How to Become an Approved Clinical Supervisor in North Carolina: A Guide for LCMHCs

If you're a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (LCMHC) in North Carolina looking to advance your career, becoming an approved clinical supervisor allows you to mentor future professionals while deepening your own skills. This guide outlines the state’s supervision training and experience requirements and explains how the Telehealth Certification Institute can help you meet them through flexible, board-aligned continuing education options.

✅ Requirements to Become a Qualified Clinical Supervisor in North Carolina

According to the North Carolina Administrative Code (21 NCAC 53 .0209), a Qualified Clinical Supervisor must:

• Be a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (LCMHC) holding an independent license in good standing (not under supervision).

• Hold a master’s degree.

• Have completed one of the following training options in supervision:

• Three semester graduate credits in clinical supervisionfrom a regionally accredited institution, OR

• 45 contact hours of continuing education in clinical supervision.

• Have a minimum of five years of post-graduate counseling experience, including at least two years of post-licensure experience.

📝 Note: You must meet these qualifications before supervising any LCMHC Associates or license candidates.

🔁 Renewal Requirement: CE for Supervisors

To maintain your LCMHC Supervisor credential, you must complete 10 contact hours of continuing education in counseling supervision every two years. These hours must relate directly to professional knowledge and competency in clinical supervision practice.

📝Source: 21 NCAC 53 .0209 QUALIFIED CLINICAL SUPERVISOR

🎓 How Telehealth Certification Institute (TCI) Can Help

At the Telehealth Certification Institute, we offer board-aligned clinical supervision training that meets both the initial approval and renewal requirements for North Carolina LCMHCs.

📌 For Initial Supervisor Approval

✅ Clinical Supervision Certificate (CSC) Program
If you are applying to become a Qualified Clinical Supervisor for the first time, we strongly recommend enrolling in our Clinical Supervision Certificate (CSC) program:

• Includes over 45 contact hours of focused clinical supervision training

• Covers key areas such as ethics, models of supervision, cultural competence, and legal responsibilities

• Exceeds North Carolina’s 45-hour CE requirement for supervisor approval

• Prepares you to apply for national credentials such as the Approved Clinical Supervisor (ACS) through the Center for Credentialing & Education (CCE)

🔁 For Supervisor Renewal

✅ Browse Individual Supervision Courses
To maintain your supervisor credential, North Carolina requires 10 hours of continuing education in supervision every two years. We recommend browsing our individual supervision courses to:

• Explore new models, methods, and ethical considerations

• Customize your learning to align with your clinical interests and populations

• Stay current with emerging trends in supervision practices

🔎 These flexible, topic-specific courses help experienced supervisors go beyond the basics and deepen their expertise.

🤝 Join Our Free Clinical Supervision Forum

Enhance your supervisory skills and network with peers through our Clinical Supervision Forum. This free, bi-monthly webinar series covers various supervision topics and provides a platform for discussion and learning.

🧠 Why Train with TCI?

• Expert Instructors with decades of experience in supervision.

• Affordable, On-Demand Options available 24/7 online.

• Courses Meet North Carolina and National Requirements.

• Interactive CE Events through our live Supervision Forum.

• Trusted by Thousands of counselors, educators, and agencies nationwide.

➡️ Ready to Get Started?

Advance your career and shape the next generation of counselors.

Enroll in our supervision training today or join our free Supervision Forum to begin making a bigger impact.