Clinical Supervision Requirements in Ohio

Licensing Board Overview

Ohio licenses counselors, social workers, and marriage and family therapists through the Counselor, Social Worker, and Marriage and Family Therapist Board (CSWMFT Board). One board oversees all three professions, which simplifies things compared to states with separate boards.

Ohio uses different license designations than many other states. The independent-level licenses are LISW (not LCSW), LPCC (not LPC), and IMFT (not LMFT). Each requires a dependent-level license first, followed by supervised clinical experience to qualify for the independent license.

LPCC: Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor

Ohio's LPCC is the independent clinical counseling license. You start as an LPC and work toward LPCC status under supervision.

Supervised Experience Requirements

• Total supervised experience: Typically 3,000 hours of post-LPC clinical experience (confirm current requirements with your licensing board)
• Duration: Minimum 24 months
• Supervision hours: Typically 150 hours of training supervision (confirm current requirements with your licensing board)
• Supervision ratio: Average of 1 hour of supervision per 20 hours of work
• Clinical work: At least 50% of supervised experience must involve clinical counseling services (diagnosis and treatment)
• Individual and group: Both formats are allowed. Individual supervision allows up to 2 supervisees per supervisor. Group allows up to 8.

Supervisor Qualifications

• Must hold LPCC-S designation (LPCC with Supervision Designation)
• At least 1 year and 1,500 hours of clinical experience post-LPCC
• 24 hours of academic preparation or board-approved CE in supervision across 4 content areas
• Must observe 5 training supervision meetings conducted by an existing LPCC-S before being designated

LISW: Licensed Independent Social Worker

Ohio's LISW is the independent clinical social work license. You start as an LSW and earn the LISW through supervised practice.

Supervised Experience Requirements

• Total supervised experience: Typically 3,000 hours of post-master's, post-LSW clinical experience (confirm current requirements with your licensing board)
• Duration: Minimum 24 months (24 unique, full calendar months)
• Supervision hours: Typically 150 hours minimum (confirm current requirements with your licensing board)
• Supervision ratio: Average of 1 hour of supervision per 20 hours of work
• Part-time cap: Maximum 1,500 hours credited per 12-month period
• Individual and group: Both formats allowed. Individual allows up to 2 supervisees. Group allows up to 8.

Supervisor Qualifications

• Must hold LISW-S designation (LISW with Supervision Designation)
• At least 1 year of post-licensure experience as an independent social worker
• Complete at least 9 hours of supervision CE (earned after independent license was issued), or a master's-level supervision course from an accredited university within the last 3 years

IMFT: Independent Marriage and Family Therapist

Ohio's IMFT is the independent MFT license. You start as an MFT and work toward IMFT status under supervision.

Supervised Experience Requirements

• Duration: Minimum 24 months (2 calendar years)
• Direct client contact: Typically 1,000 hours required (confirm current requirements with your licensing board)
• Relational hours: 500 of the 1,000 client contact hours must be relational (couples and/or families present)
• Supervision hours: Typically 200 hours of face-to-face training supervision (confirm current requirements with your licensing board)
• Individual supervision: At least 100 hours must be individual
• Group supervision: No more than 100 hours may be group
• Cross-discipline option: Up to 50 of the 200 supervision hours may come from an LISW-S or LPCC-S

Supervisor Qualifications

• Majority of supervision must come from an IMFT-S or an AAMFT Approved Supervisor who also holds an Ohio independent license
• IMFT-S requires: Ohio IMFT in good standing, 2 years post-licensure clinical experience, and completion of the AAMFT 30-hour supervision course (or AAMFT Approved Supervisor status)

Ohio-Specific Details

Two Types of Supervision

Ohio distinguishes between clinical/work supervision (ongoing requirement for dependent licensees) and training supervision (supervision specifically toward earning an independent license). The clinical supervisor and training supervisor do not have to be the same person, though one person can serve both roles.

Supervision Logging

The supervisee is responsible for maintaining the supervision log. Ohio does not mandate a specific format. The log must include date and time of supervision, topics covered, and relevant notes. Your supervisor must sign or acknowledge the log at least quarterly. Electronic signatures and email confirmations are acceptable.

Documentation Requirements

• Supervisee maintains the supervision log (not the supervisor)
• Log entries must include date, time, topics covered, and notes
• Supervisor signs or acknowledges the log at least quarterly
• Electronic signatures and email confirmations are accepted
• Logs should be retained indefinitely (the board may audit, and other states may require verification)
• As of July 2024, all supervision hours not already submitted must be submitted by the last supervisor providing training supervision

Virtual Supervision in Ohio

Ohio permits virtual supervision. Supervision must start with an initial face-to-face meeting, which may be conducted via videoconferencing. After the initial meeting, supervision may continue in person, via videoconferencing, or by telephone. Telephone supervision has been explicitly permitted since a rule change effective September 2018. Proper safeguards for confidentiality must be maintained.

Key Ohio Board Contact Information

• Ohio CSWMFT Board: cswmft.ohio.gov (oversees LPCC, LISW, and IMFT licensing)

How to Become a Clinical Supervisor in Ohio

Ohio's Counselor, Social Worker, and Marriage and Family Therapist (CSWMFT) Board regulates all three disciplines under one board. Ohio uses unique license designations (LPCC, LISW, IMFT) that differ from most states. Always verify current requirements directly with the CSWMFT Board.

Becoming a LPCC-S (Supervisor Designation) in Ohio

• Licensure: Must hold an active Ohio LPCC (Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor) license in good standing
• Clinical experience: A minimum of 1 year and 1,500 hours of clinical practice after obtaining LPCC licensure, per OAC 4757-17-01
• Supervision training: Must complete 24 hours of board-approved supervisor training across four content areas (6 hours each): supervision models and theories, supervisory relationship dynamics, supervision methods and techniques, and supervisor responsibilities and ethics
• Observed meetings: Must observe 5 supervision meetings conducted by a current LPCC-S (the applicant observes, not the reverse), per OAC 4757-17-01(I)(1)(c)
• Supervisor designation: Must apply for the "-S" designation from the CSWMFT Board, which is added to the existing LPCC license (becoming LPCC-S)

Becoming a LISW-S (Supervisor Designation) in Ohio

• Licensure: Must hold an active Ohio LISW (Licensed Independent Social Worker) license in good standing
• Clinical experience: A minimum of 1 year of post-licensure clinical practice as a LISW, per OAC 4757-23-01
• Supervision training: Must complete 9 hours of continuing education in clinical supervision, or one graduate-level course in supervision. Training must cover supervision theory, methods, and ethics
• Supervisor designation: Must apply for the "-S" designation from the CSWMFT Board, which is added to the existing LISW license (becoming LISW-S)

Becoming an IMFT-S (Supervisor Designation) in Ohio

• Licensure: Must hold an active Ohio IMFT (Independent Marriage and Family Therapist) license in good standing
• Clinical experience: A minimum of 2 years of post-licensure clinical practice as an IMFT, per OAC 4757-29-01
• Supervision training: Must complete the AAMFT 30-hour Fundamentals of Clinical Supervision course, or hold the AAMFT Approved Supervisor designation
• Supervisor designation: Must apply for the "-S" designation from the CSWMFT Board, which is added to the existing IMFT license (becoming IMFT-S)

Ohio-Specific Considerations

• "-S" designation system: Ohio uses a formal "-S" supervisor designation (LPCC-S, LISW-S, IMFT-S) rather than a separate supervisor license. This suffix is added to the existing clinical license after meeting all requirements
• Continuing education: All supervisor-designated professionals must complete 3 hours of supervisor-specific continuing education each renewal cycle
• Cross-discipline: Ohio generally requires supervisors to hold the same license type as the credential the supervisee is pursuing. Verify current rules with the CSWMFT Board

How Guidara Helps Ohio Supervisors

Ohio requires quarterly supervisor acknowledgment of supervision logs, and supervisees are responsible for maintaining their own records. Guidara makes this straightforward for both sides. Supervisors and supervisees document each supervision meeting with timestamps, track hours by category, and capture electronic signatures, all in one place. When it's time to submit hours to the board, everything is already organized and exportable.