Clinical Supervision Requirements in Illinois

Licensing Board Overview

Illinois licenses mental health professionals through the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR). Social workers, counselors, and marriage and family therapists each have separate practice acts, administrative rules, and advisory boards, but all are administered by IDFPR. Applications go through IDFPR's online CORE portal.

A few things make Illinois distinctive. The state uses a two-tier counseling system: LPC (Licensed Professional Counselor) is the entry-level license, and LCPC (Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor) is the independent clinical license. The counseling act and the MFT rules define face-to-face supervision as live, interactive, and visual, so synchronous video counts. The social work rules do not address modality.

LCPC: Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor

Illinois uses LCPC (not LPC) as its independent clinical counseling license. Supervised hours may be earned once the degree requirements are complete, and an LPC license is not required for them, except for volunteer hours (68 Ill. Admin. Code 1375.130(j)-(k)).

Supervised Experience Requirements

• Total supervised experience: The equivalent of 2 years of full-time experience, which is 3,360 hours. Each year is 1,680 hours earned in no fewer than 48 weeks (68 Ill. Admin. Code 1375.130(d))
• Direct service: At least 50% of the hours must be direct face-to-face service to clients. Synchronous audio-visual telehealth counts
• Employment: The supervisee may not work as an independent contractor or hold an ownership interest in the practice. Volunteer hours count only if the volunteer holds an LPC license
• Supervision: At least 1 hour of face-to-face supervision each week under the rule (68 Ill. Admin. Code 1375.130(e)(1)). IDFPR's qualifications sheet describes this as an average of 4 hours per month, so confirm with IDFPR how it is reviewed
• Supervision format: Individual or group. A supervision group may not exceed five supervisees
• Exam: Both the NCE and the NCMHCE, or the CRC exam (68 Ill. Admin. Code 1375.150)

Supervisor Qualifications

• Must be an LCPC, LCSW, LMFT, licensed clinical psychologist, or licensed psychiatrist (68 Ill. Admin. Code 1375.130(c))
• Must hold an Illinois license when the supervisee is physically in Illinois, even if the clients are located elsewhere
• An LCPC supervisor must have completed the 9-hour clinical supervision CE requirement. There is no board approval of supervisors

LCSW: Licensed Clinical Social Worker

Illinois's LCSW requires post-master's supervised clinical experience. The state defines specific hour requirements in its practice act and in 68 Ill. Admin. Code Part 1470.

Supervised Experience Requirements

• Total supervised experience: 3,000 hours of supervised professional clinical experience for master's-level applicants, or 2,000 hours for doctoral-level applicants
• Weekly cap: There is no minimum duration, but no more than 40 hours count in any week (68 Ill. Admin. Code 1470.20(a)(3))
• Clinical focus: Experience must be directly related to clinical social work practice
• Supervision: An average of at least 4 hours of supervision each month. Supervision may be individual or group, with no more than five supervisees in a group
• LSW license required from 2027: Under P.A. 104-702, hours earned on or after January 1, 2027, count only after the supervisee obtains an LSW license, or while practicing pending its issuance if the license is later issued. Earlier hours still count if they met the law at the time
• Exam: ASWB Clinical exam is required. Illinois also has an exam alternative for applicants who took the exam on or after January 1, 2019, and did not pass: 3,000 hours of supervised professional experience in addition to the 3,000 clinical hours (225 ILCS 20/8.2)

Supervisor Qualifications

• Only supervision by an LCSW counts toward the clinical hours (68 Ill. Admin. Code 1470.20(a)(4)(C))
• The LCSW must be Illinois-licensed when the applicant is located in Illinois
• There is no years-of-experience requirement and no supervision course required before supervising

LMFT: Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist

The LMFT in Illinois requires both a time-based and an hour-based supervised experience component, set out in 68 Ill. Admin. Code Part 1283.

Supervised Experience Requirements

• Total experience: 3,000 hours of professional work experience after the first qualifying degree, completed over at least 2 years and no more than 5 years (68 Ill. Admin. Code 1283.15)
• Client contact: At least 1,000 of those hours must be face-to-face client contact. Whether telehealth counts as client contact is not stated, so confirm with IDFPR
• Relational content: Within the 1,000 hours, at least 350 hours with one client present and at least 350 hours of conjoint therapy with two or more clients in a significant relationship (68 Ill. Admin. Code 1283.20)
• Supervision hours: 200 hours of supervision. At least 100 must be post-degree, and no more than 100 may come from graduate training
• Individual supervision: At least 100 of the 200 hours must be individual, meaning no more than two supervisees with one supervisor. A group may have no more than six
• Continuity: The applicant must be supervised during the whole period of accumulating clinical experience

Supervisor Qualifications

• At least 100 hours must come from an MFT-qualified supervisor: an AAMFT Approved Supervisor or Supervisor in Training, an LMFT with 5 years of MFT clinical experience after their first qualifying degree, an AAMFT clinical member of 5 years, or another clinical licensee who meets the conditions in 68 Ill. Admin. Code 1283.25(b)
• The remaining hours may come from practicum or internship supervision, or from an LMFT, clinical psychologist, LCSW, LCPC, or psychiatrist with at least 5 years of experience in their discipline
• Supervision paid for by the supervisee, or given by a supervisor the supervisee hires or employs, does not count (225 ILCS 55/15(c-5))

Illinois-Specific Details

Two-Tier Counseling System

Illinois has both an LPC and an LCPC license. The LPC is a dependent license that allows practice under supervision. The LCPC is the independent clinical license that permits autonomous practice, including diagnosis and treatment. If you're coming from another state that only has "LPC" as the clinical license, keep in mind that Illinois's LPC is not the same level of credential.

Exam Alternative for LCSW

Illinois offers an alternative for LCSW candidates who took the ASWB Clinical examination on or after January 1, 2019, and did not pass. They may instead complete 3,000 hours of supervised professional experience, kept separate from the clinical hours. The hours must fall between 10 years before and 3 years after the application, and since January 1, 2026, they must be earned while holding an LSW or school social work license. These hours may be supervised by an LCSW, LCPC, LMFT, clinical psychologist, psychiatrist, or APPN. There is no petition: the verification forms go in with the application.

Documentation Requirements

• Illinois does not require a written supervision plan, a weekly log, or a set record retention period on any track
• Each supervisor completes a verification at the end: a VE-LCPC for each site and supervisor, a VE-SW for each supervisor and experience, or an SR-MFT from each MFT supervisor
• The VE-LCPC and VE-SW go back to the applicant in a sealed envelope. The supervisor mails the SR-MFT directly to IDFPR
• Keeping your own record of supervision meeting dates, duration, format, and hours makes those forms much easier to complete

Virtual Supervision in Illinois

The counseling act and rules define face-to-face as live, interactive, and visual, and video counts if it is synchronous with verbal and visual interaction (225 ILCS 107/10). The MFT rules use the same test and add that video supervision must meet confidentiality rules (68 Ill. Admin. Code 1283.25(f)). Telephone-only supervision does not meet the "visual" requirement for counseling or MFT. The social work act and rules are silent on modality, so LCSW candidates should confirm with IDFPR. If you supervise remotely, use a HIPAA-compliant video platform and document the modality in your supervision records.

Key Illinois Board Contact Information

• Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR): idfpr.illinois.gov (oversees LCPC, LCSW, and LMFT licensing)
• Professional Counselor licensing: idfpr.illinois.gov/profs/profcounselor.html
• Social Work licensing: idfpr.illinois.gov/profs/socialworker.html
• Marriage and Family Therapy licensing: idfpr.illinois.gov/profs/marrfamtherapy.html

How to Become a Clinical Supervisor in Illinois

Illinois licenses are regulated by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR). Each discipline has its own supervisor pathway. Requirements can change, so verify current standards with IDFPR before applying.

Becoming an LCPC Supervisor in Illinois

• Licensure: Hold an active license as an LCPC, LCSW, LMFT, licensed clinical psychologist, or psychiatrist. It must be an Illinois license when the supervisee is physically in Illinois
• Who qualifies: 225 ILCS 107/10 defines a "qualified supervisor" as an LCPC, LCSW, licensed clinical psychologist, psychiatrist, or other supervisor defined by rule. 68 Ill. Admin. Code 1375.130(c) adds LMFTs
• Training: An LCPC supervisor must complete the 9-hour clinical supervision CE required at the second renewal (68 Ill. Admin. Code 1375.220(a)(3))
• No formal supervisor designation: Illinois does not issue a separate supervisor credential. Any professional holding a qualifying license may provide supervision
• Supervision modality: Supervision must be face-to-face. Synchronous video is acceptable
• Limits: Supervision groups are capped at five supervisees. No caseload limit on supervisors was found

Becoming an LCSW Supervisor in Illinois

• Licensure: Hold an active LCSW license, issued by Illinois when the applicant is located in Illinois
• Who qualifies: Only an LCSW may supervise clinical hours (68 Ill. Admin. Code 1470.20(a)(4)(C)). The broader list in 225 ILCS 20/8.2 (LCPC, LMFT, clinical psychologist, psychiatrist, or APPN) applies only to exam-alternative hours
• No formal supervisor designation: Illinois does not issue a separate supervisor credential for LCSWs
• Training: Starting with the renewal period ending November 30, 2027, LCSWs need 6 hours of clinical supervision CE as a one-time renewal requirement (68 Ill. Admin. Code 1470.95(a)(2))
• Limits: Supervision groups are capped at five supervisees. No caseload limit on supervisors was found

Becoming an LMFT Supervisor in Illinois

• Licensure: Hold an active license and meet one of the supervisor categories in 68 Ill. Admin. Code 1283.25(b) or (c). Experience is counted in years after your first qualifying degree, not years since licensure
• Who qualifies: Per 225 ILCS 55/40(c), an Associate LMFT must be clinically supervised by a licensed marriage and family therapist or equivalent as defined by rule
• Associate LMFT license: Illinois offers an Associate LMFT (ALMFT) license, valid for 5 years and not renewable. No statute or rule requires a supervisee to hold it before hours count
• Payment: You cannot be paid by, hired by, or employed by your MFT supervisee for that supervision to count

Illinois-Specific Considerations

• Administrative code deference: Illinois statutes defer most supervision details to the Illinois Administrative Code. The relevant parts are 68 Ill. Admin. Code Parts 1375 (counselors), 1470 (social workers), and 1283 (MFTs)
• Cross-discipline: Counseling and MFT allow cross-discipline supervision within set limits. LCSW clinical hours do not: only an LCSW may supervise them
• Payment considerations: For LCPC hours, a qualified supervisor may be provided at the applicant's workplace or hired by the applicant (225 ILCS 107/10; 68 Ill. Admin. Code 1375.130(h)). LCSW supervision may be paid, unpaid, or contracted. MFT supervision paid for by the supervisee does not count
• More than one supervisor: All three tracks allow it. Each supervisor completes their own verification form, and the VE-SW asks whether supervision was coordinated with another clinical supervisor

How Guidara Helps Illinois Supervisors

With different hour thresholds across license types and a two-tier counseling system, Illinois supervisors often oversee professionals on different tracks at the same time. Guidara keeps each supervisee's records separate and organized, with hour logs, signed supervision notes, timesheets, and running hour totals. You can export PDF records to use when completing the VE-LCPC, VE-SW, or SR-MFT. Guidara does not fill in or submit IDFPR forms. Both supervisors and supervisees can see exactly where they stand at any point in the process.