Associate Registration

This information is provided to assist applicants in meeting the requirements of associate registration. The Oregon Board of Licensed Professional Counselors and Therapists expects all registered associates to document the required experience and supervision according to its rules and instructions.

Important information on title usage. “Registered Interns” changed to “Registered Associates,” effective August 6, 2021 as a result of legislation. The titles “professional counselor associate” and “marriage and family therapist associate” must now be used an all signed materials, letterhead, business cards, advertisements and directory listings, brochures, and other representations. There are no acceptable abbreviations for these titles. Using titles that designate licensure- e.g. "LPCa" or "LMFT-A" or "LPC-Associate" or other variations, is NOT appropriate, as registration is a pre-licensed status.

Applying to Become a Registered Associate

Please visit the Apply for a License page to review the requirements, instructions, and forms necessary to apply via the Registered Associate Application Method. Please see OAR 833 050-0011 and 050-0021.

Registered Associate Supervision Requirements

Basic requirement: A minimum of 3 years (36 months) of supervised clinical experience, including at least 1,900 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 associate registration plan.
Registered associate 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.

The change from 2,400 to 1,900 hours became effective July 1, 2023. Please see our FAQ for more information.

Avoid processing delays- submit fully completed and signed forms!

Supervisors

Registered associates may choose from a list of Approved Supervisors (LPCs and LMFTs only) posted on the Board's Supervisor Registry. The Supervisor Registry is integrated into the License Search function. To search for supervisors, you can check the box to "only show results with supervisors." The online profile lists the supervisor's supervisory status and languages spoken. There is no requirement to choose a supervisor from the Registry. Other licensed mental health professionals (e.g., psychologists and social workers) may be registered associate 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.
Registered associates 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 Registered Associate's Responsibilities. This includes title use, reporting of hours, and registered associate plan changes. Reminder: Registered Associates may NOT use "LPCi" or "LMFTa" or any other abbreviation as titles.

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. Registered associates 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 reporting period, then the associate registration will be expired.

Place of Practice

Registered associates must receive and document supervision for and report all direct client contact hours at places of practice listed as part of their Board-approved plan.
A change to the place of practice in an approved plan must be submitted for Board approval (see Plan Changes, below).
Requests to Practice Outside of Oregon. The Oregon Board can only authorize a person to practice within Oregon. Other state board laws vary as to whether they consider the practice of the profession to be only where the client is located, or where the client and the practitioner are each located. The Oregon Board must respect the laws of other jurisdictions. Proposed associate registration plan (or change) requests where the listed place of practice is in another state (where the registrant will be physically located while providing services to Oregon clients) will be considered only when: 1) the supervisor is amenable to the arrangement (as evidenced by their signature on the form), and 2) the registered associate or proposed registered associate submits written authorization from the other jurisdiction (along with the form via the Licensee Portal). Requests that do not include these elements will be denied.

Maintaining Registration

Reporting Hours

Your hours must be timely submitted in the Licensee Portal* in order to count towards the post-degree experience requirement. You must upload a completed Registered Associate Supervisor Evaluation & Hours Report that is signed by you and your supervisor. This report is due at each registration renewal (as a step included in the online renewal), and at the conclusion of a plan (select the "Associate Registration Plan" menu item and click "Submit Supervision Report"). The report must contain original signatures and should reasonably show compliance with the terms of the contract. Please review the New Registration page for more information.

Registered Associates and their supervisors will need to remember to complete and sign the form timely for submission prior to the registration renewal due date.

Please do not resubmit months of supervision that have already been approved by the Board.

*Please click here for more information on the Portal.

Annual Renewal

A registered associate'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 registrant'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 (unless exempt) and current supervision 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 Registered Associate Plan Change Request Form via the Licensee Portal, 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 Registered Associate 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 registered associate 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 registration on hold, or may voluntarily terminate your registration.

Examination

Please visit the Exam page for information about important deadlines. Failure to meet examination deadlines will result in closure of your application.

Promotion to Licensee

When you have successfully completed and documented the experience requirements, you will receive an email with instructions for submitting your Promotion Application and remaining requirements for licensure. You are required to maintain your registration, which includes your annual renewal and submission of 6-month reports until you've been issued a license. If your registration expires before you are issued a license, you must reapply.

Application Extension

Associate registration status is a transitional step toward licensure and is not intended as a means to avoid licensure. Applicants approved for registration as an associate will have five years to complete the supervised direct client contact hours necessary for licensure or for examination. Failure to meet the experience requirements for licensure within five years will result in expiration of registration and closure of the application file. The registered associate may petition the Board to allow extension of registration for up to one year beyond the maximum five years if the registered associate can show good cause for such extension. Requests must be submitted no more than 30 days before the expiration of an application.

Request an Extension

Re-application/Re-Registration

If your application is closed, you may submit a new application and associate registration 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.
Applicants who have met the experience requirement and failed to renew their annual registration or exceeded the five year registration period must submit a Direct method application.
See the Apply for a License page for application instructions and forms.