This information is provided to assist applicants in meeting the requirements of internship registration. The Oregon Board of Licensed Professional Counselors and Therapists expects all registered interns to document the required experience and supervision according to its rules and instructions.
Applying to Become a Registered Intern
Please visit the
Apply for a License page to review the requirements, instructions, and forms necessary to apply via the Registered Intern Application Method.
Intern Supervision Requirements
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Basic requirement: A minimum of 3 years (36 months) of supervised clinical experience, including at least 2,400 hours of supervised direct client contact, are required for licensure. Refer to the Experience page for full detail.
- In order for hours accrued in Oregon on or after June 30, 2002 to count towards the licensure requirements, the person must be in a Board-approved internship plan.
- Internship status is a transitional step towards licensure and is not intended as a means to avoid licensure. Failure to meet the experience requirements for licensure within five years will result in expiration of registration and closure of the application file
Supervisors
Registered interns may choose from a list of Approved Supervisors (LPCs and LMFTs only) posted on the Board's
Supervisor Registry. There is no requirement to choose a supervisor from the Registry. Other licensed mental health professionals (e.g., psychologists and social workers) may be intern supervisors. Please visit the
Becoming a Supervisor page for more information on qualifications.
Supervision Content
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Supervision does not need to be on site or come from within the same agency.
- Interns may pay for supervision by contracting with a supervisor.
- Supervision should include regular examination of a counselor’s work in order to:
- Encourage responsible provision of services
- Promote the best interests of clients
- Foster acquisition and refinement of skills
- Promote professional development
- Supervision includes review of case notes, charts, records, audio or visual tapes in order to evaluate the appropriateness of assessments, treatment plans, and therapeutic skills. It should take place privately in a professional setting, or within a small group of no more than six supervisees.
- Related activities NOT considered supervision include: groups larger than six supervisees; groups where leadership shifts; staff or team meetings, consultation sessions; quality assurance or review groups; or training seminars.
- Supervisors must abide by this Board’s Code of Ethics, which includes the ACA Code of Ethics as the code of professional conduct.
- Review the Supervisor's Responsibilities and the Intern's Responsibilities. This includes intern title use, reporting of hours, and intern plan changes. Note: Interns may NOT use "LPCi" or "LMFTi" as titles.
Individual and Group Supervision Frequency
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See OAR 833-050-0081 for the full list of requirements.
- Supervision is measured by client contact level per site or supervisor. Extra supervision hours from one supervisor cannot be “carried over” for credit, either into the future or to another site where the supervision level was not adequate.
- Supervision and clinical experience hours are measured on a monthly basis. Interns must report all direct client contact hours. If supervision in a particular month does not meet the rule requirements, then all client contact hours accumulated during that month will be disallowed.
- If no hours are submitted for a six-month reporting period, then the internship will be expired.
Maintaining Registration
Reporting Hours
Your hours must be timely submitted in the Licensee Portal* in order to count towards the post-doc experience requirement. You must upload a completed Registered Intern Six-Month Supervisor Evaluation & Hours Report that is signed by you and your supervisor. This report is due in the month following each six-month reporting period. Please refer to your plan approval documents from the Board if you are unsure of your reporting period. Submit a report for each period, even if you did not accrue any hours. The report must contain original signatures and should reasonably show compliance with the terms of the contract.
*Please click
here for more information on the Portal.
Annual Renewal
- An intern's renewal timeline is based on the month in which the person was initially registered.
- Renewal notices are sent as a courtesy. It is the intern's responsibility to renew and take all necessary steps to maintain registration. A late fee is required for late renewals.
- Having an current and accurate PDS and current six-month reports on file are conditions for renewal.
- Failure to renew within the renewal month will result in expiration of registration and closure of application.
Current Information to the Board
- Update contact information (including email address!) within 30 days of the change.
- Submit revised PDS to Board within 30 days of change for approval.
- Notify the Board immediately, but not less than within 30 days, if any information submitted in the application changes (complaints, disciplinary actions, litigation, criminal involvement, employment investigations which result in disciplinary action, etc.)
Plan Changes
The supervisor and intern must explain to the Board any significant interruption to supervision or expected termination of the supervisory relationship with 14 days. You must request to place your internship on hold, or may voluntarily terminate your internship.
Re-application/Re-Registration
- If your application is closed, you may submit a new application and internship plan for approval at the Board's discretion.
- Re-application will be under rules in place at time of re-application, rather than according to original application.
- See the Apply for a License page for Re-Application instructions and forms.
Forms