How to Become a LPC Supervisor in Texas

It's not easy to know all the rules to become a LPC Supervisor in Texas. This post also features a podcast episode where I go into more detail about becoming a LPC Supervisor.

TCCBB 0104 How do You Become a Supervisor Anyway?

Last week I was listening to an interview on NPR’s Fresh Air. Jose Andres, a chef with Michelin stars by his name, was describing how his non-profit had gone into Puerto Rico after hurricane Maria and cooked thousands of meals for survivors. I was blown away by his magnificent cooking machine where trained chefs train other chefs to train volunteers who cook meals for the needy. “I must do this!” I thought. Then I realized; I already do. I teach the 40 hour course to become a LPC or LMFT supervisor in Texas. Like these chefs, my course participants already have a passion for paying it forward. It is my job to make sure they meet all of the state education requirements so they can apply for the supervisor designation successfully.

What are the requirements for LPC Supervisor training courses in Texas?

Making the decision to become a LPC supervisor in Texas starts with knowing your eligibility. The LPC-S is not a license, rather it is a ‘designation.' In Texas you must be fully licensed for five years before you can apply for the LPC Supervisor designation. The 40 hour course completion certificate is good for two years, so you can actually take the course any time after you hit your three year mark. Once you are approved at your five year mark, it renews when you renew your license.

Approval will be delayed or denied if you have taken a course that does not offer the  topics specified in the rules.In addition to requiring certain topics, the Texas LPC board dictates the 40 Hour LPC Supervisor Training Course must adhere to the following:

• The instructor must be a LPC
• The course can be delivered completely online
• The start and end dates for the course must be clear on the certificate because
• You only have 90 days to complete the course

Beware of course creators who:

• Let you ‘re-purchase' a course you failed to complete. Course creators should not profit from your failure.
• Offer deadline extensions. If your certificate indicates more than 90 days to complete the course, the board may not honor it.

How do you apply to be a LPC Supervisor in Texas?

Once you finish your 40 Hour LPC Supervisor Course, you should receive a certificate documenting the forty hours you completed. This certificate should show the name of the course, your name, the date you completed the course, the number of continuing education hours for ethics, the total number of hours you completed, and the name and contact information of the company who offered the course. When you reach your five year mark, go to the BHEC website and follow their instructions. As of this writing there is an application you must complete and a fee.

Remember the 40 Hour LPC Supervisor Training course is NOT a certification course. The LPC board has the final say in whether or not your course met all of the requirements and only they can give you the supervisor designation.

Who can supervise interns in Texas?

You can. Just pass the course and submit your certificate, your application, and fees when you hit your five year mark. In 2007 my mentor Dr. Judy DeTrude and I developed the 40 Hour LPC LMFT Supervisor Training. In 2019 Kate Walker training produced the first completely online dual licensed supervisor training. Forty in-person cohorts and over three hundred online graduates later, I am proud to say we have made a significant impact in getting supervisors out into the field and helping to make mental health services accessible to Texans who need it.

How do I find an excellent Texas LPC supervisor training?

It is my job to make sure my Kate Walker Training course participants meet all of the education requirements so they can successfully apply for their supervisor designation. Excellent courses go the extra mile: they will offer support after the course, templates paperwork and tools to get you started, free tickets to consultation groups, a tribe of mentors available to answer questions, and flexibility to add changes as rules change in order to stay up to the minute.

Blog post by Kate M. Walker Ph.D., LPC/LMFT Supervisor

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