Internship

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

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

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.

Individual and Group Supervision Frequency

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

All hours must be timely reported via the Registered Intern Six-Month Supervisor Evaluation & Hours Report. 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.

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

You must submit an Intern Plan Change Request Form, and have it approved by the Board, before you begin working at a new practice location or have any change in supervisor(s). For changes in supervisor (replacing, adding a new, or removing a supervisor), you must also submit and have approved a new Intern Supervised Clinical Experience Plan Form and Professional Disclosure Statement (PDS). Hours accrued under conditions that were not part of the Board-approved plan will not be accepted.

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.