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 enacted the Social Work Interstate Compact in 2025.

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 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.
• Supervision modalities: Board policy mandates multiple strategies including live observation, audio/video review, and direct discussion
• Specific hour counts: Detailed in Chapter 36 regulations (SC Code of Regulations)
• Exam: Board-prescribed examination (typically NCE or NCMHCE)

Supervisor Qualifications

• Must hold an LPC-Supervisor designation in South Carolina
• Must be licensed in SC in the same discipline
• Must have 5+ years of practice experience
• Additional board-approved training requirements apply
• Supervisor cannot be related to the supervisee (family, business, or personal relationship)

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: Typically 3,000 hours of supervised clinical practice (confirm current requirements with your licensing board)
• 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
• Ethics training: 15 academic hours or 20 CE contact hours in professional ethics required during the supervised period
• Supervision plan: Must be filed with the board before supervision begins
• Education: MSW from a CSWE-accredited program

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, pursuant to an approved clinical supervision plan
• Structure: Follows the same general framework as LPC: education, exam, and supervised practice as an associate
• Specific hour counts: Detailed in Chapter 36 regulations (SC Code of Regulations)

Supervisor Qualifications

• Must hold LMFT-Supervisor designation in South Carolina
• Same general qualifications as LPC-Supervisor: licensed in SC, 5+ years experience, additional training
• 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: Typically 3,000 hours of supervised practice (confirm current requirements with your licensing board)
• 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.

Live Observation Required

South Carolina mandates that supervision incorporate multiple strategies, explicitly including live observation of the supervisee's clinical work. This means your supervisor needs to directly observe you working with clients at some point during your associate period, not just review your cases verbally. Audio and video review are also required components.

Supervisor Relationship Restrictions

South Carolina explicitly prohibits supervisory relationships between people who have family, business, or personal relationships. Your supervisor cannot be a family member, someone you have a business partnership with, or someone with whom you have a personal relationship. This restriction is designed to 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 Plan

For social work licensure, your supervision plan must be filed with and approved by the board before supervision begins. Do not start counting hours until the plan is on file. The plan must also be updated and the board notified if your supervisor changes during the supervised period.

Dual Compact Membership

South Carolina joined the Counseling Compact through 2024 Act 189 and enacted the Social Work Interstate Compact in 2025. These compacts facilitate multistate practice for qualifying professionals.

Documentation Requirements

• Supervision plan must be filed with the board before supervision begins (for LISW-CP/LISW-AP)
• Termination evaluation required at the end of the supervised period
• Board must be notified if supervisor changes during the supervised period
• 100 hours of supervision must be equitably distributed across the full supervision period
• Ethics training documentation must be included with your application
• Keep logs of each supervision meeting including date, duration, modality, and topics

Virtual Supervision in South Carolina

South Carolina enacted a behavioral telehealth registration pathway (SC Code §40-75-800) allowing out-of-state providers to register for telehealth services. However, specific policies on whether supervision itself can be conducted via telehealth for LPC and LMFT are detailed in the Chapter 36 regulations rather than the practice act. Given the live observation requirement, at least some supervision must involve direct clinical observation. Contact the relevant board for current guidance on virtual supervision allowances.

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): Contact.Counselor@llr.sc.gov
• Phone (Social Work): (803) 896-4664
• Email (Social Work): Contact.SocialWork@llr.sc.gov
• 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)

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 an active South Carolina LPC license in good standing
• Clinical experience: Must meet the Board of Examiners' minimum post-licensure clinical experience requirements (confirm with the board)
• Supervision training: Must complete board-approved supervisor training covering supervision models, ethics, evaluation, and multicultural competence
• Application: Must apply for and receive approved supervisor status from the Board of Examiners

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: Must meet the Board of Social Work Examiners' post-licensure experience requirements (confirm with the board)
• Supervision training: Must complete board-approved supervisor training
• Application: Must receive approval 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: Must meet the Board of Examiners' post-licensure experience requirements
• Supervision training: Must complete board-approved supervisor training. AAMFT Approved Supervisor designation is commonly accepted
• Application: Must apply for approved supervisor status from the Board of Examiners

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: South Carolina generally requires the supervisor to hold the same license type. Verify current rules with the relevant board

How Guidara Helps South Carolina Supervisors

South Carolina's LISW-CP pathway has specific requirements around equitable distribution of supervision hours, pre-filed supervision plans, 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 permanent record. For LPC supervisors, the built-in documentation captures the details the board expects to see in your supervision records. When it's time for board review, your records are organized and ready to export.