Clinical Supervision Requirements in Indiana

Licensing Board Overview

Indiana licenses social work, marriage and family therapy, and mental health counseling through one board. It was created in 1997 as the Social Worker, Marriage and Family Therapist, and Mental Health Counselor Board, and renamed the Behavioral Health and Human Services Licensing Board (BHHS Board) in 2009 (P.L. 122-2009), when addiction counseling was added. The board is housed under the Professional Licensing Agency (PLA).

Indiana is a member of the Counseling Compact (IC 25-42.5). The state also sets virtual supervision rules directly in statute for all three tracks, which is unusual compared to states that handle it through administrative rules.

LMHC: Licensed Mental Health Counselor

Indiana's LMHC is the independent counseling license. If you earn your post-graduate hours in Indiana, you must hold a Licensed Mental Health Counselor Associate (LMHCA) license while you do (IC 25-23.6-8.5-4(c)), with an exception for doctoral students.

Supervised Experience Requirements

• Total hours: 3,000 hours of post-graduate clinical experience (IC 25-23.6-8.5-4(b))
• Duration: Completed over at least 21 months and no more than 48 months (839 IAC 1-5-1.5(a))
• Supervision hours: 100 hours of supervision over that period
• Hours do not expire: Since July 1, 2025, hours earned after the LMHCA license do not expire
• Education: A master's degree of at least 48 semester hours and 60 semester hours of graduate credit in mental health counseling or a related field. A CACREP-accredited program is one of several qualifying routes
• Exam: The NCE for the LMHCA, and the NCMHCE for the LMHC

Supervisor Qualifications

• An LMHC, or an equivalent supervisor: an LCSW, LMFT, physician with psychiatric training, psychologist, or clinical nurse specialist in psychiatric or mental health nursing (839 IAC 1-5-1.5(b))
• There is no board-approved supervisor status or separate supervisor application

LCSW: Licensed Clinical Social Worker

Indiana's LCSW pathway starts with the LSW (Licensed Social Worker). You hold an LSW, or a social work temporary permit, while accumulating your supervised clinical hours toward LCSW.

Supervised Experience Requirements

• Duration: 2 years of full-time paid experience after the graduate degree, with at least 1,500 hours per year, and never less than 24 months (839 IAC 1-3-2(b))
• Part-time route: 4,500 hours in total, at least 3,000 of them after the graduate degree
• Setting: Experience is earned as a paid employee in one of the settings the rule lists, such as social service agencies, schools, hospitals, mental health centers, or private practice
• Direct services: At least 50% of the time must be spent providing services directly to clients
• Supervision: At least 4 hours of face-to-face supervision each month (839 IAC 1-3-2(c))
• Prerequisite license: Must hold an LSW or an LSW temporary permit while accumulating hours in Indiana
• Doctoral credit: A doctoral internship may count toward supervised experience
• Hours never expire: Supervised hours accumulated after LSW licensure do not expire.
• Temporary permit: Available under IC 25-23.6-5-11.5. Hours accumulated during a temporary permit are valid for up to 4 years (extendable by board).
• Virtual supervision: Up to 100% of supervision may be virtual since July 1, 2024 (IC 25-23.6-5-3.5(h))

Supervisor Qualifications

• The statute calls for a qualified supervisor as determined by the board, and no rule defines one
• The board's FAQ and its LCSW supervision verification form (Form I) call for an Indiana LCSW. Confirm with the board before relying on an out-of-state supervisor

LMFT: Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist

Indiana's LMFT pathway uses the Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Associate (LMFTA) license during the supervised period. If you earn your hours in Indiana, you must hold the LMFTA while you do (IC 25-23.6-8-2.7(c)), with an exception for doctoral students.

Supervised Experience Requirements

• Duration: At least 24 months of post-degree experience (839 IAC 1-4-3.2(a))
• Clinical hours: 1,000 hours of post-degree clinical experience, with at least 50% of your clients receiving marriage and family therapy services (IC 25-23.6-8-2.7(b))
• Case types: Experience must include work with unmarried couples and relational systems, married couples, separating or divorcing couples, and family systems including children
• Supervision hours: 200 hours of supervision, at least 100 of them individual. Individual supervision means one supervisor with no more than two supervisees
• Hours do not expire: Since July 1, 2025, hours earned after the LMFTA license do not expire
• Exam: The AMFTRB national exam, taken for the LMFTA

The 300 client contact hours and 100 supervision hours often quoted for Indiana MFTs belong to the pre-degree practicum, not the post-degree experience.

Supervisor Qualifications

• Must be a licensed marriage and family therapist with at least 5 years of experience
• Or an equivalent supervisor: someone licensed in a mental health field who is an AAMFT Approved Supervisor or supervisor candidate, or who documents MFT training and MFT supervision training or experience (839 IAC 1-4-5(b))

Indiana-Specific Details

One Board for All Three Tracks

A single board has licensed social work, MFT, and mental health counseling since 1997. It took its current name in 2009, when addiction counseling joined. This simplifies the administrative landscape compared to states that maintain separate boards for each discipline, but it also means one board sets rules for very different professions.

Virtual Supervision in Statute

Indiana sets virtual supervision rules directly in statute for all three tracks (IC 25-23.6-5-3.5, 25-23.6-8-2.7, and 25-23.6-8.5-4). Since July 1, 2024 (P.L. 83-2024), up to 100% of the supervision requirement may be virtual. This gives the allowance more permanence than rule-level provisions, which boards can change more easily. The board's FAQ still mentions a 50% limit, but the statute controls.

Non-Expiring Hours

Indiana explicitly states that supervised clinical social work hours accumulated after LSW licensure do not expire. Since July 1, 2025, the same is true of hours earned after the LMHCA or LMFTA license. Some states impose 5- or 7-year windows during which hours must be completed or they reset. Indiana's approach is more flexible for supervisees who may have career interruptions.

LMFTA License vs. Temporary Permit

The LMFTA license and the associate temporary permit are different credentials. The LMFTA license may be renewed two times, and the board may allow more. Only the optional associate temporary permit is limited to one year and cannot be renewed. Plan your caseload and supervision schedule with the 24-month minimum in mind.

Counselors Licensure Compact

Indiana has adopted the Counseling Compact (IC 25-42.5, enacted in 2023). The board says eligible LMHCs may now apply for compact privileges, which let counselors practice in other member states without a separate license in each. If you hold multistate clients or plan to relocate, check the current status with the board.

Documentation Requirements

• Indiana does not require a supervision agreement, a supervision plan, or a supervision log, and there is no board approval of supervisors
• Each supervisor completes a verification of the supervision they provided. For the LMHC this is one combined form, and for the LCSW and LMFT it is Form I, duplicated for each supervisor
• Each employer verifies the employment and hours worked, on the LMHC form or on Form II for the LCSW and LMFT
• The applicant uploads the signed forms to the online application. No notarization is required
• The LMHC form warns that experience you cannot substantially verify within 5 years may have to be repeated, so keep your own records of supervision meetings and clinical hours

Virtual Supervision in Indiana

For all three tracks, Indiana allows up to 100% of supervision through virtual supervision. It must be synchronous audio and video in real time on a HIPAA-compliant platform. Telephone calls, email, and text messages do not count. Supervised work may generally be performed away from the supervisor's premises, but it may not be independent private practice without a qualified supervisor available. The verification forms ask each supervisor to confirm that any virtual supervision met this definition.

Key Indiana Board Contact Information

• Behavioral Health and Human Services Licensing Board (BHHS Board): in.gov/pla/professions/behavioral-health-and-human-services
• Governing statute: IC 25-23.6
• Administrative rules: Indiana Administrative Code Title 839

How to Become a Clinical Supervisor in Indiana

Indiana's Behavioral Health and Human Services Licensing Board (BHHS Board), under the Professional Licensing Agency, oversees all three disciplines. Always verify current requirements with the BHHS Board before applying.

Becoming an LMHC Supervisor in Indiana

Per 839 IAC 1-5-1.5, Indiana defines eligible supervisors for mental health counselor associates by license type. The following individuals may provide "approved supervision":

• Eligible license types: Licensed mental health counselor (LMHC), licensed clinical social worker (LCSW), licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT), licensed physician with psychiatric training, licensed psychologist, or licensed clinical nurse specialist in psychiatric/mental health nursing
• Licensure: Must be licensed in one of these professions. The rule does not say the license must be from Indiana, and the verification form asks for the license state
• Scope: Must be supervising within their scope of experience and training
• Additional requirements: Indiana defines supervision eligibility by license type rather than requiring a separate approved supervisor application

Becoming an LCSW Supervisor in Indiana

• Licensure: Hold an active LCSW license. The board's FAQ and Form I call for an Indiana LCSW
• Training and approval: No supervisor training, registration, or board approval is required
• Experience: No minimum years are set, though Form I asks for your years of experience in social work

Becoming an LMFT Supervisor in Indiana

• Licensure: Be an LMFT with at least 5 years of experience, or qualify as an equivalent supervisor under 839 IAC 1-4-5(b). The rule does not limit this to Indiana licensees
• AAMFT: AAMFT Approved Supervisors and supervisor candidates who are licensed in a mental health field qualify as equivalent supervisors
• Approval: There is no separate board approval step before supervising

Indiana-Specific Considerations

• Single board: Indiana regulates all three disciplines under the BHHS Board, which provides some consistency in supervisor requirements
• License-type eligibility: Indiana defines supervisor eligibility primarily by license type rather than using a separate approved supervisor application process. This differs from states that require additional supervisor credentials
• Cross-discipline: The administrative code allows several license types (LMHC, LCSW, LMFT, psychologist, psychiatrist, clinical nurse specialist) to supervise mental health counselor associates, and MFT supervision may come from an equivalent supervisor in another mental health field. Verify current cross-discipline rules with the BHHS Board
• More than one supervisor: Allowed on every track. Each supervisor signs only for the supervision they gave

How Guidara Helps Indiana Supervisors

Indiana's monthly LCSW supervision minimum and its per-supervisor verification forms make clear records essential. Guidara keeps hour logs and timesheets with running totals, so an LMFTA can see progress toward 1,000 clinical hours and 200 supervision hours, and an LMHCA toward 3,000 hours and 100 hours of supervision. Signed supervision notes, e-signatures, and timesheets are all captured in one place. When it is time to complete Form I or the LMHC verification form, you can export PDF records of the supervision you provided. Guidara does not fill in or submit board forms.