Clinical Supervision Requirements in South Carolina

Licensing Board Overview

South Carolina operates two separate boards under the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (LLR). The Board of Examiners for Licensure of Professional Counselors, Marriage and Family Therapists, Addiction Counselors and Psycho-Educational Specialists handles LPC and LMFT licensure. The Board of Social Work Examiners handles social work licensure. Each board maintains its own applications, rules, and supervisor requirements.

South Carolina uses "Associate" designations for pre-licensed professionals. You practice as a Professional Counselor Associate or Marriage and Family Therapy Associate while completing your supervised experience. The state is a member of the Counseling Compact (2024 Act 189) and passed a Social Work Interstate Compact law in 2025, though neither compact is operating in South Carolina yet.

LPC: Licensed Professional Counselor

South Carolina's LPC pathway starts with the Professional Counselor Associate designation. You practice under the direct supervision of an LPC-Supervisor (LPCS) while working toward full LPC status.

Supervised Experience Requirements

• Pre-license designation: Professional Counselor Associate (formerly called "intern")
• Education: Master's degree minimum with 60 semester hours in counseling
• Associate period: Maximum 2 years. An extension may be requested if needed.
• Total hours: 1,500 hours of post-master's clinical experience and supervision over at least 2 years (S.C. Code Regs. 36-05)
• Direct client contact: At least 1,380 hours. Indirect work does not count toward the 1,500.
• Supervision: At least 120 hours, at least 60 of them individual or triadic. Group supervision counts for no more than 60 hours.
• Meeting length: Individual or triadic supervision (1 or 2 supervisees) runs at least 1 hour. Group supervision has no more than 6 supervisees and runs at least 2 hours.
• Supervision modalities: Supervision must use multiple strategies, including regularly scheduled live observation of counseling sessions or review of audio or video recordings
• Exam: Board-prescribed examination (confirm which exam with the board)

Supervisor Qualifications

• An LPC-Supervisor (LPCS), a supervisor candidate working under an LPCS, or a qualified licensed mental health practitioner approved by the Board before supervision begins (an LMFT-Supervisor, LAC-Supervisor, psychologist or medical doctor)
• The LPCS is a separate license issued by the Board to an LPC licensed in South Carolina
• LPCS route: a doctorate in Counselor Education and Supervision, or 5 years of continuous clinical experience, plus 36 hours of supervised supervision and graduate study in supervision
• Supervisor cannot be a spouse, parent, child, sibling, grandparent, grandchild, aunt, uncle or step-relative of the supervisee, or a current or former client

LISW-CP: Licensed Independent Social Worker — Clinical Practice

South Carolina uses the LISW-CP designation (not LCSW) for independent clinical social work. You hold an LMSW first and complete supervised clinical practice toward LISW-CP status.

Supervised Experience Requirements

• Total hours: 3,000 hours of social work practice under clinical supervision (S.C. Code §40-63-240)
• Duration: Minimum 2 years, maximum 4 years post-LMSW
• Supervision hours: Minimum 100 hours of face-to-face direct clinical supervision, equitably distributed across the supervision period. The board's contract sets this at 1 hour of supervision for every 30 hours of practice.
• Group supervision: No more than 50 of the 100 hours, with no more than 6 supervisees in a group
• Setting: An LMSW may practice clinical social work only in a social, medical or governmental agency, never privately or independently
• Two supervisors: You need a workplace clinical supervisor and a Board-approved contract supervisor, who can be the same person. Only the contract supervisor's supervision counts toward licensure.
• Ethics training: 15 academic hours or 20 CE contact hours in professional ethics required during the supervised period
• Supervision contract: Must be approved by the board before supervision begins
• Education: A master's in social work, with the LMSW license held before supervised hours begin

Supervisor Qualifications

• Must hold LISW-CP with 4,500+ hours of clinical practice over 3+ years beyond LISW-CP licensure
• Must have completed 45 hours of training in supervision
• Must have passed the required exam
• Board must be notified if the supervisor changes during the supervised period

LMFT: Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist

South Carolina's LMFT pathway uses the Marriage and Family Therapy Associate designation during the supervised period, licensed through the same board as LPC.

Supervised Experience Requirements

• Pre-license designation: Marriage and Family Therapy Associate
• Supervision: Under an LMFT-Supervisor, a supervisor candidate, or a Board-approved qualified licensed mental health practitioner, pursuant to a clinical supervision plan on file with the Board
• Total hours: 1,500 hours over at least 2 years: at least 1,380 hours of direct client contact and at least 120 hours of supervision, at least 60 of them individual or triadic (S.C. Code Regs. 36-08)
• Structure: Follows the same general framework as LPC: education, exam, and supervised practice as an associate

Supervisor Qualifications

• An LMFT-Supervisor license in South Carolina, a supervisor candidate under one, or a Board-approved LPCS, LAC-Supervisor, psychologist or medical doctor
• LMFT-Supervisor route: a doctorate in MFT or a CACREP marriage, couple and family counseling program, or 5 years of continuous clinical experience, plus 36 hours of supervised supervision and graduate study in supervision
• Cannot be related to the supervisee

LISW-AP: Licensed Independent Social Worker — Advanced Practice

South Carolina also offers the LISW-AP for non-clinical advanced social work practice, separate from LISW-CP.

Supervised Experience Requirements

• Total hours: 3,000 hours of supervised practice
• Duration: Minimum 2 years, maximum 4 years
• Supervision hours: 100 hours of direct supervision
• Same documentation requirements as LISW-CP

South Carolina-Specific Details

LISW-CP Designation

South Carolina does not use the standard "LCSW" designation seen in most states. Instead, the independent clinical social work credential is "LISW-CP" (Licensed Independent Social Worker — Clinical Practice). The companion non-clinical credential is "LISW-AP" (Advanced Practice). If you're coming from another state, be aware that your LCSW does not directly translate to SC's naming convention.

Observation and Review

For counselors and MFTs, the rules require supervision to use multiple strategies, including regularly scheduled live observation of counseling sessions or review of audio or video recordings. Either can satisfy the rule. The board's Confirmation form lets the supervisor check the methods used, such as live observation, audio or video review, written clinical materials, or co-therapy.

Supervisor Relationship Restrictions

South Carolina bars supervisors from supervising close relatives: a spouse, parent, child, sibling, grandparent, grandchild, aunt, uncle or present step-relative. A supervisor also cannot supervise a current or former client, and must avoid harmful dual relationships. These restrictions protect the integrity of the supervisory evaluation process.

Ethics Training During Supervision

For LISW-CP candidates, South Carolina requires 15 academic hours or 20 CE contact hours in professional ethics to be completed during the supervised practice period. This isn't just a licensing requirement you can check off later. It must happen while you're accruing hours. Plan to incorporate this into your supervision timeline.

Pre-Filed Supervision Plans

For social work licensure, your supervision contract must be filed with and approved by the board before supervision begins. Do not start counting hours until it is approved. If your supervisor changes, you file a notice of the end of supervision and a termination evaluation, and a new contract must be approved before new supervision starts.

Counseling and MFT associates also need a Plan for Supervision on file before providing services. Each supervisor completes their own Plan. A new supervisor needs a new Plan, and the outgoing supervisor submits a Confirmation, before you continue practicing.

Compact Membership

South Carolina joined the Counseling Compact through 2024 Act 189, but privileges to practice are not live in the state yet. It passed the Social Work Interstate Compact Act (2025 Act 66), but the compact's commission does not list South Carolina as a member, and a bill to conform the law to the model compact (H.4649) is still in committee.

Documentation Requirements

• Supervision contract must be approved by the board before supervision begins (for LISW-CP/LISW-AP)
• At the end of supervision, the contract supervisor signs the Report of Supervised Experience, with a log of dates and hours of practice and supervision, and mails it directly to the Board
• Board must be notified if the supervisor changes, with a notice of the end of supervision and a termination evaluation
• 100 hours of supervision must be equitably distributed across the full supervision period
• Ethics training documentation must be included with your application
• Counseling and MFT: each supervisor files a Plan before supervision and a Confirmation of Clinical Supervision with the Associate Supervision Log at the end. The Plan asks for an original signature.
• The Associate Supervision Log records date ranges, individual or triadic and group supervision hours, and the supervisor's signature or initials on each row

Virtual Supervision in South Carolina

For counselors and MFTs, supervision "may be conducted either in person or via a HIPAA-compliant technological medium" (S.C. Code Regs. 36-01). For social work, face-to-face supervision can take place in person or on a HIPAA-compliant two-way video platform. South Carolina also has a behavioral telehealth registration pathway (SC Code §40-75-800) that lets out-of-state providers register for telehealth services.

Key South Carolina Board Contact Information

• Board of Examiners for Licensure of Professional Counselors, MFTs, Addiction Counselors and Psycho-Educational Specialists: llr.sc.gov/cou
• Board of Social Work Examiners: llr.sc.gov/sw
• Phone (Counselors/MFT): (803) 896-4658
• Email (Counselors/MFT): [email protected]
• Phone (Social Work): (803) 896-4664
• Email (Social Work): [email protected]
• Address: 110 Centerview Dr, Columbia, SC 29210
• Governing law: SC Code Title 40, Chapter 75 (Counseling/MFT); SC Code Title 40, Chapter 63 (Social Work); Regulations Chapter 36 (Counselors/MFT); Regulations Chapter 110 (Social Work). LISW supervision rules are in Chapter 63 and the board's forms rather than Chapter 110.

How to Become a Clinical Supervisor in South Carolina

South Carolina regulates clinical supervision through two boards under the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (LLR): the Board of Examiners for Licensure of Professional Counselors, Marriage and Family Therapists, Addiction Counselors and Psycho-Educational Specialists (LPC and LMFT), and the Board of Social Work Examiners (LISW-CP). Always verify current requirements with the relevant board.

Becoming an LPC Supervisor in South Carolina

• Licensure: Must hold a current, active, unrestricted South Carolina LPC license
• Clinical experience: A doctorate in Counselor Education and Supervision, or 5 years of continuous clinical experience immediately before applying
• Supervised supervision: At least 36 hours of individual or triadic supervision of your supervision of 2 to 6 associates, over at least 2 years, while you work as a supervisor candidate
• Supervision training: 3 semester hours of graduate study in supervision, or training approved by the Board
• Application: Apply to the Board for the LPCS license, then complete 10 hours of supervision CE each renewal period

Becoming an LISW-CP Supervisor in South Carolina

• Licensure: Must hold an active South Carolina LISW-CP (Licensed Independent Social Worker — Clinical Practice) license in good standing
• Clinical experience: 4,500 hours of clinical practice over at least 3 years after receiving the LISW-CP
• Supervision training: 45 academic or CE contact hours in supervision, plus a passed board-prescribed exam
• Application: Must receive Approved Clinical Supervisor status from the Board of Social Work Examiners before supervising pre-licensed social workers

Becoming an LMFT Supervisor in South Carolina

• Licensure: Must hold an active South Carolina LMFT license in good standing
• Clinical experience: A doctorate in MFT or a CACREP marriage, couple and family counseling program, or 5 years of continuous clinical experience
• Supervision training: 36 hours of supervised supervision of 2 to 6 MFT associates over at least 2 years, and 3 semester hours of graduate study in supervision or Board-approved training
• Application: Apply to the Board for the LMFT-Supervisor license

South Carolina-Specific Considerations

• LISW-CP designation: South Carolina uses LISW-CP (Licensed Independent Social Worker — Clinical Practice) rather than the more common LCSW
• Two boards: LPC and LMFT fall under one board, while social work is regulated separately. Requirements may differ between them
• Cross-discipline: Counseling and MFT associates may be supervised by a Board-approved qualified licensed mental health practitioner from another discipline. For social work, the contract supervisor must be a Board-approved LISW supervisor.

How Guidara Helps South Carolina Supervisors

South Carolina's LISW-CP pathway has specific requirements around equitable distribution of supervision hours, pre-approved supervision contracts, and ethics training. Guidara tracks your supervision hours by category with running totals, and stores your supervision plans and signed agreements as part of the record. Hour logs, signed supervision notes and approved timesheets are kept for every supervision meeting. When it's time to complete the board's Confirmation, log or Report of Supervised Experience, you can export PDF records to work from.