Glossary
31 terms in plain English.
A
Approved supervisor
A licensed clinician who meets the board's training and experience requirements for supervising pre-licensure hours.
Related: board-approved training
AMFTRB
Association of Marital & Family Therapy Regulatory Boards — publishes the MFT national exam.
ASWB
Association of Social Work Boards — administers the licensing exams for clinical social work.
Attestation
Supervisor's signed statement verifying supervised hours and the supervisee's readiness for independent practice.
Associate licensure
Entry-level registration (e.g., LMHC-A, LMFT-A, LMSW) granted before supervised hours are completed.
B
Board-approved training
Supervisor-specific coursework (often 30+ hours) required before a clinician can supervise pre-licensure hours.
C
CACREP
Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs — the primary accreditor for counseling graduate programs.
Learn more →Counseling Compact
Interstate compact letting LPCs practice across member states via a privilege rather than separate licensure.
CE credits
Continuing-education credits required to renew an active license. Most boards specify topics and minimum hours.
Clinical licensure
Full independent license (e.g., LMHC, LMFT, LCSW) achieved after supervised hours and exam.
Crisis intervention
Time-limited work with a client in acute distress — often counted as direct contact when documented.
D
Direct client contact
Time spent face-to-face (in person or via telehealth) providing clinical services directly to a client.
Related: indirect hours, telehealth supervision
E
EPPP
Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology — required for psychologist licensure, not counseling.
Endorsement
Licensing pathway where an out-of-state licensee applies to a new state by demonstrating equivalent qualifications.
F
Face-to-face
In-person session. Telehealth often counts as face-to-face when both parties can see and hear each other in real time.
G
Group supervision
Two or more supervisees together with one supervisor. Most states cap the percentage of supervision hours that may be group format.
Related: individual supervision
I
Indirect hours
Clinically related work that isn't direct contact — chart notes, case management, consultation, scoring assessments.
Related: direct client contact
Individual supervision
One supervisee and one supervisor in a synchronous session. Most states require a minimum number of these hours.
Related: group supervision, triadic supervision
J
Jurisprudence exam
State-specific test on laws governing practice. Some states require it before initial licensure.
M
Multicultural competence
Practitioner's ability to provide ethical, effective care across cultural identities. Often required as a CE topic.
N
NCE
National Counselor Examination.
NCMHCE
National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination — the clinical-level exam most LPCs/LMHCs sit for.
P
Pre-licensure
The period after graduation but before full licensure, during which supervised hours are accumulated.
R
Reciprocity
When one state recognizes another state's license, often with conditions on training or exam scores.
Related: endorsement
Renewal cycle
Recurring window (often biennial) during which a licensee must complete CE and submit renewal paperwork.
S
Supervision plan
Written agreement between supervisor and supervisee outlining goals, frequency, and scope. Many boards require it on file.
Supervisee cap
Maximum number of supervisees one supervisor may carry at once. State boards set the ceiling.
T
Triadic supervision
Exactly two supervisees with one supervisor — counted by some boards as individual and others as group.
Telehealth supervision
Synchronous video supervision. Most states allow it; a handful limit how many hours can be telehealth.