Clinical Supervision Requirements in Minnesota

Licensing Board Overview

Minnesota has three boards that regulate clinical supervision. The Board of Behavioral Health and Therapy (BBHT) oversees counselors (LPC/LPCC). The Board of Marriage and Family Therapy oversees marriage and family therapists (LAMFT/LMFT). The Board of Social Work oversees social workers (LGSW, LISW and LICSW). Always verify requirements with the relevant board.

Minnesota uses a two-tier system for counselors: LPC is the entry-level license, and LPCC (Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor) is the independent clinical license. For clinical social work, you practice as an LGSW (Licensed Graduate Social Worker), or as an LISW in clinical practice, under the supervision of an LICSW until you qualify for the LICSW (Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker). The hour requirements are among the highest in the country: 4,000 hours for the LPCC, the LMFT and the LICSW.

LPCC: Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor

Minnesota's LPCC is the independent clinical counseling license. You can earn LPCC hours after your master's degree, including while licensed as an LPC.

Supervised Experience Requirements

• Total supervised experience: 4,000 hours of post-master's supervised practice in the diagnosis and treatment of mental illnesses and disorders in both children and adults (Minn. Stat. §148B.5301)
• Duration: Minimum 24 consecutive months, maximum 72 consecutive months (Minn. R. 2150.5010)
• Direct client contact: At least 1,800 hours of clinical client contact
• Supervision hours: 200 hours of supervision. The LPCC statute and the board's forms call for 2 hours of supervision per 40 hours of practice, evenly distributed
• Individual supervision: At least 50% (100 hours) must be individual, which means one supervisee per supervisor. Triadic supervision counts as group
• Group supervision: Group supervision permitted for the remaining hours, with no maximum group size
• Converting from LPC: An LPC who has completed 2,000 supervised hours and practices independently needs only 2,000 additional hours, including 900 direct client contact hours

Supervisor Qualifications

• Must hold the BBHT's Approved Supervisor designation. Eligible licenses include LPC, LPCC, licensed psychologist, or another qualified supervisor as determined by the board (the application also lists LMFT and LICSW)
• At least 4 years of professional counseling experience, and at least 2 years of post-licensure clinical experience to supervise LPCC hours
• At least 45 hours of formal training in counseling supervision
• Supervision given before the Approved Supervisor designation may be found unacceptable by the board

LICSW: Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker

Minnesota's LICSW is the highest-level social work credential. The clinical path is LGSW (or an LISW in clinical practice) under LICSW supervision, then LICSW. Supervised hours count only once you are licensed to practice social work.

LISW Supervised Experience Requirements (Nonclinical Route)

• Total supervised experience: 4,000 hours of nonclinical social work practice as an LGSW (Minn. Stat. §148E.105)
• Supervision hours: 100 hours of supervision, with at least 4 hours in every 160 hours of practice
• Clinical work: The LISW is a nonclinical license. An LISW may practice clinical social work only under supervision

LICSW Clinical Requirements

• Total postgraduate clinical experience: At least 4,000 and no more than 8,000 hours of postgraduate supervised clinical practice (Minn. Stat. §148E.106). The 8,000 hours is a cap, which the board may extend by up to 2,000 hours for personal hardship
• Direct clinical client contact: At least 1,800 hours
• Supervision hours: 200 hours, at 4 to 8 hours of supervision in every 160 hours of practice. An LISW in clinical practice counts hours only after receiving the LISW license
• Individual supervision: At least 100 hours must be one-on-one, in person or by video. The other 100 may be one-on-one or group (no more than 6 supervisees)
• Education: A master's degree that includes 360 clinical clock hours
• Exam: ASWB Clinical examination. Since 2024, you can also qualify by completing the requirements of a provisional license, which does not need the exam

Supervisor Qualifications

• Must hold an active Minnesota LICSW license
• At least 2,000 hours of social work practice, including 1,000 hours of clinical practice after obtaining the LICSW, plus 30 hours of training in supervision, attested on a board form (Minn. Stat. §148E.120)
• An alternate supervisor (an LMFT, LPCC, psychologist, psychiatrist or psychiatric nurse) may provide up to 25% of supervision hours, or up to 100% in the cases the statute lists. You request this in your supervision plan

LMFT: Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist

Minnesota's LMFT is licensed by the Board of Marriage and Family Therapy. The supervised tier is the LAMFT (Licensed Associate Marriage and Family Therapist), granted once your education is complete and you have passed the national exam. The LAMFT is issued for one year and can be renewed for up to six more years.

Supervised Experience Requirements

• Duration: At least 4,000 hours, completed in no less than 2 and no more than 7 years from filing your application for the national exam (Minn. R. 5300.0155). File that application within 6 months of starting supervised experience. Hours logged more than 6 months before it cannot be counted
• Direct client contact: At least 1,000 hours of clinical client contact supervised by a board-approved Minnesota LMFT supervisor, including at least 500 hours of face-to-face therapy with couples, families, or similar relational groups. On the board's log, group therapy is not considered relational
• Other supervisors: Up to 2,800 of the 4,000 hours may be supervised by another licensed mental health professional, but that supervision does not count toward the 200 supervision hours
• Supervision: 200 hours of supervision by a board-approved LMFT supervisor, at an average of 1 hour per 5 hours of clinical client contact. No more than 100 supervision hours count in any 12-month period
• Individual supervision: At least 100 hours must be individual, which means the supervisor and no more than two supervisees. Group supervision is limited to six supervisees
• Exam: AMFTRB national examination and a state jurisprudence exam

Supervisor Qualifications

• Must be a Minnesota LMFT with board-approved supervisor status, or an AAMFT Approved Supervisor (Minn. R. 5300.0160)
• At least 4 years and 4,000 hours of clinical practice as an LMFT
• A board-approved MFT supervisor course of 3 semester hours, 30 hours of AAMFT supervisor training, or a 30-hour board-approved course. General supervision training does not qualify
• At least 10% of required continuing education must be on supervision

Minnesota-Specific Details

High Hour Requirements

Minnesota's supervised experience requirements are among the highest in the country. The LPCC requires 4,000 hours (compared to 2,000-3,000 in most states). The LICSW requires at least 4,000 hours of clinical practice and allows up to 8,000. The LMFT requires 4,000 hours over at least 2 years. Supervision relationships in Minnesota can last several years, so plan your documentation accordingly.

Two-Tier Counseling System

Minnesota has both an LPC and an LPCC. LPCs practice under supervision for their first 2,000 hours of post-degree practice. The LPCC requires 4,000 hours and is the independent clinical license that allows autonomous practice including diagnosis and treatment. An LPC who has finished the 2,000 supervised hours can convert to the LPCC with 2,000 more. If you're moving to Minnesota from a state that only has "LPC" as the clinical license, understand that Minnesota's LPC is not the same level of credential.

Individual Supervision Minimums

At least 50% of LPCC supervision must be individual, and the LICSW and LMFT paths each require at least 100 individual hours. "Individual" means something different on each track: one supervisee for counseling, up to two supervisees for MFT, and one-on-one for social work. Group supervision is limited to six supervisees for social work and MFT. Counseling sets no maximum group size.

Pending MFT Rule Changes

The Board of Marriage and Family Therapy has proposed rules (RD-4834) that would allow a non-LMFT "secondary supervisor" to supervise at the same time as the LMFT supervisor. They would also require at least 2 hours of supervision every 4 weeks from the LMFT supervisor, drop the 100-hour cap per 12 months, and require supervisors to keep a dated record of supervision. The comment period closed on June 8, 2026, and no adoption had been recorded at our last review.

Documentation Requirements

• LPC: A board-approved supervision plan for each supervisor and setting. Submit a new plan within 30 days of a new or added supervisor, or the hours from that period do not count (Minn. R. 2150.5010)
• LPCC: A written supervision contract for each supervisor and setting. The board's form says to keep it on file rather than submit it
• Social work: A supervision plan within 60 days of starting a social work position, and a revised plan within 60 days of a new supervisor. The board must approve the supervisor and the plan (Minn. Stat. §148E.125)
• MFT: A detailed log of all professional activity, kept permanently. The board recommends that your supervisor review and sign off on logged hours regularly
• No Minnesota board currently requires a record of each supervision meeting's date and topics
• Hour tracking with breakdowns between individual and group supervision
• More than one supervisor: Each supervisor verifies their own part. Counseling verifications are completed per supervisor and/or setting and report the work hours that supervisor oversaw. The supervisor sends the original directly to the board. Social work needs one verification per supervisor per position, submitted at every 2-year renewal
• MFT logs are kept permanently. The 7-year period in the counseling rules applies to client records, not supervision records
• No board has said it accepts electronic signatures on verification forms. Confirm with the board before relying on an e-signed form

Virtual Supervision in Minnesota

Minnesota permits virtual supervision, but the rules differ by board. For counseling, Minn. R. 2150.5010 requires at least 75% of supervision hours to be in person or through real-time, two-way interactive audio and visual communication. The remaining 25% may be by telephone or an audio or audiovisual device.

For MFT, all required supervision may be by real-time video since May 24, 2022 (Minn. Stat. §148B.33). For social work, the 100-hour one-on-one minimum must be in person or by video with visual contact. Telephone counts only toward the other 100 hours, and supervision by email never counts. Documentation should note the modality used for each supervision meeting.

Key Minnesota Board Contact Information

• Minnesota Board of Behavioral Health and Therapy (BBHT): mn.gov/boards/behavioral-health (counselors)
• Minnesota Board of Marriage and Family Therapy: mn.gov/boards/marriage-and-family. Phone: 612-617-2220. Email: [email protected] (marriage and family therapists)
• Minnesota Board of Social Work: mn.gov/boards/social-work. Phone: 612-617-2100. Email: [email protected] (social workers)

How to Become a Clinical Supervisor in Minnesota

Minnesota has three boards that regulate clinical supervision: the Board of Behavioral Health and Therapy for counselors (LPC/LPCC), the Board of Marriage and Family Therapy for marriage and family therapists (LMFT), and the Board of Social Work for social workers. Minnesota uses LPCC (not LPC at the clinical level) and LICSW (not LCSW) designations. Always verify current requirements with the relevant board.

Becoming an LPCC Supervisor in Minnesota

Supervisor requirements for counselors are defined in Minnesota Rules 2150.5010 (Subpart 3). To become a board-approved supervisor, you must:

• Licensure: Must hold an active Minnesota LPCC, LPC, or licensed psychologist license (or be another qualified supervisor as determined by the board)
• Clinical experience: A minimum of 4 years of professional counseling experience. To supervise LPCC hours, at least 2 years of post-licensure clinical experience
• Supervision training: A minimum of 45 hours of formal training in providing counseling supervision. This can include graduate coursework, continuing education courses, workshops, or a combination
• Approval: Must be approved by the Board of Behavioral Health and Therapy before supervising ($30 application). Supervisors approved before July 5, 2005 are considered to have met the training requirement

Becoming an LICSW Supervisor in Minnesota

Social work supervisor requirements are defined in Minnesota Statute 148E.120 and regulated by the Board of Social Work.

• Licensure: Must hold an active Minnesota LICSW license in good standing
• Supervision training: Must complete 30 hours of training in supervision through coursework from an accredited college or university, or through continuing education
• Clinical experience: For clinical licensing supervision, must have at least 2,000 hours of experience in authorized social work practice, including 1,000 hours of clinical practice after obtaining the LICSW license
• Continuing education: 6 clock hours in supervision in each renewal term in which you supervised
• Registration: Must attest on a board-provided form that all supervisor requirements are met. The board may audit this information

Becoming an LMFT Supervisor in Minnesota

• Licensure: Must hold an active Minnesota LMFT license in good standing
• Clinical experience: At least 4 years and 4,000 hours of clinical practice as an LMFT, per the Board of Marriage and Family Therapy's rules (Minn. R. 5300.0160)
• Supervision training: A 3-semester-hour MFT supervision course, 30 hours of AAMFT supervisor training, or a 30-hour board-approved course. AAMFT Approved Supervisors also qualify
• Application: Must receive board approval before supervising pre-licensed MFTs. There is no fee

Minnesota-Specific Considerations

• Unique designations: Minnesota uses LPCC (not LPC at the clinical level) and LICSW (not LCSW). Use the correct designations in all documentation
• Three boards: Counselors are regulated by the Board of Behavioral Health and Therapy, MFTs by the Board of Marriage and Family Therapy, and social workers by the Board of Social Work. Requirements differ between boards
• Supervision plan: For LPC supervision, a written supervision plan must be submitted to and approved by the Board of Behavioral Health and Therapy before hours begin counting
• Interstate compacts: The Counseling Compact is live in Minnesota for LPCCs. Minnesota has also enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact. A 2026 law (Laws 2026, ch. 115) rewrote MFT licensure by reciprocity for therapists with a current out-of-state license

How Guidara Helps Minnesota Supervisors

With 4,000 hours of supervised experience required for the LPCC, LICSW and LMFT, Minnesota supervisors and supervisees are documenting together for years. Guidara keeps hour logs, signed supervision notes and timesheets, with individual vs. group supervision hours, direct client contact, and cumulative totals by category. It exports PDF records a supervisor can use when completing the board's verification forms. No more piecing together 4 years of paper logs.