Clinical Supervision Requirements in Tennessee

Licensing Board Overview

Tennessee splits mental health licensure across two separate boards under the Department of Health. The Board for Professional Counselors, Marital and Family Therapists, and Clinical Pastoral Therapists handles LPC, LPC-MHSP, and LMFT licensure. The Board of Social Worker Licensure handles LCSW licensure. Each board maintains its own rules and applications.

Tennessee uses a two-tier system for professional counselors. The base LPC license does not authorize independent diagnosis or treatment of mental health conditions. To practice as a mental health provider, counselors need the LPC-MHSP (Mental Health Service Provider) license. Candidates can apply for the LPC-MHSP directly without first holding the LPC (Rule 0450-01-.04(4)).

LPC-MHSP: Licensed Professional Counselor — Mental Health Service Provider

Tennessee's LPC-MHSP is the fully independent counseling credential. The base LPC alone does not authorize mental health diagnosis or treatment. Earning the MHSP requires post-master's supervised clinical experience.

Supervised Experience Requirements

• Total experience: 3,000 hours of post-master's experience: 1,500 hours of face-to-face client contact and 1,500 hours of clinically related activities, which include clinical supervision (Rule 0450-01-.04(4)(d))
• Duration: At least 2 years and no more than 4 years from the start of supervised practice. The board can grant extensions case by case (Rule 0450-01-.10(6)(a)).
• Supervision contact hours: 150 hours, including at least 1 hour a week of individual contact with the supervisor. No more than 50 of the 150 may be group supervision.
• MHSP supervisor requirement: At least 75 of the 150 supervision hours must come from a supervisor who holds the LPC-MHSP (Rule 0450-01-.10(1)(c))
• Associate license: Since January 1, 2026, the temporary license is the Associate LPC-MHSP (A-LPC/MHSP), valid for up to 4 years. The board encourages it but does not require it.
• Education: Graduate degree in counseling. Confirm current credit-hour requirements with the board.

Supervisor Qualifications

• Under the current rule, a supervisor may hold an LPC-MHSP, LMFT, LCPT, LCSW, psychologist (HSP), senior psychological examiner, or psychiatrist license, held for at least 5 years
• An approved-supervisor designation exists but is not currently required
• At least half of supervision hours must come from an LPC-MHSP supervisor

LCSW: Licensed Clinical Social Worker

Tennessee's LCSW is licensed through the Board of Social Worker Licensure. You must hold an LMSW (or temporary LMSW) before supervised hours count toward the LCSW.

Supervised Experience Requirements

• Total experience: 3,000 hours of clinical experience, at least 2,250 of them direct assessment, diagnosis, and treatment. Up to 750 may be other clinical methods. Administrative time does not count.
• Supervision: 100 hours in addition to the 3,000, roughly 1 hour per 30 clinical hours spread throughout. At least 60 hours must be individual, and no more than 40 may be group, with no more than 4 supervisees per group (Rule 1365-01-.08(2)(a)).
• Duration: At least 2 years and no more than 8 years
• Supervisor: Must be supervised by an LCSW. LAPSWs supervise only LAPSW candidates.
• Exam: ASWB Clinical exam required. Applicants receive a letter of approval to sit for the exam after board review.

Supervisor Qualifications

• Must hold an active LCSW license, held continuously for at least 3 years before supervision starts
• Must complete 12 hours of CE in supervision, 3 of them on Tennessee rules (Rule 1365-01-.08(6))
• There is no separate approved-supervisor status or board approval. Supervisor documents go in with the supervisee's application.

LMFT: Licensed Marital and Family Therapist

Tennessee's LMFT is licensed through the same board as LPC. The license title still uses "Marital," but the associate title is already "Associate Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist" (AMFT), and "marriage" replaces "marital" throughout the law on January 1, 2027.

Supervised Experience Requirements

• Hours: 1,000 hours of clinical practice plus 200 hours of supervision over at least 2 years, with at least 10 hours a week of face-to-face client contact (Rule 0450-02-.04(1)(d), .05(1)(k))
• Group supervision: No more than half of the required hours, with no more than 6 supervisees per group (Rule 0450-02-.10(1))
• Associate license: An AMFT license has been required since January 1, 2026. Since July 1, 2026, it is not required for those working under an approved supervisor in a community mental health center, residential or inpatient facility, IOP, or FQHC.
• Education: Master's degree in marriage and family therapy or a related field. Confirm current requirements with the board.

Supervisor Qualifications

• An AAMFT Approved Supervisor who is a licensed MFT or other licensed mental health professional, an AAMFT supervisor-in-training, or a board-approved supervisor
• Board approval applies only to the board-approved supervisor route. New criteria for that route take effect January 1, 2027.

Tennessee-Specific Details

Two-Tier LPC System

This is the most distinctive feature of Tennessee's counseling licensure. The base LPC does not allow you to independently diagnose or treat mental health conditions. You need the LPC-MHSP for that. Most counselors pursuing full clinical practice complete the MHSP requirements, which can be done directly without holding the base LPC first.

Two Separate Boards

Tennessee maintains entirely distinct boards for counselors/MFTs and social workers. They operate under separate rules chapters (0450 for counselors/MFTs and 1365 for social workers), have different meeting schedules, and process applications independently. If you're supervising across disciplines, you'll need to interact with both boards.

Reciprocity and Compacts

Tennessee has reciprocity agreements with Kentucky and North Carolina for counselor licensure. Tennessee is also a Counseling Compact member and began accepting privilege applications on September 1, 2026. Tennessee enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact in 2024, but it is not yet issuing privileges.

LCPT License Type

Tennessee is one of the few states that licenses Clinical Pastoral Therapists (LCPT). This credential falls under the same board as LPC and LMFT. If you're coming from a pastoral counseling background, Tennessee offers a specific licensure path.

LAPSW Designation

Beyond LCSW, Tennessee also offers the Licensed Advanced Practice Social Worker (LAPSW) credential for non-clinical advanced social work practice. This represents a separate track from the clinical LCSW pathway.

Documentation Requirements

• Supervision verification forms are required for all license types. Counseling and MFT supervisor verification forms must be notarized.
• Counseling and MFT supervisees have one primary supervisor and may have additional supervisors. The primary reports the supervisee's clinical hours, and each additional supervisor reports only the supervision hours they provided.
• LCSW candidates submit supervision logs with the application. Both supervisor and supervisee must keep records, and logs signed by both are sufficient (Rule 1365-01-.08(3)).
• The LCSW reference letter is signed by the LCSW who last supervised the applicant and covers the whole supervised experience
• Background check required for all new applications
• Keep detailed records of supervision meetings, including dates, duration, and topics discussed

Virtual Supervision in Tennessee

The counseling and MFT board's 2022 telehealth policy counts live video supervision on a HIPAA-compliant platform as face-to-face. The older rule text still requires prior approval for hardship, so confirm with the board. For the LCSW, the rule caps video at 75% of individual supervision hours, while the board's 2025 policy allows 100% by live, synchronous video. Social work supervision may not take place by telephone only, email, or text.

Key Tennessee Board Contact Information

• Board for Professional Counselors, Marital and Family Therapists, and Clinical Pastoral Therapists: tn.gov/health/licensure/pct
• Board of Social Worker Licensure: tn.gov/health/licensure/sw
• Phone: 615-741-5735
• Email: [email protected]
• Rules: Chapter 0450 (Counselors, MFTs, CPTs), Chapter 1365 (Social Workers)

How to Become a Clinical Supervisor in Tennessee

Tennessee regulates clinical supervision through two boards: the Board for Professional Counselors, Marital and Family Therapists, and Clinical Pastoral Therapists for LPC-MHSP and LMFT, and the Board of Social Worker Licensure for LCSW. Always verify current requirements with the relevant board.

Becoming an LPC-MHSP Supervisor in Tennessee

Per Rule 0450-01-.10, supervisors of LPC/LPC-MHSP candidates must meet the following:

• Licensure: Must hold an active license as an LPC-MHSP, LMFT, Licensed Clinical Pastoral Therapist, LCSW, Licensed Psychologist with HSP designation, Licensed Senior Psychological Examiner, or Licensed Psychiatrist
• Experience: Must have been licensed for at least 5 years and be in good standing with the relevant licensing board
• Supervision training: Must document completion of at least one of the following:
  • A passing grade in a graduate-level academic course specific to supervision of counselors
  • Supervision certification from AAMFT, AAPC, NBCC, or another board-designated organization
  • 12 contact hours related to counseling supervision from an approved professional association or credentialing organization
• Continuing education: 3 of the required CE hours every 2 years must be in counseling supervision. The rules give conflicting totals (10 and 20 hours), so confirm with the board.
• MHSP designation: For candidates pursuing the MHSP designation, at least 75 of the 150 required supervision hours must be provided by a supervisor who holds the LPC-MHSP credential. An LPC without the MHSP designation cannot supervise an MHSP candidate
• Pending change: A proposed rewrite of Rule 0450-01 would require approved-supervisor designation and limit MHSP supervision to LPC-MHSP supervisors. It had a hearing in September 2026 and is not yet in force.

Becoming an LCSW Supervisor in Tennessee

• Licensure: Must hold an active Tennessee LCSW license in good standing
• Clinical experience: Must have been continuously licensed as an LCSW for at least 3 years before supervision begins (Rule 1365-01-.08(4))
• Supervision training: 12 hours of CE in supervision, completed before or during the first calendar year of supervising, with 3 hours on Tennessee rules
• Registration: There is no supervisor registration. The supervisor's documents are submitted with the supervisee's application.

Becoming an LMFT Supervisor in Tennessee

• Licensure: A licensed MFT, or another licensed mental health professional who holds AAMFT Approved Supervisor status
• AAMFT route: AAMFT Approved Supervisor status, or AAMFT supervisor-in-training status with a mentor, is a route set by statute (T.C.A. §63-22-115)
• Board-approved route: Requires 5 years of full-time practice and supervision plus supervision training. From January 1, 2027, it requires 5 years as an independently licensed MFT, the last 2 in Tennessee, 30 hours of instruction, and 6 hours of supervision CE every 2 years.
• Approval: Only the board-approved route needs individual approval from the board

Tennessee-Specific Considerations

• LPC-MHSP designation: Tennessee uses the LPC-MHSP credential (not just LPC) for the clinical-level counseling license with independent practice authority
• Supervisee hour requirements: LPC-MHSP candidates must complete 3,000 hours of direct clinical experience (including 1,500 face-to-face client contact hours) over a minimum of 2 years and no more than 4 years
• Two boards: Social work and counseling/MFT are regulated by separate boards, so requirements may differ
• Cross-discipline: The rules allow supervisors from several license types to supervise LPC candidates, but an LPC without MHSP cannot supervise an MHSP candidate. LCSW candidates must be supervised by an LCSW. Verify current rules with the applicable board

How Guidara Helps Tennessee Supervisors

Tennessee's two-tier LPC system and separate boards create extra documentation layers to manage. Guidara tracks your clinical hours and supervision hours by category, with running totals that show your progress at any point. Supervision notes, e-signatures, and structured timesheets are all captured in one place. Guidara exports PDF records a supervisor can use when completing the board's verification forms. It does not fill or submit board forms, and Tennessee's counseling and MFT verification forms still need a notarized signature.