Provisional Licensed Professional Counselor
Louisiana Licensed Professional Counselors Board of Examiners
Overview
The Provisional Licensed Professional Counselor (PLPC) is Louisiana's pre-independent counseling credential for mental health professionals working toward full LPC licensure. PLPCs must practice under active supervision with a Board-approved LPC-Supervisor. To earn the LPC, candidates must complete 3,000 hours of supervised experience (including 1,900+ direct counseling hours) over 2-6 years, with a minimum of 100 face-to-face supervision hours.
Louisiana's supervision cadence is ratio-based: 1 hour of supervision for every 20 hours of direct client contact. The Board requires a supervision plan to be filed and approved BEFORE any hours begin — retroactive hours are explicitly prohibited. AuditHalo tracks all requirements continuously and alerts your team when any supervisee falls behind.
Summary
3,000 supervised practice hours over 2-6 years, including 1,900+ direct counseling hours and 1,000+ indirect hours. 100 face-to-face supervision hours total, of which at least 50 must be individual. Cadence: 1 hour of supervision per 20 direct client contact hours. Supervisor must hold the LPC-S (LPC-Supervisor) designation from the LA LPC Board. Supervision plan must be filed and approved by the Board BEFORE hours begin counting. Retroactive hours are not permitted.
Hour requirements
- Total practice hours
- 3,000
- Total supervision hours
- 100
- Min. individual share
- 50%
- Group session max
- 10 attendees
- Duration window
- 24 to 72 months
Checks AuditHalo runs
Supervision plan must be filed and approved by the Board before any hours accrue; retroactive hours not permitted (§603(A)(5)(d), §605(A)(3))
pre_registration_required · blocker
Supervisor must hold the LPC-S (LPC-Supervisor) designation from the LA LPC Board (§603(A)(5)(a), §801(A)(1)(a))
supervisor_credential_required · blocker
Supervisor and supervisee must meet at least once within any 3-month period (§503)
individual_supervision_cadence · warning
1 hour of supervision per 20 direct client contact hours (§503)
supervision_ratio_per_practice_block · warning
At least 50 of 100 supervision hours must be individual (§605(A)(2)(a)(iii)(a))
individual_supervision_minimum_share · warning
Group supervision sessions must have 2-10 PLPCs (§605(A)(2)(a)(ii)(b))
group_size_limit · blocker
Must accumulate at least 3,000 supervised practice hours (§605(A)(2))
total_practice_hours · info
Must accumulate at least 100 face-to-face supervision hours (§605(A)(2)(a))
total_supervision_hours · info
Supervision must span 2-6 years from original approval date (§605(A)(2), §605(A)(4))
duration_window · warning
Supervisor qualifications
- Must hold the LPC-S (LPC-Supervisor) designation issued by the LA LPC Board (§801(A)(1)(a))
- Must hold a Louisiana LPC license in good standing — not lapsed, expired, probated, suspended, or revoked (§801(A)(3))
- Must have minimum 3 years post-licensure mental health counseling experience (§801(A)(1)(b))
- Must have completed supervision training: either a 45+ clock hour graduate course or a 25+ clock hour approved training program, within 5 years of applying for supervisor status (§801(A)(1)(c))
- Cannot be a relative of the PLPC or employed by a relative (§603(A)(5)(d)(iii))
- May supervise no more than 10 PLPCs at any given time (§803(A)(2))
Common mistakes to avoid
- The supervision plan MUST be filed and approved by the Board BEFORE any hours accrue — retroactive supervision hours are explicitly not permitted (§605(A)(3))
- Practice setting must also be Board-approved before hours accrue there — failure to notify the Board of a new setting within 30 days forfeits ALL hours accrued at that setting (§603(A)(6)(d))
- PLPCs may not own, operate, or manage the practice; cannot bill directly or under another person's name (§603(A)(6)(e)-(f))
- An on-site administrative supervisor (licensed LPC, LMFT, or LCSW) must be employed and available at the practice setting (§603(A)(6)(g)-(i))
- PLPCs may not identify themselves as 'licensed,' 'fully licensed,' 'LPC,' or 'counselor' (§605(B)(1))
- Each PLPC must give clients a disclosure statement including training status and supervisor's name (§605(B)(2))
- Adding or changing supervisors requires filing and approval before new hours can accrue (§603(A)(5)(d)(i)-(ii))
- PLPC must report any status change (employment, arrests, discipline, impairment) to Board and supervisor within 30 days (§605(B)(5))
Verification
- Last verified
- 2026-07-21
- Verified by
- perplexity_research
Evidence package
Required signers: supervisor, supervisee
Immutability: sha256_signed_json
Track your LA hours
AuditHalo evaluates every hour you log against this rule and flags issues before they become problems.
Start freeLA PLPC — common questions.
How many supervised hours does a PLPC need in Louisiana?
3,000 total supervised practice hours over 2-6 years, including at least 1,900 direct counseling hours, 1,000 indirect hours, and 100 face-to-face supervision hours (50+ individual).
What qualifies as an approved supervisor in Louisiana?
Your supervisor must hold the LPC-S (LPC-Supervisor) designation from the Louisiana LPC Board. This requires a Louisiana LPC in good standing, 3+ years post-licensure experience, and completion of an approved supervision training program. No other license type satisfies the Louisiana requirement.
Must the supervision plan be filed before I start?
Yes — this is mandatory. The supervision plan must be submitted on Board forms and approved before the proposed start date. Retroactive hours are explicitly not permitted. Adding or changing supervisors also requires prior filing and approval.
How often must supervision occur in Louisiana?
Louisiana uses a ratio-based cadence: 1 hour of face-to-face supervision for every 20 hours of direct client contact. Additionally, supervisor and supervisee must meet at least once within any 3-month period.
Can supervision be done via video in Louisiana?
Yes — up to 100% of face-to-face supervision hours may be conducted via synchronous videoconferencing on a HIPAA-compliant platform. Supervision may NOT be conducted via mail, email, or telephone.
Does AuditHalo generate the documentation Louisiana requires?
AuditHalo generates tamper-evident evidence packages for each supervision session including date, duration, session type, supervisor credentials, and intent-confirmed signatures. Records are maintained by employment location and hour type (direct, indirect, face-to-face) as required by §605(B)(6).
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