California APCC to LPCC hours requirements
The supervised experience an APCC logs after the degree toward the California LPCC: 3,000 hours, with supervision every week at every site. Practicum hours from the qualifying degree never reduce the 3,000.
The short answer
Headline figures: Total supervised experience 3,000 hours; direct clinical 1,750 hours.
Supervision: At least 1 supervision unit each week at each site where you gain experience, and 2 units at a site where you have more than 10 direct hours that week.
Time limit: Hours must fall within the 6 years before you apply. No practicum exemption applies.
Post-degree experience · Title while gaining experience: Associate Professional Clinical Counselor (APCC) · Authority: Board of Behavioral Sciences
Requirements
| Requirement | Figure |
|---|---|
| Total supervised experience | 3,000 hours |
| Direct clinical | 1,750 hours |
| Non-clinical experience (maximum) | 1,250 hours |
| Supervised weeks | 104 weeks 52 of them with individual or triadic supervision. |
| Experience in any 7 consecutive days (maximum) | 40 hours |
| Supervision credited per week (maximum) | 6 hours |
Supervision
- At least 1 supervision unit each week at each site where you gain experience, and 2 units at a site where you have more than 10 direct hours that week.
- One unit is one hour of individual or triadic supervision, or two hours of group supervision, at the same site in the same week. Group units count only in whole blocks inside the week.
- Supervision at one site never covers another site.
- No more than 6 hours of supervision count in a week.
- Supervision counts only in person or by live two-way video. Telephone supervision does not count. Video also depends on your supervisor determining it is appropriate and keeping records.
- BBS associates work as employees or volunteers, never as contractors.
Time limits
- Hours must fall within the 6 years before you apply. No practicum exemption applies.
- APCC registration ends at six years.
What Accrue checks
- Tracks the 3,000-hour total and the 1,750 direct clinical hours.
- Caps non-clinical hours at 1,250.
- Checks each week at each site for 1 supervision unit, or 2 units where you logged more than 10 direct hours. Hours at a site in a week without enough units are not credited.
- Counts supervision in units, never raw minutes: one hour of individual or triadic supervision, or two hours of group supervision in one week, is one unit at one site.
- Credits at most 6 hours of supervision a week and at most 40 hours of experience in any 7 consecutive days.
- Supervision logged by telephone, or with no modality, credits no hours or units and cannot meet a week's unit requirement.
- Counts your supervised weeks toward 104 and your weeks with individual or triadic supervision toward 52.
- Stops counting hours once they are more than 6 years old.
- Fills the BBS APCC weekly log and LPCC in-state experience verification with your logged category hours, one supervisor and one setting per form. You keep the weekly log unless the board asks for it; the signed verification goes with your application.
What Accrue does not check
- Accrue does not track when your APCC registration ends.
- Accrue does not fill in the number of supervised weeks, employer or supervisor attestations, required attachments or a supervisor signature on the BBS forms. Complete and check each form with your supervisor before you submit it.
- Out-of-state experience verification forms are not supported.
Common questions
- How many hours do you need for the LPCC in California?
- The cited rule sets total supervised experience 3,000 hours; direct clinical 1,750 hours. Source: Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 4999.46; Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 4999.46.2; BBS FAQs for Supervisors, question 21 (February 2026); BBS APCC weekly log (form); BBS LPCC in-state experience verification (form), checked September 23, 2026. Supervision and time limits also apply; see the sections above.
- What supervision does California require for the LPCC?
- At least 1 supervision unit each week at each site where you gain experience, and 2 units at a site where you have more than 10 direct hours that week. One unit is one hour of individual or triadic supervision, or two hours of group supervision, at the same site in the same week. Group units count only in whole blocks inside the week. Supervision at one site never covers another site.
- Is there a time limit for LPCC hours in California?
- Hours must fall within the 6 years before you apply. No practicum exemption applies. APCC registration ends at six years.
- Does meeting these figures make me eligible?
- No. The Board of Behavioral Sciences reviews your application and your supervisors' verifications and decides. Accrue keeps the record and shows how the cited rule applies to it.
Sources
Sources checked
- Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 4999.46
- Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 4999.46.2
- BBS FAQs for Supervisors, question 21 (February 2026)
- BBS APCC weekly log (form)
- BBS LPCC in-state experience verification (form)
Accrue is a record-keeping aid and is not affiliated with any licensing board, accreditor or school. Rules change; confirm the requirements that apply to you with the authority that sets them before you rely on a figure.