Virginia ALPS Requirements & Hours Tracker

In West Virginia, the Approved Licensed Professional Supervisor (ALPS) credential is the Board‑recognized status that allows a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) to provide post‑graduate supervision for counselors working toward LPC licensure. The West Virginia Board of Examiners in Counseling (WVBEC) sets out specific experience and training requirements for this credential.

Below is a structured, step‑by‑step explanation of what the Board requires, with attention to the exact types of hours and experience involved.

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1. Understand the Relationship Between LPC Licensure and ALPS

You must already be a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) to become an ALPS. The relevant rule states that “the professional supervisor shall be pre‑approved by the Board and shall provide post‑graduate degree supervision for applicants provided he or she is a licensed professional counselor.” (wvbec.org)

That means:

• ALPS is not a stand‑alone license.
• You first meet all requirements for LPC licensure, then apply for the ALPS credential as an experienced LPC.

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2. Baseline: Post‑Degree Supervised Experience Required to Become an LPC

Although your question focuses on ALPS, it’s helpful to clarify the supervised hours that your future supervisees must meet to become LPCs in West Virginia, since the Board spells those out in detail.

The WVBEC “Supervision FAQ” defines the minimum supervised experience to be eligible for full LPC licensure as: (wvbec.org)

• 3,000 total counseling activity hours (post‑degree, under supervision).
• Of those 3,000 hours, at least 1,500 hours must be direct provision of services to clients (i.e., face‑to‑face or live clinical work).
• 150 hours of individual supervision with an ALPS.

The Board further specifies:

• For every 20 hours of total counseling activity, there must be 1 hour of individual supervision with the ALPS.
• Individual supervision must be continuous and occur at least every two weeks; counseling hours cannot be counted if this requirement is not met.
• A maximum of 1,500 supervised counseling hours can be accumulated in a 12‑month period, which results in a minimum of 19 months of supervised counseling experience being required.

This “3,000/1,500/150” structure applies to provisionally licensed counselors seeking LPC, not to the ALPS credential itself. For ALPS, the Board focuses instead on years of counseling experience and supervision‑training hours (see next sections).

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3. Core Eligibility Requirements for the ALPS Credential

The WVBEC “Approved Licensed Professional Supervisor” page outlines the main requirements. In summary, to qualify as an ALPS you must: (wvbec.org)

1. Hold a permanent LPC license

   • You must be a permanently licensed LPC for at least two (2) years.
   • The Board’s language: “The professional supervisor shall be permanently licensed for two (2) years and have five (5) years of counseling experience.”

2. Have five (5) years of counseling experience

   • The Board defines this explicitly: five years of counseling experience is “any counseling experience, licensed or unlicensed, that can be documented.”
   • This can be in West Virginia or another state, so long as the other state’s LPC requirements are equal to or greater than West Virginia’s, and out‑of‑state LPCs must include a copy of their current license with their ALPS application.

3. Demonstrate a stable employment history and broad counseling competence

   • The governing rule (Series 1) requires that the professional supervisor demonstrate:
     • A stable employment history, and
     • Skills necessary to address all core areas of practice as listed in the Board’s rules and the ACA Code of Ethics. (wvbec.org)

4. Complete formal training in clinical counseling supervision

   • You must show that you have completed training in clinical counseling supervision, with content and experiences relevant to supervising counselors.
   • This requirement is expressed both in terms of years of counseling experience and supervision‑training contact hours (detailed in the next section).

5. Submit a professional statement

   • You must provide the Board with a written statement detailing:
     • Your counseling philosophy,
     • Your supervision philosophy/practices, and
     • Your counseling experience.
   • The Board provides specific instructions for this “Professional Statement” in the ALPS application packet. (wvbec.org)

6. Pay no application fee

   • The Board explicitly notes: “There is no fee associated with applying or becoming an Approved Licensed Professional Supervisor (ALPS).” (wvbec.org)

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4. Supervision‑Training Hour Requirements for ALPS

Unlike the LPC supervised‑experience requirement (3,000/1,500/150 hours), the ALPS credential’s hour‑based requirement focuses on contact hours of clinical supervision training, not on additional clinical practice hours.

The Board distinguishes between applicants with more than ten years of continuous counseling experience and those with less than ten years:

4.1. If you have more than 10 years of continuous counseling experience

• You must provide 15 contact hours in clinical counseling supervision. (wvbec.org)
• This can be met by:
  • One graduate course (1 semester hour) in clinical supervision (the Board counts 1 semester hour as 15 contact hours), or
  • 15 contact hours of continuing education in clinical counseling supervision from an approved provider.

4.2. If you have less than 10 years of continuous counseling experience

• You must provide 30 contact hours in clinical counseling supervision. (wvbec.org)
• This can be met by:
  • Two graduate supervision courses (for a total of 30 contact hours), or
  • 30 CE contact hours in clinical counseling supervision from approved providers, or
  • A combination of graduate coursework and CE, as long as the total documented content equals 30 clinical supervision contact hours.

4.3. Accepted forms of supervision training

The Board states that clinical supervision training can be: (wvbec.org)

• Graduate coursework from an accredited institution
  • 1 semester hour of coursework = 15 contact hours of continuing education
• Continuing education from approved providers (e.g., NBCC, ACA, or specifically WVBEC‑approved supervision trainings)

The key point is that the ALPS credential does not require new counseling practice hours (e.g., 1,500 direct + 1,500 indirect) beyond the experience you already have as an LPC. Instead, it requires:

• Five years of counseling experience (counted in years, not hours), and
• 15 or 30 contact hours of clinical supervision training, depending on your years of counseling experience.

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5. How “Years of Counseling Experience” Are Defined (Not Hours)

The West Virginia Board does not convert the ALPS experience requirement into a specific number of clinical hours. Instead, it uses years and documentation:

• Five (5) years of counseling experience is defined as “any counseling experience, licensed or unlicensed, that can be documented.” (wvbec.org)

Practically, this means:

• You will need to be able to document your counseling positions over at least a 5‑year span (e.g., employment verification, job descriptions, etc.).
• There is no separate ALPS requirement of “1,500 hours of direct experience and 1,500 hours of supervised experience.”
  • That type of numeric breakdown applies to supervisees’ LPC licensure (3,000 total hours, of which 1,500 must be direct and 150 must be individual supervision). (wvbec.org)
  • For ALPS, the Board cares that you have:
    • A sufficient duration of counseling experience (5 years),
    • A permanent LPC license held at least 2 years, and
    • Adequate formal training in supervision (15 or 30 contact hours), rather than a specific new tally of clinical practice hours.

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6. Application Components for ALPS

While the Board’s online ALPS page summarizes the requirements, the detailed steps and forms are in the ALPS application packet. Based on the Board’s descriptions, you should expect to provide: (wvbec.org)

1. Completed ALPS application form(s)

   • Available from the WVBEC website.

2. Proof of licensure

   • Copy of your current LPC license.
   • If you are licensed in another state and seeking ALPS recognition in WV, a copy of that state’s LPC license and evidence that the requirements are equivalent to or greater than WV’s.

3. Documentation of counseling experience

   • Employment history demonstrating:
     • At least two years of permanent LPC licensure, and
     • At least five years of counseling experience (licensed or unlicensed) that can be documented.

4. Documentation of supervision training hours

   • Certificates of completion or transcripts showing:
     • 15 contact hours in clinical counseling supervision (if you have more than 10 years of continuous counseling experience), or
     • 30 contact hours in clinical counseling supervision (if you have less than 10 years of continuous counseling experience). (wvbec.org)

5. Professional Statement

   • A narrative that addresses:
     • Your counseling philosophy,
     • Your supervision philosophy and approach, and
     • A summary of your counseling experience and areas of practice.

6. No fee

   • The Board explicitly states that there is no application fee for becoming an ALPS. (wvbec.org)

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7. Maintaining the ALPS Credential

Once you are recognized as an ALPS, you must meet ongoing continuing education (CE) requirements each LPC renewal cycle.

The WVBEC outlines the ALPS‑specific renewal requirement as: (wvbec.org)

• An ALPS must complete 3 continuing education hours in clinical counseling supervision for each license renewal period.
• These hours:
  • Can be counted within the 20 hours of allowed home‑study or formal programs that apply to the LPC’s overall CE requirement.
  • Must be clearly identified as “clinical supervision” in the title or description of the program.
  • Must be from NBCC, ACA, or WVBEC‑approved providers.

You also continue to meet all standard LPC renewal requirements (forms, total CE hours, and renewal fee), with these 3 supervision‑specific hours embedded in your CE plan.

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8. Summary of Key Quantitative Requirements

Putting the numeric pieces together:

To become an ALPS (supervisor):

• 2+ years as a permanently licensed LPC in WV (or equivalent state). (wvbec.org)
• 5 years of documented counseling experience (licensed or unlicensed).
• 15 contact hours in clinical counseling supervision if you have more than 10 years of continuous counseling experience; 30 contact hours if you have less than 10 years. (wvbec.org)
• 0 additional clinical practice hours are specified beyond those already required for your LPC; the Board does not list an ALPS‑specific breakdown like “1,500 direct / 1,500 indirect.” The experience requirement is stated in years, not hours.

For your supervisees (on the path to LPC, under an ALPS):

• 3,000 total counseling activity hours under supervision.
• At least 1,500 hours must be direct client contact (50% of total).
• 150 hours of individual supervision with an ALPS (i.e., 1 hour of individual supervision per 20 hours of counseling activity, at minimum every 2 weeks). (wvbec.org)

Those supervised‑experience numbers are what you, as an ALPS, will monitor and document for your supervisees; they are not additional hour requirements placed on you to obtain the ALPS credential.

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That is the structure of the West Virginia Board of Examiners in Counseling’s requirements for becoming and maintaining status as an Approved Licensed Professional Supervisor (ALPS), with emphasis on how the Board defines experience in years versus contact hours of supervision training, and where the specific 3,000/1,500/150 hour figures apply.