshops related to clinical professional counseling.

All of the above count toward the 1,200‑hour “related work” category, subject to the specified caps in each subcategory.

5.3 Credit for prior experience

NAC 641A.146 also allows some credit for experience obtained before you became a CPC‑Intern, if approved by the Board: (law.cornell.edu)

• Up to 750 hours of prior direct client contact (toward the required 1,500 direct hours).
• Up to 150 hours of prior supervised counseling (toward the required 300 supervision hours).
• Any number of hours of prior “related work” activities (as defined in the 1,200‑hour category).

You must request this credit at the time you apply for your intern license, with documentation from the state where you were previously licensed or from an approved supervisor.

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6. Duration and renewal of the CPC‑Intern license

By statute and regulation: (leg.state.nv.us)

• The CPC‑Intern license is valid for 3 years.
• It may be renewed only once, for an additional 3‑year period, if the Board approves.
• If you still have not completed your internship successfully after this one renewal:
  • You must provide reasons to the Board, and
  • You must reapply for a new license under the laws in place at that later time.

The intent is that your full 3,000 hours of supervised experience be completed within a maximum of 6 years of approved internship (3 years initial + 3 years renewal).

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7. Scope and limits of practice as a CPC‑Intern

NRS 641A.2884 sets a strict boundary around what a clinical professional counselor intern may do. The statute states that the holder of a CPC‑Intern license: (nevada.public.law)

1. May engage in the practice of clinical professional counseling only for the purpose of obtaining the supervised experience required by NRS 641A.231(4) for full CPC licensure.
2. May not engage in the practice of clinical professional counseling independently.

In practical terms, you must always practice under supervision and within your supervision agreement, and you cannot advertise or function as an independent practitioner until the Board grants you full CPC licensure.

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Summary of the hour requirements in plain numbers

To become fully licensed as a Clinical Professional Counselor in Nevada, you must, while licensed as a CPC‑Intern, complete 3,000 hours of supervised experience, consisting of:

• 1,500 hours of direct contact with clients in clinical professional counseling.
• 300 hours of supervised counseling, divided as:
  • At least 160 hours with your primary supervisor, and
  • At least 40 hours with your secondary supervisor(s).
• 1,200 hours of work related to the practice of clinical professional counseling, drawn from a Board‑defined list (group work, teaching, training, limited personal therapy, and certain graduate‑program hours), within the caps for each activity. (law.cornell.edu)

All of this must be done under Board‑approved supervision, within the time frames and reporting requirements set out in NAC 641A.146 and NAC 641A.178.