Clinical Supervision Requirements in North Dakota

Licensing Board Overview

In North Dakota, mental health professions are regulated by separate independent boards: the Board of Social Work Examiners, the Board of Counselor Examiners, and the Marriage and Family Therapy Licensure Board. In 2026, a legislative Boards Review Task Force recommended merging these boards, along with addiction counseling and psychology, into one umbrella board that keeps each profession's licensing rules. That change would need a bill in the 2027 session.

LCSW: Licensed Clinical Social Worker (North Dakota)

North Dakota's LCSW is governed by the Board of Social Work Examiners, N.D. Admin. Code 75.5-02. Candidates usually hold a Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW) credential while accruing supervised experience. The board accepts any current North Dakota social work license plus an MSW.

Supervised Experience Requirements

• Total supervised experience: 3,000 hours of supervised post-master's clinical social work experience (NDCC 43-41-04)
• Timeframe: The 3,000 hours must fall within a four-year period. There is no minimum duration, and hours earned more than four years before completion drop off.
• Supervision plan: A supervision plan must be submitted before supervised experience begins. Hours count only from the date the board receives the plan, and a new plan is needed when a supervisor is added or changed.
• Supervision hours: At least 150 hours of face-to-face clinical supervision. No more than 50 hours may be group supervision, and a group is limited to seven people including the supervisor (NDAC 75.5-02-03-04.1).
• Exam: ASWB Clinical Examination

Supervisor Qualifications

• The first 1,500 hours must be supervised by a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW)
• After the first 1,500 hours, the board may approve other qualified mental health professionals on a hardship basis, if their own licensing board registers or qualifies them as clinical supervisors

LPC: Licensed Professional Counselor (North Dakota)

North Dakota's LPC is governed by the Board of Counselor Examiners, N.D. Admin. Code 97-02. Candidates hold a Licensed Associate Professional Counselor (LAPC) license, which lasts no more than two years unless extended.

Supervised Experience Requirements

• Total supervised experience: Two years of supervised experience under a board-approved plan of supervision (NDCC 43-47-06)
• Supervision hours: At least 100 hours over the two years, including at least 60 hours of individual face-to-face supervision at regular intervals (NDAC 97-02-01-03)
• Client contact: The board's current application asks for at least 400 client contact hours in total, and at least 10 separate clients each year, 5 of them individual. Intake and case management do not count.

Supervisor Qualifications

• Must be an LPC or LPCC who holds the board's North Dakota Counselor Supervisor Certification
• The board accepts each supervisor for each LAPC individually, through the plan of supervision

LPCC: Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (North Dakota)

North Dakota's LPCC is governed by the Board of Counselor Examiners, N.D. Admin. Code 97-02. Candidates must already be a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC).

Supervised Experience Requirements

• Total supervised experience: Two years (3,000 hours) of post-master's clinical experience in a clinical setting (NDAC 97-02-01.1-01)
• Supervision hours: At least 100 hours of face-to-face clinical supervision, including at least 60 hours of individual supervision
• Exam: NCMHCE (National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination)

Supervisor Qualifications

• Must hold an active North Dakota LPCC license
• Must hold the board's North Dakota Counselor Supervisor Certification

LMFT: Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (North Dakota)

North Dakota's LMFT is governed by the Marriage and Family Therapy Licensure Board, N.D. Admin. Code 111-02. Candidates hold a Licensed Associate Marriage and Family Therapist (LAMFT) credential while accruing hours.

Supervised Experience Requirements

• Total supervised experience: At least 3,000 hours of supervised clinical experience, over no less than 24 months full time and no more than 48 months part time (NDAC 111-02-02-03)
• Direct client contact: At least 1,500 hours must be direct client contact, with at least 500 hours each with couples, with family groups including children, and with individuals
• Supervision hours: At least 200 hours of face-to-face supervision, at least 100 of them individual. Supervision must happen at least once every two weeks, and add up to at least 100 hours a year full time or 50 hours a year part time.
• Exam: AMFTRB National Examination and a state examination

The board's current application form (Form A) asks for 300 supervision hours and 750 hours each of relational and individual work, which differs from the rule. Confirm with the board which figures it applies to your application.

Supervisor Qualifications

• Must be a board-approved supervisor, or an AAMFT Approved Supervisor or Supervisor-in-Training
• May not be employed by the supervisee or related to the supervisee

North Dakota-Specific Details

Counseling Licensure Tiers

North Dakota has a tiered counseling licensure system. Candidates typically start as an LAPC, progress to an LPC, and then complete the specific clinical requirements to become an LPCC.

Supervision Ratios

No North Dakota board sets a ratio of supervision hours to practice hours. The MFT board instead sets a frequency of at least one hour every two weeks and a yearly minimum. The counseling board expects LAPC supervision to be spread across the two years, not completed all at once.

Virtual Supervision in North Dakota

Each board treats virtual supervision differently, and none sets a percentage cap. For counselors, face-to-face supervision includes secure, HIPAA-compliant video (NDAC 97-02-01-03). Telephone supervision is not mentioned, so confirm with the board before counting it. For social workers, face-to-face supervision may be in person, by telephone, or by audio or audiovisual device (NDAC 75.5-02-01-03). For MFTs, real-time two-way audio and video supervision counts as in-person, with no limit (NDAC 111-02-02-03).

Interstate Compacts

North Dakota is a member of the Counseling Compact (NDCC chapter 43-47.1) and the Social Work Licensure Compact (NDCC chapter 43-41.1, effective August 1, 2025). Neither compact was issuing privileges or multistate licenses in North Dakota at our last review. There is no MFT compact.

Key North Dakota Board Contact Information

• Board of Social Work Examiners: ndbswe.com
• Board of Counselor Examiners: ndbce.org
• Marriage and Family Therapy Licensure Board: ndmftlb.org

How to Become a Clinical Supervisor in North Dakota

Supervisor requirements in North Dakota vary by discipline. Always confirm current standards with the appropriate board.

Becoming an LCSW Supervisor

• Hold an active North Dakota LCSW license. An LCSW must supervise the first 1,500 hours.
• There is no separate supervisor registration. Your supervisee's supervision plan includes a copy of your license, and you sign the plan along with the supervisee and employer.

Becoming an LPC or LPCC Supervisor

• Hold an active North Dakota LPC or LPCC license. Only an LPCC may supervise LPCC hours.
• Have at least five years as a licensed counselor and 30 hours of supervision CE in the five years before applying
• Apply for the North Dakota Counselor Supervisor Certification, which lasts five years and renews with another 30 hours of supervision CE (NDAC 97-02-01-08)

Becoming an LMFT Supervisor

• Be an AAMFT Approved Supervisor or Supervisor-in-Training, or qualify as a board-approved supervisor
• A board-approved supervisor needs a graduate degree in MFT or a related field, a full (non-associate) North Dakota license or an MFT license from another state, a graduate course or 30-hour CE course in supervision, and 3,000 hours of direct client contact over at least three years as an LMFT (NDAC 111-02-02-04)
• Submit the board's supervisor application (Form D) with the $40 fee

How Guidara Helps North Dakota Supervisors

Guidara keeps hour logs, signed supervision notes, and timesheets with timestamps and audit trails. North Dakota's board forms are signed on paper and mailed, and the counseling application is notarized. Guidara exports PDF records that a supervisor can use when completing those forms.